Temporadas
Lychees, mangoes, pineapples: the fruit calendar
La Réunion6 minpor Sejournia
The island's markets follow a calendar that has nothing to do with Europe's. Lychees arrive at the end of the year, mangoes just before, and pineapple holds all year.
Réunion produces fruit across twelve months, with two peaks: the end of the year for lychees, the start of it for mangoes. The rest of the time the stalls fill with what grows continuously: pineapple, papaya, banana, citrus.
Lychees at the end of the year
Lychees ripen at the end of the year, and the season is short. They are sold in bunches, sometimes still on the branch, and they do not keep: two days cold, three at most. It is the fruit you buy in the morning to eat that evening.
Mangoes, November to February
Mangoes arrive just before lychees and last longer. Several varieties follow one another on the stalls, with different textures and acidity. West-coast markets offer them by the crate through the austral summer.
Victoria pineapple
Victoria is the local variety, smaller and sweeter than those sold in mainland France. It grows all year, which makes it the fallback in lean months. At the market you pick it by the smell of the base, not the colour of the crown.
| Season | Where to find it | |
|---|---|---|
| Mango | November to February | Street markets, roadside stalls |
| Lychee | End of year | Markets and farm sales |
| Victoria pineapple | All year | Markets, grocers |
| Papaya, banana, citrus | All year | Village markets |
The island's fruit, in calendar order.
Mango
- Season
- November to February
- Where to find it
- Street markets, roadside stalls
Lychee
- Season
- End of year
- Where to find it
- Markets and farm sales
Victoria pineapple
- Season
- All year
- Where to find it
- Markets, grocers
Papaya, banana, citrus
- Season
- All year
- Where to find it
- Village markets
Lychees do not keep. That is what makes the season so short and the taste so specific.
- Aim for the end of the year for lychees, the start for mangoes.
- Buy lychees in the morning and eat them the same day.
- Choose pineapple by smell, not by colour.
- Go at the end of the market, when crates are negotiable.
Lo que dicen los visitantes
2 comentarios
Sylvie
We landed in lychee season without knowing it. The Saint-Paul market was full of them.
Arnaud
Victoria pineapple is nothing like the one we buy at home. Eat it there.
Para leer después
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