How to eat Cherimoya! When you slice one open, you might not be sure sure how to tackle it. This photographic guide will show you how easy and delicious it is.
“A Cherimoya is deliciousness itself” — Mark Twain
When I opened the box of Cherimoyas that Melissa’s Produce sent me, I immediately remembered when I had my first one — about twenty years ago, when I was living in Spain. My Spanish sister, Pilar, introduced me to them. I hadn’t seen anything like them before.
What is a Cherimoya?
- The heart-shaped fruit has a gorgeous green exterior with what looks like impressions of small, overlapping oval flower petals — like a shingled roof.
- They have creamy white flesh with large black seeds hiding throughout it.
- You might think they’re too laborious to navigate your way around the seeds — however, that shouldn’t stop you. Pilar showed me how easy (albeit a bit messy) they were to eat. And had it been too tricky, well, I’d have said it was totally worth it because it was absolutely delicious.
- The Cherimoya were originally grown by Inca farmers in Ecuador and Peru. They have a texture somewhere between ripe peach and silky smooth custard.
- Their season is approximately January through June.
What does Cherimoya Taste Like?
The flavor is best described as a blend of pineapple and pear. Some also say they taste notes of mango, strawberries and lemon.
Several years after I lived in Spain, I noticed the Cherimoya showing up in the U.S. And now they are a savored, exotic treat world-wide.
First, please take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this fruit. I think it’s stunning.
How to Eat Cherimoya
Use a very sharp knife to cut the Cherimoya in half.
Or into quarters.
Use your fingers to sort of pull apart the flesh — you’ll notice it falls apart in chunks. Eat them!
The seeds usually come off in chunks as well — you can suck the flesh from around them, but please be careful not to swallow them. (As with many fruits, the seeds are poisonous!)
And for a slightly less messy method, use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skin .
You do this much like you would an avocado.
How to Use Cherimoya
- On their own — Simply eating them with a spoon, as shown above, is delectable!
- In dessert recipes — They are divine in ice cream, puddings, pie fillings, mousse, and the list goes on.
- In drink recipes — They add a delicious fruity flavor to all sorts of cocktails, smoothies, and juices.
So now you know how to eat Cherimoya. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Check out my friend, Dorothy’s Cherimoya Ice Cream recipe here.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
January 14, 2014 at 7:17 pmWe did exactly that last night on the dinner plate — a quartered cherimoya. Nothing finer! Thank you for linking to my ice cream!
valentina says
January 15, 2014 at 7:50 amDorothy, I had thought about making ice cream but then decided on just showing off the fruit — I’d planned on looking for a good ice cream to link to. And how happy was I that yours was the first to come up in my “Cherimoya Ice Cream” search! 😀 Thank you!
sippitysup says
January 14, 2014 at 10:26 pmIs that fruit from Mars? GREG
valentina says
January 15, 2014 at 7:51 amNope, Jupiter! 😉
dc says
July 30, 2018 at 5:02 pmNope…just another fruit the Spanish invaders took from the natives.
Deb says
January 16, 2014 at 9:40 pmCherimoya ice cream sounds scrumptious! The flesh is just lush with such an intoxicating aroma!
valentina says
January 22, 2014 at 10:37 pmThanks Deb! And it even looks like ice cream. 😉
David says
January 18, 2014 at 8:40 pmI have never had one, but when I see them next in the market, I will get some. Are they any relation to custard apples?
valentina says
January 22, 2014 at 10:39 pmDavid, I don’t know about the custard apples — now I need one!
Coco says
January 21, 2014 at 8:13 pmLooks like vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips!
Gotta find out for myself what it tastes like. Thanks, V. xoxo
valentina says
January 22, 2014 at 10:43 pmI agree, Colette — totally looks like ice cream! XO
Violeta says
June 9, 2019 at 1:49 amAH! What about chocolate with cherimoya filling? I NEED CHERIMOYA CHOCOLATE!
valentina says
June 10, 2019 at 4:08 pmooooh, yum! that sounds amazing! Have you seen my post about Cherimoyas? It’s here. 🙂 ~Valentina
patrick says
September 23, 2018 at 4:40 pmHow do I know when it’s ripe?
valentina says
September 23, 2018 at 7:25 pmHi Patrick, to choose a ripe cherimoya, squeeze it gently — it should give to the gentle pressure, much like an avocado. (Don’t be fooled by the skin sometimes being dark/brownish in areas — this does not mean it’s not a good one.) Hope this helps!
Perry says
March 29, 2019 at 1:59 pmCherimoya-bier is misschien één optie..
valentina says
March 29, 2019 at 2:33 pmCherimoya beer sounds interesting! 🙂