Loquat

Unless you live in California or Florida you will probably suffer from the same loquat-lack that I do. To make a long story short, loquats bruise. If loquats were to be marketed blemish-free, they would have to be harvested rock-hard and inedible (as much of our fruit is at present). When I spent some time in Portugal, I watched with fascination as women in the market picked through sunny heaps of fruit, avoiding the perfect-looking firm specimens and selecting the bruised and tender. In China (where loquats originated), Japan, India, throughout the Mediterranean, Central America, and part of South America the small golden loquat’s delicacy is a fact of life—and the fruit is eagerly consumed in abundance, even with imperfections.