What Does Cherimoya Taste Like – A unique, tropical fruit that you MUST try!

Despite its lumpy exterior, cherimoya is a delicious fruit that’s enjoyed in the more tropical regions of the world. It’s a versatile fruit that can be blended into drinks or enjoyed on its own!

Cherimoya has a sweet, creamy taste reminiscent of condensed milk. Its tart aftertaste balances out the sweetness when it first hits the tongue, making for a refreshing and unique fruit.

What Is Cherimoya?

Cherimoya is a unique fruit that’s grown in the Andes Mountains of South America. It can also be found in Mexico, Central America and South America, and is usually grown in mountainous regions, both on the slopes and in the valleys of the mountains.

Cherimoyas are about the size of a grapefruit. They’re usually oval-shaped and have green, scaly skin that makes them look a bit like an artichoke. 

Once you open the fruit up, however, the flesh is white and creamy. The flesh contains several brown seeds that you have to remove before you eat the fruit.

Cherimoya is sometimes called a custard apple, thanks to its creamy center. It’s also occasionally referred to as a chirimoya or by its scientific name, Annona Cherimola.

What Does Cherimoya Taste Like?

Mark Twain was a big fan of cherimoya, describing them as “deliciousness itself” and we can see why! These fruits have a delicious, creamy fruit that is very sweet. 

The fruit tastes a bit like candy, with notes of peach, bananas, strawberries, and pineapples. Some people even describe the flavor combination as tasting like bubblegum – a mix of tropical and sticky sweet. 

Thanks to their super sweet centers, these fruits are sometimes called custard apples or ice cream fruits. Just don’t get them confused with sugar apples, a totally different fruit!

Health Benefits of Cherimoya

Despite its sweet flavor, cherimoya is actually pretty healthy. This fruit contain plenty of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients that our bodies need in order to function correctly, including: 

• Folate
• Thiamin
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Riboflavin
• Pantothenic acid
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium

Apart from the nutrients that they contain, cherimoya also benefits our bodies in a variety of other ways. 

Healthy Blood Pressure

The potassium and magnesium found in cherimoya are essential for lowering our blood pressure. This fruit contains 40 mg of magnesium and 674 mg of potassium. 

Lowers Cancer Risk

So many foods today are carcinogenic, which makes reducing cancer risk extra important. Cherimoya’s flavonoids may help reduce the risk of developing cancer while also giving your immune system a boost.

Boost Your Immune System

Speaking of boosting your immune system, cherimoyas do so in another way, too. A single cherimoya contains 60% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C, helping your body fight off infection!

Reduce Inflammation

Cherimoya contains certain compounds that reduce inflammation in the body. This helps decrease your risk of developing bowel disease, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease.  

Improve Digestion

One cup of cherimoya contains a whopping 4.8 g of fiber. Fiber is important for controlling your blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, keeping you full, and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Better Eye Health

Lutein is a carotenoid found in cherimoya that’s important for your eyes. It helps prevent diseases like macular degeneration and can improve your overall eye health.

How to Eat Cherimoya

Do we have your mouth watering yet? Are you ready to bite into a cherimoya of your own? There are a few different ways that you can eat this fruit.

Raw

The most common way to eat cherimoya is to eat it raw. To do this, you’ll need to grab a sharp knife so that you can slice the fruit into quarters.

Once you’ve opened the fruit, pull apart the flesh. It will fall out of the fruit in chunks, which you can eat with a spoon!

Just make sure to discard the seeds as you go. The seeds contain toxic chemicals and shouldn’t be eaten as they can cause harm.

Juice

If you’ve already pulled apart your cherimoya but don’t feel like eating it raw, you can make it into a delicious juice. Simply throw it into a blender with some water and a little bit of sugar and blend!

Pour the juice into a glass and top it with a little bit of cinnamon or nutmeg. For a boozy twist, you can add a shot of dark rum to the drink.

Ice Cream

The sweetness of cherimoya makes it perfect for ice cream! You can either blend this into your favorite milkshakes or can whip up a batch of homemade ice cream full of chunks of tasty cherimoya.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between atemoya and cherimoya?

Despite their similarities, these are not the same fruit. In fact, an atemoya is a hybrid between a sugar apple and a cherimoya. The skin of an atemoya is more warty than that of the cherimoya, and atemoya can only be produced by grafting.

Where can I find cherimoya fruit?

Finding cherimoya in the United States can be a bit of a challenge. Whereas in tropical regions you’ll find this fruit in any grocery store, in the US you’ll have to go to specialty food shops or international food stores.

Why is cherimoya so expensive?

Cherimoya is particularly expensive because it’s quite difficult to grow. Growers have to hand-pollinate the fruit, adding to the time and labor needed to produce these fruits. 

Can cherimoya seeds kill you?

The skin of the cherimoya fruit as well as the crushed seeds of the plant are both toxic. While eating a seed by accident probably won’t do you any harm, eating an excess of the crushed open seeds can cause paralysis and neurological damage.