Japanese loquat, raw (medlar, loquat, nispero, organic?)

The Japanese medlar is also known as Wollmedlar , Loquat , Nispero or Nespolo . In Mexico it is called Mispero .

Use in the kitchen:

The oval Japanese loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica ) tastes sweet and sour and is juicy, reminiscent of apples and apricots. In the middle of the orange, compact flesh there are usually 2-4 or more hard, shiny brown seeds that can be easily removed. They look similar to almonds, but are not recommended for consumption. See below under Dangers / Intolerances. If there are a few brown spots on the yellow skin, the fruit is completely ripe. The spots are therefore not a sign of spoilage. ¹

The Japanese medlar tastes best straight from the tree and raw for dessert. In a fruit salad it goes well with oranges and coconut flakes. The skin can be eaten or peeled off; the Federal Center for Nutrition in Bonn recommends the latter. ¹⁵

If you cook the nispero, the fruit loses most of its medicinal properties. Nevertheless, in Brazil, after removing the seeds, the loquat is cooked with water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and brandy and then enjoyed as a compote. In Europe, unripe, still sour nespole are used for jelly. These mostly come from Italy, are small and orange in color. More refined varieties are too expensive for jams. ²

Vegan recipe for smoothie with Japanese medlar:

Ingredients: 1 cherimoya , 2 carambola (star fruits) , 7 loquats, 1 grapefruit , 4 oranges , 1 lemon .

Preparation: Cut the cherimoya in half, remove the stem and peel the fruit. Remove any brown spots or bruises. Cut the cherimoya into wedges like an apple and remove the black seeds. Cut the loquats in half, pull out the flowers and cores and peel off the skin if necessary. With the star fruit, remove the brownish candied fruit, then cut the fruit into stars and remove the seeds with the tip of a knife. Put these fruits in a blender and mix until they have a creamy consistency. Squeeze the lemon, grapefruit and oranges and put them in the blender. Mix again at the highest setting and serve in glasses.

Tip: Put a few slices of star fruit aside and decorate the glasses with them.

Purchasing - where to buy?

The loquat fruit is the size of a plum and, depending on the variety, pale yellow to deep orange. The exotic pome fruit has a slightly hairy, smooth skin that is a little tougher than an apple skin. ¹

Loquats are rarely found in large retailers. The fruits are not climacteric ^15,16 , spoil very easily and are therefore not suitable for long transport. Try to buy the fruits from a specialised fruit dealer, in a delicatessen, an Asian shop or in an online shop.

There are said to be 46 loquat varieties in Japan alone. The refined Tanaka is said to be the best Japanese variety. Unlike other loquats, it ripens late. The Advance is a bright yellow loquat that ripens in March in large, dense clusters. The oval, pear-shaped Champagne is said to have the best aroma of all. The oval Premier is slightly smaller. The Early Red is ready for harvest in January.

The fruit is also available preserved in cans. The fruit used for this often comes from China. The fruits in them are large, peeled and pitted, but do not taste very hearty. ² The fruit juice of the Japanese medlar tastes better. In Frankfurt am Main there is a popular drink called 'Das Mispelchen'. This is a Japanese medlar fruit pickled in Calvados, sometimes mixed with medlar juice. ³

Found in the wild:

The Japanese loquat also occurs in the wild or in the wild in Central Europe. It also occurs in southern Europe and especially on the Canary Islands in spring.

Storage:

Loquats are not climacteric, so they do not ripen. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Ingredients - Nutritional value calories:

The fruit of the Japanese loquat contains fiber, potassium and vitamin A. ⁴ The loquat also contains secondary plant substances, tannins and numerous triterpenes. ⁷ You can find detailed information in the ingredient tables after the text.

Health aspects - effects:

Loquat is most active when fresh. Among other things, it has a flushing effect on the urinary organs. The aromatic triterpenes in loquat produce its antidiabetic properties.

Research at the University of Naples has shown that loquat extracts reduce the sugar content in the urine of diabetic mice. ⁵ A study at the Autonomous University of Mexico shows that the antidiabetic effect of loquat also works in humans. ⁶

The abrasive effect causes deposits in the urinary tract to be excreted. Loquat is therefore recommended for gout, kidney stones and kidney failure because its low protein content and high mineral content have a positive healing effect. ⁷ A loquat treatment can also be worthwhile for various chronic liver diseases. It relieves the liver.

Because loquat has a mild astringent effect, it normalizes intestinal transit. It is therefore an ideal, natural food after an infectious diarrheal disease because it provides water and replaces minerals.

