I found myself in the rich part of town the other day, so I stopped into the Meijer to pick up some exotic fruit for my “Lick the Produce” feature. They don’t sell the weird stuff at my local Kroger. For that you have to go to the part of town where they have disposable income and are willing to drop $3.99 on something that looks like a cactus. I have several strange new items to try, but I realized one of them doesn’t have a sticker on it. I don’t have a photographic memory, so I can’t recall what was written on the label of the bin and I’m not driving all the way to that part of town again to find out. So, can you name this fruit?
It’s a bit larger than the size of my fist and I think the name starts with a “ch” sound. Now, one may ask, why don’t you just check your receipt for the name of the item? Well…I went through the self-checkout lane. I tried looking up the mystery item in the system, but it was so exotic that it wasn’t there. So, I pretended it was a squash. I suppose this is almost stealing, even though I paid for it. I just didn’t pay the right amount for it. Sorry, Meijer! I didn’t want to go back to the produce section to get the right PLU code and I knew the cashier probably wouldn’t know what it was either. They can barely identify parsnips.
So please, name this fruit. You won’t win anything except for bragging rights as an expert fruit-ologist and my undying gratitude.
Jennifer says
November 21, 2007 at 8:29 amCherimoya? Custard apple? Never heard of either. I just found them on-line.
kj says
November 21, 2007 at 8:32 ama chiku?
Amanda says
November 21, 2007 at 8:42 amHi PQ- that’s a cherimoya. theoretically you cut them in half, sprinkle some cinnamon on them and eat them with a spoon and it’s supposed to be as good as custard. Not so sure I agree with that, but it’s not bad!
Fat Grl Slim says
November 21, 2007 at 9:18 amI’ve seen these popping up in stores lately including Walmart! I first had a custard apple when I was living in Cambodia — very yummy. Almost the consistency of an overripe pear. This could be its South American cousin the cherimoya though.
Enjoy!
Fat Grl Slim says
November 21, 2007 at 9:19 amSee if you can find one of these:
http://www.passion4fruit.com/uploads/pics/dragon-fruit.jpg
They are fantastic! I occasionally find them at my local Asian grocery.
Gwen says
November 21, 2007 at 11:16 amThis was my mother-in-law’s favorite fruit. We usually just eat them with a spoon; I’ve never tried it with cinnamon, but that sounds good! I agree with Amanda, however, it’s not like custard. But it is sweet and soft and kind of creamy. Can’t wait for your verdict!
vivi says
November 21, 2007 at 11:16 ammediterranean girl with the answer!!
It’s a chirimoya. But it’s one of the fruits with the highest fat content, so it’s not really healthy… Twice as much calories as an apple.. But obviously, a good idea to binge into instead of ice cream.
Lora says
November 21, 2007 at 11:19 amIt’s a cherimoya…I personally didn’t care for them. It’s a texture thing for me.
Marshmallow says
November 21, 2007 at 11:33 amLooks like a Cherimoya to me
Cassie says
November 21, 2007 at 11:34 amYou’ve been tagged…
http://rectorswiferevamp.blogspot.com/2007/11/tagged.html
Jenn T. says
November 21, 2007 at 11:52 amI was thinking cherimoya, too. I know I’ve had it before when I was in Bolivia, but don’t remember what it tasted like! I think they actually had an ice-cream flavor made out of it and all I remember is that it was sweet!
Kyle says
November 21, 2007 at 12:00 pmYes, I concur. It’s a chirimoya. Those things are like apples down here in Chile (and maybe all of South America, I’m not sure). Super normal. As a dessert they make something called a Chirimoya Alegre-Happy Chirimoya…which is basically just a chirimoya bathed in fresh orange juice. It’s really good!!!!
Although in my U.S. mentality nothing healthy can ever be considered an actual dessert :) That’s just not right.
Jo-less says
November 21, 2007 at 12:04 pmHave you tried Mangosteen? Yummy… Available in Asia mainly I think, although we get them over here in the UK in the exotic produce section. Don’t eat the thick outer skin, just the soft inside.
Queen Bee says
November 21, 2007 at 12:54 pmSee, and I was gonna say Ugli fruit… learn something new every day!
lovelines says
November 21, 2007 at 1:33 pmTHANK YOU everyone who answered this and of course Pastaqueen for posting this. I have been meaning to find out the English name for this fruit for years. A childhood friend of mine from Taiwan used to always have these in her house and I LOVED them. Yay I can look for them in stores now!
Bobette says
November 21, 2007 at 3:26 pmCherimoya, like most people said. I had one once and it’s creamy custardy goodness made me so jealous of people who live where it’s warm. Who needs junk food with fruit like that?
Diamondwife says
November 21, 2007 at 6:37 pmPersonally, I’d be more concerned about the 514 calories and 131 carb grams per whole fruit than the 2 grams of fat.
Nathan says
November 21, 2007 at 8:45 pm514?? Calorie-count has it listed as 250, which is still very high for a fruit, but 500 would be insane. Like a double cheeseburger fruit.
Elizabeth C. says
November 21, 2007 at 8:59 pmYikes, one of these things is 10 Weight Watchers points! That’s roughly 500 calories. That’s the mother of all fruit!
diana the scale junkie says
November 21, 2007 at 9:44 pmwho ever looked at that thing and said “hmmm lets chop this open and eat it…” it looks completely unappetizing on the outside, hoping the inside looks fruityier
Naomi says
November 22, 2007 at 4:14 amDefinitely Cherimoya – we call them custard apples in England. Don’t eat the skin :-). When you open it up you’ll find the sweet custardy flesh is dotted with hard black stones. Don’t eat those either! They’re pretty easy to cut around though. They taste very rich, I’d be surprised if you could stomach a whole one in one go. The flesh has a texture similar to an avocado (or Jamaican ackee, if you’ve ever had that). Try using some as a fruit spread, or mixing a little with apple sauce or yogurt for extra creaminess.
A Public Diet says
November 22, 2007 at 12:01 pmit looks like a river rock thats been covered in seeds from those money plant flowers. I wonder what it looks like on the inside.
Grandma Pachi says
July 22, 2008 at 5:20 amHello,
the name of this delicious fruit is
Chirimoya.
You must wait intil it is a bit soft ( like an avocado) and then place it in the fridge for about two hours then cut, peel, remove the seeds and place it in a bed of cool orange juice and orange slices, yummmy!!!