Custard apple
Custard apple (annona reticulata - though I’ve seen it given other botanical names, so I could be wrong) is like a creamy, squishy tropical fruit salad. I’ve heard it called a cherimoya, but I’ve heard another green fruit (same size, creamy flesh, but with skin rather than scaly hide) called cherimoya as well. If I ever sort out why some custard apples get called cherimoyas, I promise I’ll let you know (if I remember!). I googled it and found four websites with four different opinions. One said they were the same. One said that ‘custard apple’ is a secondary name for cherimoya. One said that ‘cherimoya’ is a secondary name for custard apple. The other said that everyone was wrong and they are quite different fruits.
It’s a New World fruit, which means it has an interesting history. Why some New World foods became staples in the Western, why others (like custard aple) remained borderline exotic, and why still others remain to be discovered is a subject I hope to find a book on one day. It’s not just portability or how quickly a plant grows. There has to be politics involved, and where there’s politics there’s probably intrigue. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy custard apples, which are popular in Australia.
Most people I know eat this somewhat squishy fruit by scooping the flesh straight from the green shell, but if you blend it with icy milk and some cinnamon or vanilla you get a great milk shake.
Here’s an interesting Philippino take on the fruit. Why Philippino? Firstly, because it’s partway between the New World and the old and has a fascinating food history. Secondly because I went to a Philippino cultural performance last night and sang along to ‘Dahil sa yo’, which fact deserves commemorating. What doesn’t deserve commemorating is how many of the words I’ve forgotten.
food history, ingredients, fruit, custard appple, chirimoya
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