cherimoyas, green

cherimoyas, green

serpent scale skin, big black seeds,

custard pulp, tangy sweet

Cherimoyas, strange looking, but one of my favorite Andean fruit, and I'm in good company. Mark Twain called it "the most delicious fruit known to men." Inside the dragon skin, the pulp has the texture of sherbet and tastes like pineapple-banana, but also a lot of hard black seeds. Cherimoyas remind me of another of my favorites, American persimmons. When ripe, they have a delicious flavor and soft pulp filled with large hard seeds. While I am admiring the texture and color of this unusual fruit at the Pisac feria, a young couple comes up to look them over. The man says in French to his companion, "Qu'est-ce que c'est?"  She says, "Je ne sais pas." Remembering my French I say, "Cherimoya, fruits délicieux." They both smile at me and the vendor smiles at me as we all make our purchases.