Exotic Fruit - Persimmons and Prickly Pears
Recently, I had the opportunity for the first time to try two exotic fruits: persimmon and prickly pear. Both were a lot more delightful than I had expected. (I know that these two fruits are obviously not “exotic” to people that live in the countries these are grown in, but I’m writing from the perspective of a North American.)
The persimmon looks sort of like a small orange tomato, but with a tough stem. Slice it open, and it still looks like a tomato (not to be confused with the “persimmon” heirloom tomato, which is part of the nightshade family). But a persimmon, if eaten at the right level of ripeness, has the texture and crispness of pear or apple and the slight sweetness of pear as well.
The prickly pear’s rich burgundy flesh inside belies the odd, bumpy, pale green exterior. The flesh sort of looks like a watermelon’s, but of a deeper shade of red, almost blood-like. The seeds are edible and crunchy, reminiscent of pomegranate seeds (which are used to make grenadine, a common thin, syrupy colour-enhancer for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and the subject of a few poems).
These fruits were almost impossible to find even a decade ago. Today, however, even in small cities in North America, many large supermarkets carry these and other fruits. Sadly, I see a lot of specimens over-ripe and spoiling in markets, where patrons just don’t know what they are or how to eat them. On the other hand, even though many exotic fruits and vegetables are available now, many cost a fair penny, unless you know where to look. I’m hoping that this will be the first of several blog entries, over time, of the fascinating “new” produce available in North American supermarkets. I’ll be offering tips for use, and recipes, and when I remember to do so before consuming items, photographs as well.
(c) Copyright: 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://www.curryelvis.com/
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