Show and Tell: Cherimoya

This week’s Show and Tell is a fruit that many of you may be unfamiliar with. I present the cherimoya. It is a bumpy green-gray fruit indigenous to the Andes. You’d never pass by a display of cherimoyas and think to yourself, “Yum, I’ve got to have one of those!” But I’m letting you in on the secret.

I ate my first cherimoya several years ago at a farmer’s market. At that point, it was difficult to find them in the United States. I believe that I paid $11 for that first cherimoya.

Imagine my surprise this week to find it in my local grocery store. It did cost $5 — the price has decreased, but it still shocked DH when the cherimoya popped up on the cash register. I assured him that if I keep buying them, the price will go down.

DH: Do you know what economists would call someone like you?
Me: A maven?
DH: Chump.

It’s totally worth it. The cherimoya has a texture like custard or sherbet (which is why I recommend scooping out the flesh with a spoon, as if you were eating pudding inside a fruit skin). The flavor reminds me of a mild kiwi. Wikipedia calls the flavor a cross between a banana, pineapple, and strawberry. The flavor has also been described as a combination of mango, papaya, banana, and coconut. Mark Twain called it “deliciousness itself.”

To be honest, this cherimoya wasn’t as good as others I’ve had. I was so concerned that I would wait too long to eat it and it would spoil, that I suppose I erred in the other direction and ate it before it was entirely ripe. But if you can get the timing right, you’ll rarely eat a better fruit.

Just don’t eat the seeds.

If a child brought a fruit to Show and Tell, they’d be laughed out of the classroom. This is why we have Show and Tell 2.0.

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