Yellow mombin
Spondias mombin · Anacardiaceae · also known as Cajá, Taperebá, Hog plum, Jobo, Ciruela amarilla
A small, tart, golden tropical fruit in the mango family — cajá to Brazilians, hog plum to the Caribbean — whose intensely aromatic pulp makes some of Latin America's most beloved juices, ice creams, and cocktails.
At a glance
- Taste
- Sharply sweet-tart and highly aromatic, with a thin skin, juicy orange-yellow flesh, and a large fibrous stone; the flavor is a bright mix of mango, pineapple, and citrus.
- Origin
- Tropical Americas (from Mexico to Brazil) and the Caribbean
- Grown in
- Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Jamaica, Peru
- Peak season
- Summer, Autumn
Sensory & practical profile
Taste fingerprint
- Sweetness
- Tartness
- Aroma
- Juiciness
- Firmness
Approximate, at peak ripeness · 0–5
- Ripe when
- Skin fully golden-yellow, fragrant, and slightly soft; green fruit is intensely sour and mostly used with salt or pickled.
- How to eat
- Suck the tart aromatic pulp off the large fibrous stone, or (better) blend it into juice, caipirinha, and ice cream where its perfume shines.
- Typical price
- Budget
Its English name is unflattering — "hog plum," because fallen fruit traditionally fattened pigs — but the same fruit, as cajá, is one of Brazil's most beloved juice-bar flavors.
When it's in season, by region
| Region | Peak months |
|---|---|
| Latin America | Dec–Apr (Brazil), varying across the tropics |
How to select & store
Picking a ripe one
Choose fully golden-yellow, fragrant, slightly soft fruit; green fruit is very sour (though eaten that way with salt in some places). It bruises easily, so handle gently.
Storing it
A few days at room temperature once ripe — soft and perishable. Usually pulped and frozen; cajá pulp is a supermarket staple across Brazil.
Practical uses
🍽️ Culinary
- Cajá juice, batidas, and caipirinhas — hugely popular in Brazil
- Ice cream, sorbet, and mousse (sorvete de cajá)
- Jams, jellies, and sauces
- Green fruit eaten with salt and chili, or pickled
🌿 Health & traditional
- Leaves, bark, and fruit used across tropical American folk medicine
🎎 Cultural
- Taperebá in the Amazon, cajá in the Northeast — a defining juice-bar flavor of Brazil
- Called hog plum in the Caribbean, where fallen fruit traditionally fed pigs
Eating yellow mombin: what to know
What regular consumption looks like
Yellow mombin is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
Sensible amounts
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
Evidence & conditions
As a whole fruit, Yellow mombin contributes fibre, vitamins, and beneficial plant compounds, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any specific condition — so it is best enjoyed as part of a healthy diet rather than as a remedy.
Safety notes
- It belongs to the mango/cashew family: the sap and skin contain urushiol (the poison-ivy irritant) and can cause an itchy rash in sensitive people, though the ripe flesh is fine. Those allergic to cashew, pistachio, or poison ivy should be cautious handling it.
Yellow mombin: frequently asked questions
What does yellow mombin taste like?
Sharply sweet-tart and highly aromatic, with a thin skin, juicy orange-yellow flesh, and a large fibrous stone; the flavor is a bright mix of mango, pineapple, and citrus.
When is yellow mombin in season?
Yellow mombin is typically in season Latin America (Dec–Apr (Brazil), varying across the tropics). Peak months shift between the northern and southern hemispheres.
How do you eat yellow mombin?
Suck the tart aromatic pulp off the large fibrous stone, or (better) blend it into juice, caipirinha, and ice cream where its perfume shines.
How do you know when yellow mombin is ripe?
Skin fully golden-yellow, fragrant, and slightly soft; green fruit is intensely sour and mostly used with salt or pickled.
Is yellow mombin good for you?
Yellow mombin is a nutritious everyday fruit, best enjoyed as part of a varied diet. It is a good source of vitamin C (about 40 mg per 100 g), supporting immune function and helping the body absorb iron from plant foods. Its pigments and polyphenols are antioxidants that population studies associate with heart health, though that reflects overall diet rather than any single fruit.
How much yellow mombin should you eat?
A typical fruit serving is roughly a handful, one medium fruit, or about 80 g, and two or more varied fruit servings a day is a sensible everyday pattern.
The same golden fruit that Caribbean farmers dismiss as “hog plum” — because the windfalls traditionally fed the pigs — is, a little further south, one of Brazil’s most beloved flavors. As cajá (or taperebá in the Amazon), the yellow mombin fills juice bars, ice-cream counters, and caipirinha glasses across the country.
The mango family’s tangy star
A relative of the mango in the same family, and a cousin of the Spondias clan that includes ambarella and umbu, the yellow mombin is small, thin-skinned, and packed with sharp, aromatic orange-yellow pulp around a large fibrous stone. That intense fragrance — a bright mix of mango, pineapple, and citrus — is exactly why it shines when processed: juice, batidas, sorvete de cajá, jams, and cocktails all showcase it better than eating it fresh, where the big stone limits the reward. Green fruit is eaten sour with salt and chili, or pickled. Perishable and bruise-prone, it travels mostly as frozen pulp — a Brazilian supermarket staple. Humble name, glorious flavor.
