What is the difference between nance and kumquat?

Although both are small yellow fruits, they are botanically very distinct. Nance (Byrsonima crassifolia, family Malpighiaceae) is American tropical, with fleshy flesh and a hard central seed, and a sweet-and-sour, very aromatic flavour with fermented-cheese notes. Kumquat (Citrus japonica) is an Asian citrus, with edible and sweet skin, acidic flesh, and a concentrated orange flavour. Their culinary uses and aromatic profiles are completely different.

What does nance taste like?

It has a very aromatic sweet-and-sour flavour with distinctive notes that some describe as a mix of fermented cheese, soursop, tropical pear and passion fruit. The aroma is very intense and polarises opinions: some love it and others find it strange. The ripe flesh is juicy but slightly fibrous, with the skin contributing slightly more acidic notes and the large hard central seed that is discarded when chewing.

It is eaten fresh, with the fruits eaten whole and the seed discarded. It is very popular in syrup (cooked with piloncillo, cinnamon and clove), as a liqueur or artisanal cream by maceration in aguardiente with sugar, in aguas frescas, artisanal ice creams, lollies and jams. In contemporary cuisine it appears in sauces for poultry, in sorbets and in signature desserts. In Guerrero, nance liqueur is served as a traditional drink.

Where is nance originally from?

It is native to Mesoamerica and the Central American tropical basin, where its use has been documented since pre-Hispanic times. The name comes from the Nahuatl nantzin. Today it is cultivated and grows wild in southeastern Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco) and throughout Central America, as well as in parts of the Caribbean and South America where it became naturalised after the Conquest. It is an identity ingredient of the tropical cuisine of southern Mexico.

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Nance: the yellow tropical fruit of southeastern Mexico

What is it?

Nance is one of the most distinctive tropical fruits of southeastern Mexico and Central America: a small spherical drupe one to two centimetres across, with thin skin of intense yellow or orange when ripe, fleshy whitish-yellowish flesh, slightly fibrous, and a large hard central seed in proportion to the fruit. Its flavour is sweet-and-sour and very aromatic, with distinctive notes reminiscent of fermented cheese, soursop and tropical pear, giving it a very peculiar profile that polarises those who try it: some love it and others find it strange. It is one of the most representative fruits of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz and Tabasco, and also of Central America where it is widely cultivated. It is eaten fresh as a dessert fruit, in syrup (one of the most popular traditional sweets), as a liqueur or artisanal cream (the famous nance curtido or nance liqueur), in aguas frescas, lollies, ice creams and jams. Its harvest season runs from July to October.

Origin and history

Nance is native to Mesoamerica and the Central American tropical basin, where its use has been documented since pre-Hispanic times. The name nance comes from the Nahuatl nantzin or nantxocotl, where nan means mother and xocotl sour fruit, which translates as mother fruit or original fruit. The Maya knew it by various names and cultivated it for both food and medicinal and ritual uses. Francisco Hernandez in his Natural History of New Spain (16th century) documents nance among the important fruits of Mesoamerican cuisine. The tree grows both wild and cultivated in dry tropical climates of southeastern Mexico and Central America, where it forms a characteristic part of rural cultural landscapes. After the Conquest, nance spread to parts of the Caribbean and South America, where it became naturalised. During the 20th and 21st centuries, nance has retained a central role in the traditional cuisine of southeastern Mexico and Central America, especially in Guerrero (the Costa Chica region is one of the major producers), Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco. In Honduras and Nicaragua, nance liqueur (known locally as crema de nance) is an emblematic drink, while in Yucatan and Tabasco preserves in syrup are traditional. CONABIO highlights Byrsonima crassifolia as a species of ecological and cultural importance in the lowland tropical regions of Mexico.

Characteristic ingredients

Nance is Byrsonima crassifolia, a tree of the family Malpighiaceae that can reach ten metres in height, with serrated oval leaves and small yellow flowers that turn orange on ripening (a characteristic dimorphic change). It grows well in poor soils and dry tropical climates, which makes it common in the coastal savanna of southeastern Mexico. The fruits are harvested when they have fallen to the ground, already fully ripe, or picked from the tree when they have acquired the intense yellow colour. The flesh contains vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, calcium, dietary fibre and volatile aromatic compounds that give it its characteristic perfume. The distinctive flavour of nance is due to specific esters that generate notes some describe as fermented blue cheese, which polarises opinions. To preserve the fruit, one of the most-used techniques is in syrup: nances are boiled with piloncillo or brown sugar, cinnamon and clove for an hour, until the liquid is concentrated and the fruits are infused; they are bottled and last for months. Another very popular use is nance liqueur or cream, made by macerating the fruits in aguardiente or rum with sugar for weeks, producing a sweet drink with the characteristic flavour. In contemporary cuisine, it is added to artisanal ice creams, lollies, jams, sauces for white meats and signature desserts. In traditional indigenous medicine, the bark, leaves and fruits have been used to treat digestive complaints.

Cultural significance

Nance is part of the biocultural heritage of southeastern Mexico and Central America, an identity ingredient of the traditional cuisines of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz and Tabasco. It is a protagonist of regional festivities and fruit fairs, such as those held in coastal Guerrero villages during the harvest season in August-September. In Guerrero, nance liqueur is a traditional drink offered to visitors and made artisanally on the Costa Chica and Costa Grande. In Tabasco, preserves in syrup are a typical product sold in markets and regional shops. Traditional Mexican cuisine, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, includes native fruits such as nance among its cultural components. Economically, nance supports rural producers in dry tropical zones where other crops do not thrive, and the artisanal production of liqueurs, preserves and ice creams generates income for local communities. Mexican researchers have documented the potential of nance as a prebiotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient. Chefs such as Margarita Carrillo Arronte, Alejandro Ruiz (Casa Oaxaca) and Pablo Salas (Amaranta) have revalued nance in contemporary cuisine, incorporating it into haute-cuisine menus and showing its versatility beyond traditional preparations.

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between nance and kumquat?: Although both are small yellow fruits, they are botanically very distinct. Nance (Byrsonima crassifolia, family Malpighiaceae) is American tropical, with fleshy flesh and a hard central seed, and a sweet-and-sour, very aromatic flavour with fermented-cheese notes. Kumquat (Citrus japonica) is an Asian citrus, with edible and sweet skin, acidic flesh, and a concentrated orange flavour. Their culinary uses and aromatic profiles are completely different.
What does nance taste like?: It has a very aromatic sweet-and-sour flavour with distinctive notes that some describe as a mix of fermented cheese, soursop, tropical pear and passion fruit. The aroma is very intense and polarises opinions: some love it and others find it strange. The ripe flesh is juicy but slightly fibrous, with the skin contributing slightly more acidic notes and the large hard central seed that is discarded when chewing.
How is nance served?: It is eaten fresh, with the fruits eaten whole and the seed discarded. It is very popular in syrup (cooked with piloncillo, cinnamon and clove), as a liqueur or artisanal cream by maceration in aguardiente with sugar, in aguas frescas, artisanal ice creams, lollies and jams. In contemporary cuisine it appears in sauces for poultry, in sorbets and in signature desserts. In Guerrero, nance liqueur is served as a traditional drink.
Where is nance originally from?: It is native to Mesoamerica and the Central American tropical basin, where its use has been documented since pre-Hispanic times. The name comes from the Nahuatl nantzin. Today it is cultivated and grows wild in southeastern Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, Tabasco) and throughout Central America, as well as in parts of the Caribbean and South America where it became naturalised after the Conquest. It is an identity ingredient of the tropical cuisine of southern Mexico.