The triterpene esters are particularly effective against colds and cold viruses. ⁸

Dangers - intolerances - side effects:

The seeds of the Japanese loquat contain, like apricot seeds or bitter almonds, toxic amygdalin. During digestion, the amygdalin is converted into harmful hydrogen cyanide. Children in particular should not eat the seeds raw. ¹¹ Unripe fruits can also be toxic. ¹⁶

Folk medicine - natural medicine:

In Asia, tea made from the fluffy leaves of the Japanese loquat is an important remedy for coughs and bronchitis. The loquat leaves are also a valuable component of the cough syrup 'Pei Pa Koa' used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The herbal medicine also contains bulbs of the checkered lily, coltsfoot, mint, balloon flower and, for a better aroma, honey. ⁹

According to a study by the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a 1994 article states that Pei Pa Kao has been proven to be very effective against cough, sputum and asthma. ¹⁰

Occurrence - Origin:

The Japanese medlar probably comes from China. ^15,16 Níspero or Mispero, as it is called locally in Mexico, is now widespread in the tropics and subtropics. In the tropics, however, the tree only thrives at higher altitudes. The Japanese medlar is often found in Italy, Spain and Portugal - actually in the entire Mediterranean region (islands). The plant can even be found in wine-growing regions in wind-protected locations. ² In Germany, the medlar thrives in mild winter areas along the Rhine and also produces fruit. ¹²

On La Palma and the Canary Islands, the tree is called Nisperero and the fruit is called Níspero. The fruit tree grows there from the coastal zone, far from the salty breeze, up to 800 m above sea level. The fruits ripen between February and April, depending on the weather and location. The Nispero can also be found in Cyprus, Malta, Lebanon and Turkey, etc.

Of course, the loquat is also often found in Japan, Korea, the hilly regions of India (Himachal), Potohar and the foothills of Pakistan. The loquat can also be found in some northern parts of the Philippines. It is called Japanese medlar, Japanese plum or Chinese plum. The loquat is also grown in Georgia, Armenia, Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Chile, Kenya, India, Iran, Iraq, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, Reunion, Tonga, Central America, Mexico, South America and in warmer parts of the United States. Depending on the zone, the fruits are available at very different times of the year.

Larger loquat plantations for commercial purposes exist in California, Algeria, Israel and of course in Japan and China. ²

Cultivation - Harvest:

The flowers of the Japanese loquat smell delicately like vanilla and appear in woolly clusters. Hence the middle part of the name. ² The loquat flowers bloom in various locations in February and March ⁹ and magically attract bees and bumblebees. The self-sterile varieties require pollination by insects, although there are also self-fertile varieties. The evergreen tree has long leaves. The upper side is leathery and dark green. The underside is finely hairy. The tree is usually 4-5 m tall, but can reach up to 10 m in height.

The plant tolerates short-term drought, but during longer periods it reacts by partially shedding its leaves. This often occurs with a significant delay, so that the cause can no longer be clearly identified later and it could also be due to the plants' nutrient requirements. Under optimal conditions, the plum-sized, orange pseudo-fruits develop within around 90 days.

The loquat tree is very popular in Italy because it is the first fresh fruit of the year. ² In Palermo and Naples, the fruit harvest begins at the beginning of May. Around 800 tonnes of fruit are exported from this growing area each year. Every year on the second Sunday in May, a festival is held to thank the tree: the Sagra delle Nespole (festival of the loquat).

Danger of confusion:

Be careful when using the name 'Nespolo' without the name extension. 'Nespolo' (Italian) often means Nespolo commune, the common medlar ( Mespilus germanica). However, the loquat is not a medlar.

General information:

The Japanese loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica ) is the best known of the loquats from Asia. It is related to the medlars native to Europe. Both belong to the rose family, but otherwise they are not identical. The genetic center is found in the cooler hilly areas of China up to south-central China. In Cantonese Chinese, the fruit is called 盧橘; Jyutping. In today's simplified Chinese, it is written like this: 枇杷; pinyin: pípá; Jyutping: pei paa. In Japan, the fruit is called Biwa. ¹²

The loquat fruit came to Europe in the 8th century and has been cultivated ever since. In northern Europe, the Japanese loquat is not safe from frost and can only survive in a few places in the garden. As a potted plant in a sunny, frost-free location and with a bright winter quarters, the plant thrives and can even bear fruit. ^9,13

The breeder CP Taft from Orange, California, has invested more than 15 years to improve the quality of the loquat. ¹⁴

Literature - Sources: