Food: Snot Apple (azanza garckeana)

Snot apple!

While in the field the other week, our team needed to find water. We made our way to a dried up river bed and dug shallow holes in the sand to access water. Along the river there was a medium-size tree that our local team immediately identified as having edible fruit. They sent the youngest member to gather some of the fruits, at which point I got quite excited at the prospect of trying a new fruit.

The fruit of the not so flatteringly named, “Snot Apple (Azanza Garckeana)” is strange to me in a few ways. First, the skin does not look inviting but the fruit is consumed with no peeling. Second, the texture has an odd mix of soft innards and a kind of chewy and tough skin. Third, the flavor is subtle at first and then tastes like a slightly watered down honey. You end up chewing on it like sugar cane; swallowing the liquid and spitting out the skin and innards. The fruit gets its name from the texture, which many people describe a slimy.

Overall the fruit was initially foreign to my taste and consumption but the flavor is quite nice and certainly a good find while navigating around the bush. I'm not sure if I would buy it in town but anytime I see a fruiting tree, I'll be more than happy to get some fruits!