You rarely see loquats on restaurant menus or in local products along the Gulf Coast despite the fact that they are basically free. Houstonians are more likely to squash them beneath their feet than eat them and that’s a damn shame.
The ancient Chinese trees they grow on have been in cultivation for over 1000 years. The word derives from Cantonese lou gwat meaning black orange, a reference to the green stage of the kumquat, proving that people have been confusing these two very different fruits for centuries.
Loquat leaves, when made into tea, are used to lower blood sugar and increase insulin levels. The fruit, when juiced, is good for coughing and bronchitis. They contain flavonoids and carotenoids, antioxidants that are helpful to the heart and immunity.
They taste a lot like apricots. They may be eaten raw or cooked. In the southern United States they are commonly made into jams and pies. In India they become chutney, in China they become a sweet sticky sauce to pour on fried chicken. The peel is thin enough to eat and the seeds are easy to remove, making them great raw for salads and desserts.
The seeds contain cyanide but probably not much because they are sold to be eaten for their amygdalin and for other health properties. For that matter they are related to almonds as are peaches, apples and roses. The Italians make nespolino out of the seeds which a bit like grappa.
Loquats have sprawled across the globe in subtropical zones where they are for more than just pies. A few examples are in this Turkish Kabab, Roasted Salsa and easy Loquat Mojito recipes that are surprisingly good. In a previous post and video I made an easy Loquat Crumble which I will link to here. I also attempted some loquat wine which is so easy it doesn’t need a recipe. Peel the loquats. Place them in a canning jar and cover them in sugar. Cover the jar but not too tightly. Check on it in two and a half weeks.
Turkish Loquat Kabab
Ingredients
20-30 Loquats, sliced in half and de-seeded For the meat: 1 pound of ground lamb, pork or beef 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper 1/2 tsp each ground clove, nutmeg, coriander and cardamom 1/2 tsp each of cumin and paprika For the Baste: 1/3 cup of waterDirections
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Mix all of the meat ingredients together and set aside. Slice all of your loquats in two and line them up so that the halves go together. Make a meatball that is roughly the size of the original loquat and squeeze the two loquat halves on either side. Arrange each stuffed loquat in a baking dish until it is full. Insert slices of garlic and pepper. Bake this for ten minutes. In a small bowl mix the water with the pomegranate syrup. After the ten minutes are up, add the water mixture to the dish and return it to the oven for 20 -30 more minutes.
Roasted Loquat Salsa
Ingredients
1 lb of Loquats
1 Onion
1 Poblano pepper
1 Jalapeno (red if possible)
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of one lime
salt to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Half and de-seed the loquats and place them face down on a baking sheet. Cut the onion into large chunks and spread them out across the baking sheet. Toss the peppers on the cutting board whole. Add the garlic cloves as well.Roast the ingredients for around 15 minutes or until the skins of the peppers blister. Remove everything from the oven and cool. When it is cool enough to touch, peel the skins off of the peppers, loquats and onions if necessary. Gather all these ingredients into a bowl and mash them with a potato masher or a fork. Add salt, lime and cilantro and serve.
Loquito
Ingredients
3 Loquats
2 sprigs of Mint or Basil
1 tsp, Sugar
2 fl oz good rum
8 oz of Topo Chico
ice
stacilynnedavis 