Cherimoya
Following the many successes of the trying all the cheeses at the Wegman’s cheese bar plan, I thought I would go for the try all of the exotic fruit at Wegman’s plan. This was not as good a plan as the cheese plan was. The first (and last) fruit tried was the Cherimoya a.k.a. Custard apple:
It was described as tasting like a cross between Pineapple, Mango, and Strawberry, which sounded good to me. After purchasing I did some research about the Cherimoya to make sure I knew when it was ripe and how to eat it. I found out from Wikipedia that Mark Twain called the cherimoya “the most delicious fruit known to men.” That sounded encouraging to me.
The cherimoya I bought was still firm so based on research I left it at room temperature and waited a couple days till the skin yielded to gentle pressure. I then cut it open and carefully removed the seeds which I learned were toxic. I then tasted the fruit. It didn’t taste like the most delicious fruit known to men to me.
I had checked other sources including Bittman’s How to Cook Everything which had warned that while a good cherimoya is very delicious that it was hard to find a good example. Well, I guess I should have expected it to not taste that great. Oh well, we are learn are lessons some how.
Back to the cheeses for me.
What I wonder now is, how did old Samuel Clemens get a good one?
6 March 2008 at 3:15 am
Have you followed some of the “controversy” over the xkcd fruit graph?
http://www.xkcd.com/388/
Here’s a few links to other people’s graphs in response:
http://www.metafilter.com/69378/Have-you-ever-TRIED-to-fuck-a-grapefruit
In the subsequent discussion at metafilter, a number of Aussies chimed in saying that the cherimoya/custard apple is the best fruit. I’m guessing maybe when they’re shipped a huge distance they are never going to be good, but if they’re in your backyard they’ll be good.
Overall I think you’re right - my experience with the exotic fruits section has been more disappointing than I would have expected. Persimmons, starfruit, a lot of them are just very bland. You can often get a good ripe mango, and fresh pineapple is really good. But papaya, for example, kind of sucks in my experience.
6 March 2008 at 1:22 pm
Wow - I’ve got to say that is the most idiotic graph I have seen in a while and I make some stupid ones on a daily basis. I totally disagree with almost everything on it. Everything on there is tasty. I mean, a quince is untasty, but apples are tasty, bananas are tasty, oranges are tasty, etc. Also, seeded grapes are a lot more difficult than Bananas.
I was thinking the same thing about shipping, but then how did Mark Twain get a good one? Just luck?
6 March 2008 at 10:41 pm
Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe a botanical garden in the US had one? Maybe he travelled?
I’m with you on the graph. Bananas are easier than apples, even, because you don’t have to wash them.