Here are my latest installments to the Fruit Dissection Collection. This week's Fruit-Shoot consisted of some funky fruits! My roommate discovered a really awesome farmer's market (Buford Hwy Farmer's Market in Doraville, GA), so we went to check it out last weekend.
It is a GIANT market with shelves upon shelves of foreign, exotic foods. There was a Hispanic section, an Eastern European section, an Asian section, and SUPER fresh seafood (stinky!) and produce; not to mention, spices galore and an organic-health-nut section.
Since we had never heard of this first fruit, here are some Wiki tidbits in case you haven't either.
The Cherimoya (also spelled Chirimoya) is native to the Andes, and can be found in Southern regions of Central and South America, South Asia and Southern California. The fruit grows on small trees and reaches sizes between 7-15 cm long. It is ripe when the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure, similar to an avocado. (I know this because I eat avocado now.)
The name originates from the Quechua word "chirimuya," meaning "cold seeds" because the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes. These are REALLY big, dark seeds that are easy to remove, but there are a ton of them. The flesh of the fruit is a creamy-white color with a mango-like texture. There are a lot of opinions on the taste; I thought it was like a pineapple-banana mix. Others say it tastes like a blend of papaya and peach as well or, strangely, commercial bubblegum.
Note :: the seeds are poisonous if crushed open. Don't chew on them. Also, extracts from the cherimoya's tree-bark can induce paralysis if injected into the blood-stream. Who knew?
Mark Twain called the Cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men."
Red Plum.
Blood Orange.
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Spring day!
A
