The cherimoya season has arrived in the City of Cuzco. Everyone loves this fruit that in English is sometimes called the custard apple, due to its complex yet stunningly delicious flavor.
Every Saturday, the people of Cuzco go out from their homes to the city’s many markets to obtain their week’s food. People look in the popular markets to seek lower prices. They know that the principle markets of Cuzco are the San Pedro, Vino Canchón and Cascaparo. Here you can buy anything you wish at a good price because they are the principle markets of this growing city. They receive vegetables, fruit and other foods in great quantities every day.
Now that we are approaching April the season of cherimoya fruit, or chirimoya as we call them in Spanish after their original Quechua name, is underway. You are beginning to find this delicious fruit all over the place.
It is normally a heart shaped fruit of green color with shapes that look like reptile scales. That may not make it sound delicious, but once you open the fruit and taste its sweetness that reminds of you custard, strawberries and raspberries, you fall in love. Inside it has large dark seeds surrounded by a creamy pulp that has light crumbs in it. Its texture is unique as is its flavor and it is something you will want long after you have first tasted this tropical fruit.
It is now found in all the markets and supermarkets of our city. During this season truckloads of cherimoyas will arrive and so the price falls. It is a good time to eat them to your heart’s content.
