Fruta Picada

Fruta picada is a basic fruit salad that is eaten as a snack or dessert. However, what makes fruta picada special to me and gives it a little kick is adding lemon and chile powder. In Los Angeles, it is very common to see it sold by street vendors all over town.

Fruta picada originates from Mexico where it is served with a chile powder called “Chile de Arbol” that is much more spicier than what is used here in L.A. which is Tajin and has a hint of lemon flavor. I learned this the hard way as a child during a summer trip to Mexico. Although, burning my mouth didn’t stop me from continuing to enjoy this treat since then. Growing up I would often take family trips to cities in Mexico like Tijuana, Rosarito, Mexico City and Guadalajara, to visit family that still lives there, and this is where my love for fruta picada started. Fruta picada to me is always delicious but when you get it in Mexico it tastes so much better because of the fruit, there are so many to choose from. Typically, fruta picada consists of sliced watermelon, cucumber, mango, jicama, pineapple, orange, a good squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of chile powder to taste but in Mexico they offer other fruits that are distinctive from the region like papaya, mamey, tuna, pitaya, guanabana, and cherimoya. I could go into what each one of these unique fruits are but for the sake of time I’d ask you just to google them if you are really interested.

I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and my mom would take us almost every weekend to the swapmeet or “Callejones,” fruta picada was a treat that was a must to have no matter what especially since going to Mexico was something we would do only during school vacations. We’d get there really early in the morning but by midday I knew that a sweet, sour, and spicy treat was going to be a reward for waking up that morning.

We always made this in our house too, I can remember walking around the fruit stands in the market with my mom as she guided me to picking the best of the best out of the pile. Making sure to pick each fruit up and look at it for any bruises, squeeze it for firmness, paying attention to the color, and smelling it to guess the sweetness. This technique that I have now shared with my 16 year old daughter and 6 year old son. Even though lemon is added to the fruit once its all cut it is still very important to get the tastiest juiciest sweetest fruit so that you can get a burst of flavor in your mouth.

I remember sitting around the dinner table with my mom, aunts, and sisters everyone grabbing whatever fruit was around and a knife and preparing fruta picada while telling stories of the past or giving someone relationship advice, cracking jokes, sometimes crying but nevertheless sharing our time together as women.

It wasn’t until this assignment that I realized how special fruta picada means to me. It was hard for me to decide what dish to share and present on because I’m not a cook, I cook for my family, but they eat what I make only because they don’t really have a choice. But recently like a regular duty of mine, I was cutting fruit up with my daughter and mother-in-law, and it hit me the smell of fresh cut fruit and lemons really takes me somewhere and puts me in a great mood. Not to mention all the nutritional benefits that come along with this treat and the fact that it’s not a problem if you have a picky eater on your hands because you can use any fruit to make it. But the really great part is if you able to share your time with those you care about and allow it to be an experience that will give you meaningful memories that will stay with you forever.