Chirimoya or cherimoya, also known as custard apple or sugar apple in English, is a delicious fruit from South America. It has a thin green skin, which is very soft when itās ripe, and a pulpy white flesh, with large seeds that you remove. We had several cherimoya trees growing on our farm when I was growing up. Itās a very easy tree to climb, so we always had a lot of fruit around during cherimoya season. Chirimoya, like many other Ecuadorian fruits, is a great fruit to just eat on its own, it doesnāt really need anything else. It can be used to make desserts like ice cream, mousse, pies, and more.
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The chirimoya looks very similar to another well-known fruit called guanabana or soursop, the main differences are the guanabanas are longer and have pointy bumps. Guanabana also has a sour flavor while cherimoyas are very sweet. In the US, cherimoyas are grown in California and I have seen them at some of the grocery stores in the Seattle area (including Uwajimaya and Whole Foods) ā however they are extremely expensive here at close to $10 per pound.