Annona Purpurea
On my pursuit of better types of this fruit call :Soncoya, Sincuya, Cabeza de negro, I planned a trip to the place were they grow wild, I wanted to give this fruit another chance since I had tasted only once about 9 years ago and that time wasn't fare as I bought it by the road side and then traveled for 5 hours to my city just to throw it in the low part of the refrigerator and tasted over a week later, this happens because at that time I was just dating Idalia my today's honey and obviously my head and hormones wasn't at the flesh of a fruit at that time period! And that's probably the reason when I finally took it off the refrigerator to try wasn't nothing special.
Well this trip was planned with my friend lalo another enthusiastic fruit hunter who at his 70 years is ready to travel wherever there is some exciting fruit species, we took the bus Monday October 23/17 at 5:15
From Puerto Vallarta - Melaque, this supposed to be first class on a 3:30 hours ride along the coast highway non stop, we arrived to Melaque, little touristy town, 10,000 habitants, very nice little bay very popular with cheap budgets Canadians/Americans who spent here the winter time, I lived here a couple of years in the 94/95 when I was the Sales manager of a beach front resort until it was damaged by 95's earthquake, I really enjoyed that time, time goes very slow here,
As soon as we arrive we purchased bus tickets for next day at 6:30 AM, then we went to the plaza where I could have a great plate of Pozole(corn grain and pork soup) for only 45 pesos! (2.5usd) and a glass of Jamaica water (Hibiscus) 10pesos (50cents usd) very pleasant windy warm night, out side of the church were throwing fireworks 🎇 so that was cool, then we went to find hotel and we got a great deal in a small simple, clean place, kind of new, unit with two double beds for only 300 pesos (17usd) even had a little pool sorry we couldn't use! 😄
Next day we walk two blocks back for the bus station, bus arrive on time and we went in just after we seat I thought to ask the driver exactly were to look for the fruit as I remembered the fruit stand on the road side but didn't had clear idea were exactly was, and that is why I bought the tickets to La Huerta, Jalisco. He informed me That it wasn't in la huerta who was up hills 45 minutes ride from the beach, but in Casimiro Castillo another 45 minutes more uphill in the mountains, he also told me there was no fruits as he was requested by a friend to get some because he drives every day that route, anyway I insisted to go all the way to Casimiro Castillo as that was my purpose for the trip, he agreed to receive personally the difference in price tickets as we had already pay for only going to la huerta, this bus wasn't as good as the first one, no AC And uncomfortable seats, when I saw the sign of Casimiro Castillo on the sign, I look all over the highway for the fruit stands but couldn't see much, only people by the highway waiting for transportation, finally the driver shout "Casimiro Castilloooo" then when I got closer he pointed out some small fruit stands, he said, if there's something you can find it there, lalo and me went down, and started walking, looking for the fruit at the distance I started to worry as I only could see bananas, pomelos, coconut, then I heard Lalo who was ahead of me, "si hay Raul!! ya la hicimos!" there's some Raúl we made it!
Then I saw them all pile together there was only like 15 of them at the top the ripe ones with the upper side opening showing the vibrant orange color, I was about to take a picture when I noticed somebody passed me from behind, when I looked it was the bus driver! He quickly started to get with smiley face the ripe ones from the top 1,2,3,4, I was about to open my mouth to tell him to let some for me, but I didn't have to, he stop at 5 fruits, then he pay he went back saying to the bus saying, "all I need now is some salt and 🌶 chilli!
We started talking with the fruit stand owner, he mentioned this year the fruit was late, that just a day before he could was handed those fruits, the first ones of the season, he says the people who give them to him collected them from the mountains, well that town is at 450M asl, I can imagine that mountains are at least another 100 meters or more, I want to think this fruits are cold tolerant, then we open one right away, the smell of this fruit has to be one of the most gentile, it smells very good maybe with some of tangerine and spicy passiflora essence, Lalo was the first one to tried it, he said it was delicious, for him it taste very good, he mentioned it tasted like a combination between sweet Guanabana and tangerine, also could feel some distant notes of boiled sweet potato it was sweet with very almost nothing acidity level, very nice clean flavor, when I tried it surprised me in the good way with a sharp sweet flavor little beat of sweet Guanábana and definitely tangerine was there, also a little beat of the South American Sapote, Chupa Chupa, (Quararibea Cordata) specially in the flesh close to the skin, while it has fiber, I would say is very thin and fragile not really botters is so tender that almost disappear in the mouth, maybe like the one Jack"Coconut" describes in his Whitman fiberless Soursop?
In general I was gladly surprised by the quality of the fruit, I think is underrated because is not easy to get and most people when they got them tried maybe over ripe because long traveling, I am also surprised of the shelves life as some of the fruit I bought were gave it to this man on Saturday and today Wednesday they are still rock hard in my house at room temperature 32 celsius, when they are ready the stem attached to the fruit becomes loose when you touch it, once in that stage it can go for another couple days at room temperature or a week in AC, for my friend Lalo and his wife tasting the fruit yesterday afternoon he sent a video were they think is like a mix between sweet Guanábana and tangerine and the best of all the annonas according to them, for me at the top are the chirimoya /Atemoya and then very close ilama, Soncoya/Cabeza de negro, And Sugar Apple, by the way I find lots of similarities among Soncoya and Marolo(Annona Crassifolia) but I haven't tried that one yet, what I like alot about Cabeza de Negro (black men's head) who come out with that name? I would like better Annona Durian! is how spectacular the fruit itself is with the big size, some up to 2 kilos, green spiky Durianish exterior and the bright orange flesh with the fancy smell, it was a great trip we even had time to have "birria" for lunch, ground oven juicy goat, simply delicious 😋!!
I Attached some pics of the "paloma" I drink, in some towns is common in the morning to have fresh milk from the cow with alcohol and chocolate, very tasty, the other pics are from the goat meat birria soup, extremely delicious with fresh hand made tortillas..
This is a Soncoya video from el Salvador
https://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=0ahUKEwjMuN_KiI3XAhVGhlQKHSkZBDcQxa8BCCUwAA&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov
