If you are travelling through Panama and suddenly encounter a bowl, bottle, dessert or drink containing dozens of tiny yellow fruits that look a little like miniature cherries, you may have a perfectly reasonable reaction:

What the heck is that?

Welcome to nance.

Nance is one of those tropical fruits that can completely confuse travellers the first time they encounter it. It isn't particularly large, glamorous or internationally famous. You won't necessarily see enormous displays of it in tourist brochures. Yet throughout Panama and much of Central America and the Caribbean, nance has been eaten for generations and remains an important traditional fruit.

And once you learn what it is, you'll start noticing it everywhere.

So What Exactly Is Nance?

Nance is the small yellow or orange fruit of the Byrsonima crassifolia tree, a tropical plant native to the Americas. The fruit is usually round, relatively small and covered by thin skin.

When ripe, it can range from yellow to orange and sometimes reddish.

The fruit has a distinctive aroma and a flavor that is difficult to compare with the fruits most international travellers already know.

Some people find it sweet.

Some find it slightly sour.

Some notice a strange cheesy or fermented quality.

And that last description is probably why nance can be such an unforgettable introduction to Panama.

Nance has attitude.

It doesn't taste like a boring supermarket fruit.

Why Does Nance Smell So Strange?

This is one of the first things travellers notice.

Nance has a very distinctive aroma, particularly when it is ripe or preserved.

If you're encountering it for the first time, you might smell the fruit before you even know what you're looking at.

The aroma can be fruity, earthy, fermented and almost medicinal at the same time.

That sounds terrible.

It isn't.

Well, at least not necessarily.

Nance is one of those foods where your brain needs a moment to figure out what it is experiencing.

You smell it.

You taste it.

You think about it.

You take another bite.

Then you decide whether you love it.

And many people do.

The Flavor Is Even More Interesting

The flavor of fresh nance can be sweet and slightly acidic, but it has a distinctive character that makes it unlike mango, pineapple, papaya or banana.

It can have a slightly resinous, earthy quality.

Some varieties are sweeter than others.

Some fruits can taste more acidic.

And because nance is often used in drinks, preserves and desserts, the final flavor can depend heavily on how it has been prepared.

This is one of those fruits where "sweet" isn't really enough of a description.

You have to try it.

Why Is There a Giant Seed?

Here's another surprise.

Inside that tiny fruit is a relatively large seed.

The edible flesh surrounds it, but the seed takes up a surprisingly large amount of space.

This means eating fresh nance can feel slightly strange.

You bite into a tiny fruit expecting a mouthful of juicy flesh and discover that the seed is basically half the experience.

Don't chew the hard seed.

Instead, enjoy the flesh and discard the pit.

It can be a little awkward at first, but you'll get used to it.

Nance Is Often Used in Drinks

One of the easiest ways for a traveller to encounter nance in Panama is in a drink.

Nance can be blended or prepared into refreshing beverages, and its unusual flavor makes it instantly recognizable.

You may encounter nance drinks in local restaurants, traditional food establishments or homes.

And this is probably one of the best ways to try it if you're unsure about eating the fruit straight.

A cold nance drink on a hot Panamanian afternoon can be a surprisingly good introduction.

It is sweet, fruity and distinctly different from the standard pineapple, orange or passion fruit drinks you might encounter.

Nance Can Become Chicha

Nance is also associated with traditional fruit based preparations sometimes described as chicha, although the exact meaning and preparation of chicha varies considerably across Latin America.

In Panama, traditional fruit drinks can be prepared in ways that are very different from the bottled juices and sodas travellers are accustomed to.

That is part of what makes local drinks worth trying.

The fruit isn't necessarily being used to imitate a commercial beverage.

The fruit is the beverage.

Then There Is Nance in Desserts

Nance can also be preserved or cooked with sugar and used in sweet preparations.

This is where the fruit's unusual flavor becomes particularly interesting.

Sugar softens the acidity and brings out its fruitiness, while the distinctive aroma remains.

You may encounter nance in sweets, preserves or other traditional preparations.

And if you've already tried the fresh fruit and found it strange, don't give up on it.

Cooking can completely change your relationship with the fruit.

Nance Can Also Be Fermented

Here's where things get really interesting.

Nance has traditionally been used in fermented preparations in parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

The fruit's naturally distinctive character lends itself surprisingly well to fermentation.

This is also one reason travellers may encounter nance that smells considerably stronger than they expected.

Fermentation can intensify the fruit's aroma and create a completely different flavor profile.

For some people, this is where nance goes from "interesting tropical fruit" to "I absolutely love this."

For others, it is where they decide that once was enough.

Both reactions are perfectly legitimate.

Nance Trees Are Part of the Landscape

The nance tree isn't some delicate exotic plant that requires a greenhouse.

It is adapted to tropical conditions and can grow in a variety of environments.

The tree produces clusters of the small fruits, and when they ripen, the ground underneath can become covered with them.

This is one reason nance has traditionally been accessible to rural communities.

You don't need an enormous commercial farm to appreciate it.

The fruit can be collected locally and used at home.

Why Don't You See Nance Everywhere?

This is an interesting question.

Panama has an enormous variety of tropical fruits, but only a small percentage make it into international supermarkets.

Mango has become globally famous.

Pineapple is everywhere.

Bananas are a worldwide commodity.

Papaya is increasingly common.

Nance remains much more regional.

One reason is that the fruit is relatively delicate and doesn't necessarily have the same commercial advantages as larger, more robust fruits.

Another reason is simply familiarity.

International consumers already know what to do with an apple.

They know what to do with a banana.

They don't necessarily know what to do with a bag of little yellow nance fruits.

That doesn't make nance less interesting.

It makes it more interesting for travellers.

Nance Is a Great Example of Real Local Food

One of the best things about travelling through Panama is discovering foods that haven't been turned into international tourist products.

Nance is a perfect example.

You aren't eating it because some global food company decided it was the latest superfruit.

You're eating it because people in the region have been eating it for generations.

It belongs to the landscape.

It belongs to local markets.

It belongs to traditional kitchens.

And it has survived precisely because people actually like it.

Don't Judge It by Its Appearance

Nance isn't particularly impressive to look at.

It's tiny.

It's yellow.

It has a large seed.

It doesn't have the spectacular appearance of dragon fruit or passion fruit.

But tropical fruits are a reminder that appearance tells you very little about flavor.

Some of the most interesting fruits in Panama look completely ordinary.

And some of the strangest ones become the most memorable.

Nance definitely belongs in that category.

Nance Versus Other Panamanian Fruits

If you're travelling through Panama, you will probably encounter plenty of familiar tropical fruits.

Mango is juicy and sweet.

Papaya is soft and fragrant.

Pineapple is intensely sweet and acidic.

Passion fruit is tart and aromatic.

Guava has its distinctive fragrance and texture.

Nance is different.

It is smaller.

Its flavor is harder to describe.

Its aroma can be surprisingly powerful.

And it doesn't immediately remind you of another fruit.

That's precisely what makes it worth trying.

How Should a Traveller Try Nance?

If you're nervous, start with a drink.

A chilled nance beverage is probably less intimidating than putting an entire bowl of unfamiliar fruit in front of you.

Then try the fresh fruit if you get the opportunity.

Take one.

Eat the flesh.

Discard the seed.

Give yourself a moment.

Then decide.

If you love it, congratulations.

You've discovered one of Panama's less internationally famous treasures.

If you hate it, that's okay too.

You can still say you tried nance.

And honestly, that's part of travelling.

The "What the Heck?" Factor

The best travel experiences aren't always the things you immediately recognize.

Sometimes they're the moments when you're sitting at a local restaurant and see something you've never encountered before.

You ask what it is.

Someone says, "Nance."

You have absolutely no idea what that means.

You try it.

And suddenly you've learned something about the country that you couldn't have learned from looking at a postcard.

That's the beauty of food travel.

You don't need to understand everything before you try it.

Sometimes you just need to be willing to ask:

"What the heck is that?"

In Panama, there is a good chance the answer will lead you to something fascinating.

And when it comes to nance, the strange little yellow fruit with the enormous seed and unforgettable smell, the answer is simple.

It's one of Panama's most distinctive traditional fruits.