Is it a mango? A papaya? A banana?
No, it’s a pawpaw.
With its tropical taste, you wouldn’t think this fruit is native to the Eastern United States. It’s a tropical fruit found in a temperate climate.
FUN FACTS ABOUT PAWPAWS
*They’re mostly wild. While the pawpaw has been rediscovered and now cultivated, for most fans of the fruit, part of the pleasure is in the thrill of the hunt for them in the wild.
*They have nicknames. Because they’re most often foraged for free, pawpaws earned the nickname “poor man’s banana.” They’re also known as custard apples because of their creamy texture and similar appearance to apples.
*They’re nutritional powerhouses. Pawpaws are high in Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, a good source of potassium and several essential amino acids.
*Cooks love them. Pawpaws are good in ice cream, pies, breads, ketchup(!). Their tropical quality means they can easily be swapped into recipes that call for papaya, mango, or banana.
*You can drink pawpaws. Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC, makes a popular seasonal beer using pawpaws. Good in smoothies.
*The pawpaw remains elusive. They're becoming better known and is one of the most searched-for food terms recently, the pawpaw is still not available outside the regions in which it grows.
*The State Fruit of Ohio. The pawpaw is natural to Ohio and became its second state fruit in 2009.
*Today I ate my very first pawpaw.
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