D is for Drupe: Mango Avocado Shrimp Cocktail

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Jan 18th 2006 @ 6:40PM

avocado mango shrimp cocktail

"Drupe" is the botanical term for a fruit with an exocarp and fleshy mesocarp surrounding a hardened endocarp that protects a seed inside. In other words, a drupe is a stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, plums.

But be not mistaken, not all fruits that have a hard center and a fleshy outside are drupes, and fruits that you'd never guess were drupes, in fact, are. I thought I was brilliant when I thought an avocado was a drupe because technically, an avocado is a fruit, but it's not a drupe. An avocado is a berry. But there are berries that are really drupes. Blackberries and raspberries, also known as bramblefruits, are aggregates of little drupelets.

A mango is a drupe. Duh. Of course it is.

Dice a couple of mangoes, which is a drupe, a couple of avocadoes, which is a berry, a couple of tomatoes (also a berry) and toss it with cut grilled shrimp, a squeeze of lime juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. If you are so inclined, add a splash of tequila. Serve with tortilla chips, and I guess if you think about it, you're eating one hell of a fruit cocktail!

Filed Under: Brought to you by the letter D, Ingredients, Drink Recipes
Tags: appetizers, avocado, cocktails, fish, fruit, hors doeuvres, latin cooking, latin cuisine, LatinCooking, LatinCuisine, mango, mexican cooking, mexican cuisine, mexican food, MexicanCooking, MexicanCuisine, MexicanFood, shrimp, shrimp cocktail, vegetables, west coast