Ever wondered what it’s like to bite into a plum?
Imagine the perfect blend of sweet and tart, wrapped up in a juicy, tender bite.
Plums pack a unique flavor that’s not just delicious but also refreshingly complex.
Each variety has its own special twist – some are sugary sweet, and others carry a slight sour note that makes your lips pucker.
Beyond being a tasty snack, plums are also packed with nutrients. They’re a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Ready to dive deeper and learn all about the diverse world of plums? Keep reading!
What is Plum?
Plum is a delicious fruit known for its sweet and tang taste and is one of the first cultivated fruit by humans.
This fruit has various types making it hard to define the exact taste and flavor.
Plum has thin skin, while the inside is soft when ripe.
Plum comprises almost eleven variants and each offering a slight difference in taste, color, and flavor.
This fruit peak season is between August and October.
It’s an oval-shaped fruit, and it tastes best when eaten in the ripening stage.
Plum is nutrient-packed like any other fruit, and it would be an excellent inclusion to your meal routine.
Apart from eating fresh plums, you can also dry them.
This dried plum is commonly known as prunes.
Note that all variants of plum are not suitable for drying, and the European plum is often used for making dried plums.
What Does a Plum Taste Like?
Generally, a plum is a sweet fruit, especially when eaten at a ripe stage.
The taste may vary depending on the variants, but overall, it’s a sweet fruit, and it slightly has a close taste to apricot.
It does have a bit of tanginess when it’s eaten unripe.
Moreover, the skin of the plum has a tartness to it, making the fruit taste sweet and sour.
If you like to have it without tang, peel off the skin, which is easily removable when it’s ripe, and have it.
- Types of plum.
Plums are often classified under two types: European and Japanese.
And of the common variants of plum under these categories are:
Moyer plum: This plum comes under the European category and is considered the best among this variety.
Unlike other plums, it’s less round, mainly in an elongated shape, extremely sweet, and is often referred to as sugar plum.
This type tastes best when it’s dried and is also often used for making prunes.
Damson plum: Damson is another European variety known for its purplish skin and is quite acidic.
It has a bitter taste despite a high sugar intake, and the skin has a tanginess to it.
Greengage plum: Unlike other plum variants, this one has yellow-green skin even after maturing.
It has a high sugar intake, and despite its color, this variant is surprisingly sweet.
It’s often used for making jams, pies, cakes, and ice creams.
Elephant heart plum: Compared to other plum types, this one is quite large and comes under the Japanese plum classification.
It’s juicy, sweet, and has a skin variation from dark red to purple.
This fruit is heart-shaped with a good balance of sweet and tangy taste.
- Nutritional content of plum.
Plum is a cholesterol and fat-free fruit with a rich source of antioxidants, vitamin C, and soluble fiber.
It also has a decent amount of manganese, copper, vitamin K, and potassium.
How to Cook Plums?
You can have freshly plucked plum, but make sure to wash the fruit before having it.
As an ingredient, you can use it in multiple dishes.
You can make a plum sauce and use it on meat.
Additionally, it can be used for pickling or making spicy salsa.
Some people also make a plum-based cake which is quite delicious.
You can also add in your fruit salad to make it flavorful.
Plum is also commonly used for making prunes and is quite popular among the masses.
It has an enriching taste and is an ingredient for sweet and savory dishes.
Prunes are nutritious, and they contain natural laxative, which is good for your digestive system.
However, if you have an excess of this dried, it can lead to diarrhea or might leave you gassy.
Conclusion
Plum is a sweet and refreshing fruit relished by people worldwide.
The fruit is a combination of tanginess and sweetness, making it more enjoyable to eat.
This fruit tastes best when it is ripe and during its peak season.
Unripe plums have a strong tone of tartness and overpower the sweetness of the fruit.
Additionally, you can remove the skin of the plum to get rid of the tanginess.
Furthermore, while purchasing plums from the market, ensure to get ones that aren’t too ripe.
This fruit is ripened soon like tomatoes, and it would get spoiled if you don’t have it on time.
Leave a comment