Chirimoya

I was eagerly waiting for my after dinner orange, when it became evident that Encarna was doing something different in the kitchen this evening. She presented me with a plate, a spoon, and a large green fruit that she proceeded to cut in half.

When she saw my quizzical look, she told me with nonchalance that it was a chirimoya. A what, I said? A chickymoya??? This name meant nothing to me and as I looked at the white flesh of the fruit I was skeptical. I decided it was a fruit and that nothing could go too wrong with a fruit. But as I took the first bite, I thought of a Jamaican fruit my roommate had once told me about that tasted like ketchup (or maybe they ate it with ketchup), either way, I was hoping it wasn't this particular fruit. Turns out it wasn't!!! This weird, white, seedy fruit has an oddly delicious flavor. It is very sweet, but sometimes spicy and just a little salty. I did some research and us American's refer to it as a "custard apple". I suppose the texture is similar, but I thought of it as a pear meets pudding.

The point is, if someone places a chirimoya in front of you, give it a whirl. However, beware of how incredibly stuffed you are going to feel afterward (I may not be able to move for a while).