ENTRY: murici


CLASS: noun


SCIENTIFIC NAME: Byrsonima crassifolia


EQUIVALENT: nance


DEFINITION: Small round Amazon fruit with yellow-orange skin and strongly scented and acidic pulp, eaten raw or made into juice, desserts, ice creams, liqueurs etc.


COMMENT: Grown primarily in the North and the Northeast, and sold as frozen pulp in other parts of the country, nance varies in flavor from sweet to sour, depending upon the cultivar. Usually considered unpleasant in taste, its oily pulp is mostly used as an ingredient in several sweet recipes and beverages. A species in the acerola family, nance has a single stone containing two to three seeds and is rich in vitamin C.