the unsatisfactory English name most commonly applied to any of a group of eugenia fruits (a name which has retained some currency although less appropriate after most of the species have been transferred from the genus Eugenia to Syzygium). Alternative names in English are no better, and it would be preferable to use the Indian/Malay name jambu, the meaning of which is explained separately, instead. The fruits do bear a superficial resemblance to apples, but do not eat like apples. Four principal species in the group are described below.
Syzygium jambos, the ‘true’ rose-apple, is native to the Malay peninsula. It is cultivated in that region, in India, and in the W. Indies (where it may be called ‘pommerac’ or ‘rac apple’—or ‘Malabar plum’, a name sometimes also used for the related jambolan). The fruit may reach the size of a small apple and is yellow, often tinged with pink, or greenish in colour, with a waxy surface and a delicate aroma of rose. The flesh within is also rose scented, whitish, crisp, and juicy but lacking in flavour. They may be cooked with sugar or made into jams or jellies, preferably mixed with other fruits which have more flavour.
S. malaccense, the Malay (rose) apple, is the fruit of a tall and striking tree which is native to the Malay archipelago, but is now cultivated from India to S. China and Hawaii (where it arrived before the Europeans and is known as ohia ai). The fruits, which are roundish but slightly oblong and narrowed at the stalk end, measure about 6 cm (2.5″) and have waxy skins, at first pale green and later of a rosy hue with faint white markings. The flesh, which is scented, is juicy and slightly sweet in flavour.
S. samarangense, the Java or Semarang (rose) apple, is cultivated in its native region, Malaysia and Indonesia, and occasionally in tropical America. The fruits are nearly round, or pear shaped, and measure about 5 cm (2″). They are commonly pale green or whitish, but sometimes pink or red. Betty Allen (1975) remarks that: ‘The green forms are eaten with a little salt, and they make a pleasant sauce. The pink fruits on the whole are more juicy and less aromatic, but all of them are rather flavourless.’
S. aqueum, the watery rose-apple or water apple, originated in the south of India and grows wild there and in parts of Malaysia. It has an uneven shape, being wider at the apex than at the base. ‘The colour of the fruit varies from white to bright pink, the skin is glistening, almost translucent and bruises easily. The flesh is crisp and watery, with a scented flavour, sometimes insipid’ (Betty Allen). The fruits are good thirst-quenchers and, although they consist mainly of water, have fruit sugars and a lot of vitamin A in their skins. They make good additions to salads.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Allen, Betty Molesworth (1975), Common Malaysian Fruits, Kuala Lumpur: Longman.
