My neighbor has a tambis tree. I will search for the scientific name later, promise. Anyway, I got into a long-standing debate with a friend who said that the tree is actually a macopa. I said that no, that is tambis. He insists it is macopa. But macopa, I told him, has a maroon color, almost like an apple's, with a white flesh when you bite into it, and is generally sweeter. Tambis, on the other hand, has a paler pink color, is watery when you bite into it, and not as sweet. But that's not macopa, that's mabolo, he said. No, it is macopa, I have never heard of mabolo before.
It seems, therefore, that this is a classic case of us, Cebuanos versus them, Tagalogs. But Jun and Jen, when we were in Iloilo took the view that what I call macopa is in fact, mabolo.
This is getting crazy. Marc, what do you think? Is macopa commonly available in Bohol?
And so, will the real macopa please stand up?
8 comments:
The macopa has velvetty skin (read: furry) and the flesh is pale yellow and is a bit softer than an apple's.
In our ancestral (rotting) home, we have a tambis tree, a mabolo tree, and a macopa tree.
hi! i came across your site as i was searching for the scientific name of the tambis tree.
i grew up in leyte, and i had a tambis tree in our backyard, and many mabolo trees in our neighborhood (i lived in an agricultural school compound). anyway, i am not too familiar with a macopa. but if you knew both the tambis and the mabolo, you would not mistake one for the other. what you described above sounds like a mabolo. it has furry/velvetty reddish skin while the tambis has smooth pinkish skin.
good luck!
lol. check out this site (with pictures, and the scientific name of makopa) . Syzygium samarangense.
it looks suspiciously like a tambis... (and the article note that visayans call the makopa tambis) :D
Hi Gail,
Thanks for bouncing by. The pics are definitely what I call tambis :)
macopa is definitely not tambis the former being a bit bigger, very juicy and sweeter. tambis is quite common, and is found growing in many backyards in the province.
macopa is a rarity and does not exist in many places compared to tambis which is widespread. mabolo on the other hand, is much bigger in size and is usually reddish when ripe. its skin has fine hairs
which could csuse a slight allergic reaction to the skin by contact. the edible ripe flesh is sweet but has a peculiar taste which is not popular to many. but the most enlightening fact about this fruit tree is that it is also known by the name of kamagong with its resemblance to ebony wood, very dark colored and stone-hard.
Hi I am from Cebu...makopa & tambis are not the same. In tagalog makopa ang tawag nila sa tambis but they are really different. Tambis is lighter red, juicy & with tiny seed, Makopa is darker than tambis & with a big seed inside.
On the other hand Mabolo is different from tambis & makopa. Mabolo has an orange fine hairs & sweet. I quite remember nung bata pa ako makati ang hairs ng mabolo, we used something rough materials to scrub the mabolo para matanggal yung fine hairs. Once matanggal na yung orange fine hairs yellow na ang balat ng mabolo.
Hi I am from Cebu. Makopa & Tambis are not the same. In tagalog, makopa ang tawag nila sa tambis. Tambis is lighter red & with tiny seed while makopa is darker than tambis & with a big seed inside.
On the other hand, mabolo is differrent from tambis & makopa. Mabolo has an orange fine hairs & sweet. When I was young I quite remember that we used something rough materials just to peel off the fine hairs, it is a little bit makati yung fine hairs nya. Color yellow na ang balat ng mabolo once na ma peel off na yung orange fine hairs nya.
You are right. MACOPA is different than tambis nor mabolo Tambis is either pink or green in color. Macopa.is a litrle bit bigger, same shape as tambis but maroon shiny and more flesh. Mabolo is round like apple with hairy skin with yellowish flesh...I have been looking for macopa.
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