mebosn.

1793 C. R. Hopson tr. C. P. Thunberg Trav. III. 120 I saw several kinds of fruit, the produce of this country [sc. Japan], either dried or preserved in yeast, in a mode which is, I fancy, only practised at Japan or China. The fruit that was only dried, such as plumbs and the like, was called Mebos [Sw. Mebos].]

1862 L. Duff Gordon Let. 15 Apr. (1921) 143 I have bought some Cape ‘confeyt’; apricots, salted and then sugared, called ‘mebos’—delicious!

1899 Answers 18 Nov. 7/2 The best sort of preserve is called mebos, and is made of stoned and sun-dried apricots, flattened out, and pickled with salt and sugar.

1912 Northern Post 27 Sept. I have now come to the conclusion that our old navigators became acquainted with this delicacy in Japan, learned to like it, and afterwards at the Cape attempted to imitate it, but used the fruit of apricot trees.., and that the word Meibos or Meebosje had its origin in [Japanese] Umeboshi.

1939 S. Cloete Watch for Dawn iii. 39 He had mebos and raisins and sun-dried peaches.

1954 M. Kuttel Quadrilles & Konfyt i. 9 Have a jar of mebos handy on board..in case of sea-sickness.

1974 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 27 Nov. 37 Mevrou Van Niekerk..fed them on mebos and honey cakes in her big farm kitchen.

1990 R. Gool Cape Town Coolie 44 She..circulated bowls of kossiters, mebos, sourfigs and other sweetmeats.