Nesper-what?! Nêspera: the Japanese loquat. I had never heard of it before moving to the Eastern Algarve. And yet, with this little fruit you can make delicious recipes. Like a nêspera jam or a nêspera chutney of chef Sergio.

Years ago, we spent a spring week with our friends Remco & Rieneke at Quinta Maragota. Every morning, Remco and I would go for a walk. Along the way, I kept spotting small, yellow-orange fruits hanging from the trees: like tiny pears. I had never seen them before. When I asked Remco what they were, he simply picked a few and handed them to me.

I honestly didn’t know what I was tasting. Literally not: I couldn’t place the flavour. And figuratively not either. What a sweet, slightly tangy, fresh taste.

Remco explained that these were nêsperas, and that in March and April they’re everywhere in the Algarve. You can even pick them straight from trees along the roadside. “Delicious,” I thought. “I need to cook with these.”

Nêspera: a fruit from the rose family

In English, it’s called the Japanese loquat. It belongs to the same family as strawberries, apples, raspberries, pears and plums: the rose family. Originally from Japan and China, the fruit thrives in subtropical climates. In Europe, you’ll mainly find it around the Mediterranean.

Picking nêsperas & and getting cooking

Multiple friends gave us kilos of freshly picked nêsperas from their orchard. And I got straight to work. I made chutney, jam, ice cream, even a liqueur. Today, I’m sharing my recipe of the chutney and the jam.

Recipe: Nêspera jam

Ingredients

• 4 kg nêsperas
• Zest and juice of 6 oranges
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons

How to make

• +/- 1.5 hours + 3 hours reducing time
• Wash the nêsperas and cut them in half. Remove the stems and seeds: a bit of a labour of love. Don’t forget to also remove the tough inner skin around the seeds.
• Blend the nêsperas into a smooth pulp using a food processor.
• Add the orange and lemon juice and zest to the mixture. Bring it to a gentle boil while stirring.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer until it thickens into a jam. To check if it’s ready, take a small amount on a spatula and draw a line through it with your finger. If the line holds, your jam is done.
• Pour the warm jam into sterilised jars, filling them to the brim.
• Seal immediately and the jars will vacuum themselves.
• This way, you can keep the jam for a long time outside the fridge.
• Thanks to the naturally high pectin content of nêsperas, there’s no need to add gelling sugar.

Recipe: Nêspera chutney

Ingredients

• 2 kg nêsperas
• 1 kg light brown soft sugar
  lichte basterdsuiker in NL, cassonade in BE, açúcar amarelo in PT, light brown soft sugar in UK
• 500 g shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• A piece of fresh ginger
• 2 tsp chili flakes
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

How to make

• +/- 45 minutes + 3 hours reducing time
• Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic.
• Peel the ginger and cut it into small pieces.
• Wash the nêsperas and cut them in half. Remove the stems and seeds: a bit of a labour of love. Don’t forget to also remove the tough inner skin around the seeds.
• Cut the nêsperas into small cubes.
• You’re already almost done. Place a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil — without a lid. Nêsperas release a lot of juice, and you want that to evaporate.
• Lower the heat and let it simmer gently. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on the texture.
• After about 3 hours, the chutney should have thickened nicely. Taste it: chances are you’ll be hooked. It pairs beautifully with grilled meats from the BBQ or with a good cheese board.
• Fill sterilised jars as full as possible, seal, and turn them upside down. This way, the chutney will keep for months.

Both recipes are easy to make. The real challenge? Finding nêsperas if you don’t live in Portugal. In the Netherlands, or other Nort European countries your best bet is Turkish or Moroccan grocery stores.

Can’t find them? Then here’s our promise: if you visit Celebra a Vida Resort in April, May or June, we’ll make sure you get to taste this beautiful fruit for yourself.