December 20, 2014
Cuenca, Ecuador – The WHAT??!! Fruit: A Quick Post
What IS this? It looks like a Christmas ornament.
We were introduced to the WHAT??!! Fruit back in Costa Rica but haven’t seen much of them since. Then we noticed a whole bag of them left for us by the owners of the house we are caring for (thanks Holly and Brian!). They are deeee-licious — but a little strange so we thought we would share them with you.
They are hard on the outside, kind of like plastic easter eggs. I doubt you pinch these fruits to see if they are ripe. Frankly, I have no idea how to tell if they are ripe or not.
How to eat them:
1) Smack them onto a hard surface to crack them open. I am told some people use their heads. I settled for the counter.
Crack ‘er open…
2) Pull the skin away from the insides. The fruit on the inside is filled with seeds and each seed is surrounded by sweet flesh that is something like a really sweet and juicy grape, though a bit more gelatinous.
Check THAT out!
3) Spoon or slurp the flesh – seeds and all!
Down the hatch! You can spoon it or slup it like an oyster. I go oyster-style.
4) Look at the skin and notice the really cool little “fingers” left on the inside – kind of like a koosh ball. It is the craziest fruit!
The “koosh” ball fingers inside the skin.
Sound kind of disgusting? Look kind of gross? Maybe. But the taste is sugary-goodness and perfect on a warm afternoon. Love ’em!
PS – If you’re curious, the actual name for this fine fruit is “granadilla“, but on seeing them the first time, you just can’t help but say “WHAT??!!”
Anner–your writing is hilarious and captivating and shows how open your eyes and heart are on this fabulous adventure. Thank you for sharing!! Cheers! Suanne.
Thanks, Suanne! We write everything pretty collaboratively, which is a lot of fun – we definitely complement each other in our styles.
We promise to keep our eyes, hearts AND tummies open! Soooo much good food out there to explore.
Reminds me of a pomegranate. I think Suanne’s comment was well said. I second her comments. Thank you. Enjoy your holidays in your new surroundings. Should be interesting to see how the locals celebrate.
We’re looking forward to seeing how the celebrations go as well! There’s supposed to be a parade of children with donkey carts downtown one day which we hope to find out more about.
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