Cherimoya

Information from Central Market.

 My produce adventure led me to Central Market to search for a fruit I have never tasted before. Well, I did better than that, I found a fruit I have never even heard of before! The cherimoya. It is about the size of an orange but is green in color and has a large scale like texture with traces of brown. It was grown in Chile and the sign described the flavor as a mix of several fruits. I was intrigued mostly due to the large size and how it was described by the sign to have an “ice cream consistency”. Could it be a healthy alternative to ice cream?!

Selection of cherimoyas from Central market

Due to its uniqueness, I knew I wanted to eat the cherimoya in its natural state-raw and unseasoned. I decided it this would be the best way to really taste the flavor. I put it in the refrigerator for about an hour so it would be slightly chilled and possibly be nature's ice cream, that was my hope. I cut the fruit vertically and it was easy to slice. When cutting, it didn't appear to be a very juicy fruit because no juice came out. I discovered it had large, black seeds and the inner fruit was firm and an off-white color. I noticed that even after I cut the fruit in half, it did not give off any type of scent. I found this odd, as most fruits have a scent when cut open.

Inside the cherimoya

My mother and I were ready to taste! It was very easy to scoop out with a spoon. It had a similar texture to a pear, in that it was slightly gritty. It had a subtle flavor and one that I did not really enjoy. I instantly thought it tasted like a chewable vitamin. My mom thought it tasted a little like a banana and thought it left an unpleasant aftertaste. I am not surprised it had a subtle, bland flavor due to it lacking a scent, but the aftertaste was a surprise. 

Because of the underwhelming taste and price of $3.99, it does not appear I will be buying another cherimoya! Sadly, the cherimoya is not a healthy, natural alternative to ice cream, at least not in my book.