The Oaxacan vendor who sold this fruit — as well as compact black avocados, dried fish that could be ground into flavoring for moles, and two distinct preparations of chapulines — called it simply granada, Spanish for pomegranate. In Mexico, it's often distinguished from that crimson orb by the names granada China (Chinese pomegranate) and granadilla dulce (sweet little pomegranate).
Passion fruit, however, is a closer relative, and granada China (as I'll call it) can be eaten much the same way. Once the smooth, firm rind has been breached, everything within — seeds, surrounding flesh, and membranous sac, with a prevailing flavor that's sweet rather than tart — can be spooned out. A fellow customer who remembered this fruit from her childhood backyard offered a homier approach: Bite or tear off one end (as shown below), then squeeze the insides past your lips. In other words, treat it like a paper cup of Italian ice, but use a firmer grip.
See more photos from this event on the EIT page on Facebook.
Sobremesa Festival
City College of New York, Shepard Hall, 160 Convent Ave. (at West 138th St.), Manhattan
www.SobremesaFestival.com
(The festival, perhaps a one-time event, was held on May 19, 2016)
