Move Over Pomegranate, Yumberry's in Town

YumSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:18:33 -0700

I was originally introduced to the yumberry - officially known as yangmei or waxberries- while at the 2007 Winter Fancy Foods Show. The fruit looks a lot like a soft lychee; however, the inside is a solid fruit with a deep reddish hue, similar to a pomegranate. Naturally, since everyone is on the antioxidant train, a company has come out selling the juice of the yumberries. In China the Yumberry Juice company sells everything from syrup to sparkling juice, but in the US they're currently only offering several variations of juice. Recently I picked up a bottle of their Yumberry with the Blues mixture and gave it a try. To find out how it is, read more.

The juice is a deep ruby color, you first think of pomegranate juice, and then you think of how you can't go anywhere near your white carpet and how you wish you weren't wearing a light-colored shirt.

The juice itself smells much like every other dark berried or pomegranate juice: sweet, fragrant, and a little oaky. And while the taste is much like pomegranate juice, the tart flavor is lightened by a sweet, fruity berry flavor. I chalked the sweetness up to the blueberries, although the aftertaste was slightly sweeter than pomegranate/blueberry juice.

I hate to constantly compare yumberry juice to pomegranate, but they're actually quite similar. So if you're a Pom fan, definitely hunt this stuff down - I found mine at Whole Foods - and if you're feeling adventurous try cooking with it or mixing up a cocktail. After all, a Pomtini sounds divine, but doesn't a Yumtini sound even better?

2007 Winter Fancy Food Show - Part 5 (Superfruits)

YumSugar — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 11:09:29 -0800

Looks like 2007 is the year of the superfruits. Over the last few years, the solid pomegranate and his pals blueberry and cranberry have done a lot of the groundwork (now almost everyone knows what antioxidants are). With their help, the world is ready for more. While I was at the Fancy Food Show, I noticed that everyone who didn't have a pomegranate flavor, now has one, and those that already did, now have something new. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the superfruits. read more

Pomegranate - The trend is still going strong. It's now available as ice cream, soda, organic lollipops and Jelly Bellys.

Goji Berries (aka Wolfberry) - These are sold dehydrated (a bit like raisins) and are believed to enhance the immune system, improve eyesight, and a bunch of other magical medical properties. I guess the western world is finally learning what the Chinese have known for years. You can buy them plain for snacking, but expect to see them in a lot of your granola bars, cookies, etc.
Açaí - Another super antioxidant fruit (I imagine this one is going to give pomegranate a run for its money). Since these tiny Amazonian berries don't travel well, they're usually sold in the form of flavoring or juice. One of the featured items was the açaí flavored coconut water.
YumBerry - From the outside, this Chinese fruit looks like it's part of the lychee family. However, once opened, the inside is a deep hue. You'll have a hard time finding these fresh, but soon you'll be able to drink the juice.
Mangosteen - Although it has the word mango in its name, this highly antioxidant fruit does not taste anything like mangoes. It's currently unavailable in the US (except Hawaii), but that may be changing soon. Until then, you'll have to get the health benefits from the actual mangosteen nectar.

Oh and while I'm on the subject of fruits, there was a new one from Chile called Carica. It was golden yellow and tasted like a mixture of mango, papaya, apricot and pineapple and was definitely one of the show highlights (in fact almost everyone who went to the show ended up talking about this one). Currently it's not available fresh in the US, but Tamaya Gourmet is importing it jarred in a sweet natural syrup (which would be great in drinks, salads, etc.). Definitely worth seeking out.

Check out some of the images from the show:

View 15 Photos ›