Have you heard of lanzones – a sweet fruit from the Philippines - How to achieve sustainable food production for increased profit and well-being

A sweet bite of the Philippine’s lanzones

The Philippines is one of the countries blessed with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. One of the favorites is lanzones (Lansium domesticum), dubbed as the ‘highly seasonal and highly priced fruit in the Philippines’.

Locally-grown varieties of lanzones are paete, duku, and jolo. An outstanding variety from Thailand is also grown but is said to be erroneously called longkong . The paete variety is grown in certain areas in Luzon such as Southern Tagalog, and in Mindanao in places such as Misamis Oriental and Camiguin Island as it thrives only in a narrow range of conditions.

One distinct characteristic of the paete variety is that its skin or peel has no latex compared to the others. An almost seedless variety, its fruit is sweet and tasty. On the other hand, the tree of the duku is shorter than other varieties. It has a wider crown and hairless leaves and its fruits have a considerably delectable flavor.

Vitamin and mineral content

Lanzones is rich in vitamins, particularly Vitamins A, B1 and B2, and minerals.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin group that includes retinol or and several pro-Vitamin A carotenoids. , It is responsible for a person’s healthy skin, teeth, soft and skeletal tissue and mucous membranes. Likewise, lanzones contains carotene, a powerful antioxidant beneficial in protecting cells from free radicals, associated with many medical disorders.

Vitamin B1 or thiamine helps to break down sugars in the body. Supporting body growth and red blood cell production, riboflavin or Vitamin B2 helps the body release energy from carbohydrates.

Production and festivities

Lanzones, is popularly grown in Southern Tagalog (Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon), Camiguin, Sulu, Davao del Norte, and Zamboanga del Norte. April to June is the flowering season in Southern Tagalog while August to December marks the harvesting season in Mindanao.

To promote lanzones production in the country, local festivities have been set-up as part of the yearly cultural events in the regions or provinces where lanzones is grown. September is dubbed as the Pae-Taka-Lanzones festival in Paete, Laguna while every October of the year, Mambajao in Camiguin celebrates its Lanzones Festival.

You still have time to enjoy Camiguin's Lanzones Festival | GMA Entertainment

Putting a twist to eating lanzones

Aside from eating it as a plain fruit, some people tried a twist by utilizing it as an ingredient in one recipe. Discovered in Laguna, ‘isdang niluto sa lanzones’ or ‘fish cooked in lanzones’ is a great tasting recipe which has a healthy amount of vitamins when consumed in sufficient amounts. For some people who are not fond of eating the small yellow round fruit especially getting rid of the ‘dagta’ in their hands, this recipe provides a welcome change.

duco lanzones n mangosteen, Food & Drinks, Fresh Produce on Carousell

… and some other exotic fruit

Discovering two exotic fruits that grow well in Sri Lanka and India, jackfruit and breadfruit. The jackfruit tree is well suited to the tropical Sri Lankan lowlands, and its fruit is the largest tree-borne fruit, weighing as much as 35 kg. The jackfruit is composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers which can be eaten. The large round, starchy breadfruit is used as a vegetable and sometimes to make a substitute for flour

Typically green and scaly on the outside, white and smooth like squash on the inside, breadfruit is a starchy member of the fig family that’s similar in taste to a potato, and smells like fresh baked bread when cooked. But you’re not likely to come across it in most American grocery stores. Conor Knighton explores the history of breadfruit, a “canoe plant” first brought to Hawaii centuries ago by Polynesian explorers, and which today is used in everything from tacos and stews, to pizza, bagels, and even vodka.

Wondering what to do with the breadfruit in your yard? Are you a chef that wants to learn to use breadfruit in your restaurant? Learn how to peel, chop, steam, boil, bake, and fry breadfruit from Hawai’i’s ‘ulu ambassador, Chef Sam Choy.