October 18, 2014 -- Two Strange Fruits

On our drive to Pondicherry yesterday, we stopped at a big fruit market, because I really wanted to see what was available here.

Lo and behold – I found Custard Apples!  Back in 1967 or so, I worked with a woman who told me stories of growing up in India – the child of two missionaries.  One thing I remember is that her favourite all-time fruit was the Custard Apple, and it wasn’t until 2003, when I first came to Pune,  (in the South of India) that I ever saw or tried one. Not the prettiest of fruit, the Custard Apple has to be quite ripe to be tasty.  Back in 2003 I bought two.  The first I opened was not yet ripe - inside was a very disappointing white pith – and I found it weird and inedible.  But the second one was riper and softer.  Inside, the pith had turned to white goo, not unlike custard - with a flavour more like vanilla custard than soft fruit.  Who Knew!  These are tasty, and I wish they were available in North India.  I have attached a few pictures of the before and after. 

Halved custard apple

Custard Apple half gone

Custard Apple on a spoon

There were also chikku in the market, another fruit we purchased in 2003 while with our driver,  Mahendra.  The nice shopper who helped me choose two perfect Custard Apples yesterday, also told me which chikku to buy.  “They, too, have to be soft to be good,” she said.  Rob and I decided to eat it out of the skin with a spoon (like eating kiwi fruit).  Neither of us can think of any other fruit remotely like it.  Chikku was OK but I wouldn’t buy another one.  The first I ever tried was not soft and not very good. The second I tried was soft and not very good.  Lesson learned.  Interesting all the same!  See picture.

Custard Apple and Chikku

Chikku

We also bought green grapes WITH seeds (tasty) and little, fat bananas which  ripen on the tree here.  YUM.