Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cherimoya

On Saturday, when we brought it home our cherimoya was quite green and hard.

The sign in the produce section said to allow several days for it to ripen.  This  gave me time to read up on how to know when it was ready to eat, and if it needed any special preparations.


The web said you could just "eat them out of hand",  in a fruit salad, or use them in recipes ranging from cherimoya creme brulee, to something that sounded like a cherimoya piƱa colada.

I opted for a simple fruit plate.

After three days the cherimoya felt soft and had turned brown. So I cut into it.  The flesh was soft, much like a ripe banana and there were large black seeds throughout. The peel stripped off easily and I cut out a couple of bruised areas.


I made two plates with an apple, an asian pear, an orange and the chunked up cherimoya.

The web had suggested using a poppy seed dressing or a simple vinaigrette, but we went without.

The word that best describes the cherimoya's flavor is "tropical."

 Like a banana, but not,
 like a pineapple, but not,
 like a mango or papaya, but not...

If we see them at a reasonable price in the future, we will buy them.  Thumbs up on the taste meter.

But, I did notice it seemed to discolor rather quickly so would advise that if you put it in a fruit salad you  serve it in a timely fashion.  They don't seem to keep well once cut.

Tomorrow we will cut into the REI melon from Brazil.  It looks pretty ordinary from the outside. but who knows what lies within!  (It came in it's own mesh bag with a handle!)

13 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying the unusual fruits as well as I can via cyber-tastebuds. It's not very fulfilling, but I am filling the information for a future date and personal trial!

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  2. thanks for investigating all these unusual things for us and informing .....

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  3. very unusual fruits!..thanks for sampling them for all of us!!

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  4. Hmmmm?? I'll have to take your word on this stuff!!

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  5. I don't know that I've ever seen one, but I guess I'll have to keep an eye out and try one!

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  6. i love that you have found a way to travel while still in your sticks and bricks...

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  7. You've found a calling...taste testing exotic foods for us! :)

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  8. Nothing beats Berkeley Bowl! Thanks for the virtual trip.

    As others have said, one of the things we love about life on the road is checking out local markets. We've seen some great (and not so great) spots. But, we're still looking for a place that tops BB!

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  9. I've never heard of cherimoya but it sounds good. Thanks for the tips.

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  10. I have never see that fruit. Will have to be on the lookout for it, sounds like something we would like.

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  11. What a neat idea - sampling new fruit. That sure is a weird looking one. You've given me the idea to try something new from the produce section. Great posts!

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  12. Those photos are beautiful! I never can get my food pics to look in any way appetizing.

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  13. Just so everyone knows, these are great. However, DO NOT EAT THE SEEDS they are poisonous when crushed/chewed. The skin has toxic properties as well. Just eat the white part of the fruit and you will be fine. They are very good.

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