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Our Forgotten Fruit: Embrace the Paw Paw

George Washington loved them, and you can, too

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 3, 2009 4:23 PM CST
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(Newser) – Pity the poor paw paw. It's got a long history in America—George Washington even called the fruit his favorite dessert—but it gets no love today. That's a shame, writes Ari Weinzweig. It's fallen out of favor because the trees are a pain to grow and the fruit doesn't ship well. "Like a lot of the old fruits, the amount of work required to grow 'em versus the yield in picked, ripe paw paws isn't all that great," Weinzweig writes at Atlantic.

But give them a chance. The fruit is nutritious, even if the taste is hard to pin down. "Got maybe a hint of lime, a little vanilla, a papaya, maybe a touch of the taste of ripe pear." And it can be turned into gelato, custard, cream, and paw paw pie. Besides, "how can you not be biased towards a Native American fruit called a paw paw?"

This March 12, 2009 file photo shows a pawpaw tree in Scarsdale, N.Y. Pawpaw has also been called the Hoosier banana, the Michigan banana, the whatever-state-it-grows-in banana.
This March 12, 2009 file photo shows a pawpaw tree in Scarsdale, N.Y. Pawpaw has also been called the Hoosier banana, the Michigan banana, the whatever-state-it-grows-in banana.   (AP Photo/Lee Reich, FILE)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 13 comments
Rocket448
Nov 4, 2009 12:55 PM CST
Growing up we summered on Paw Paw Lake near Watervliet, MI. I never saw a single Paw Paw, and nobody knew what one was, either. The name, though, brings back great memories.
OldFart
Nov 4, 2009 12:49 PM CST
I have been eating "Hoosier Bananas" for over sixty years. My wife bakes cookies and sweet bread with them. I like black walnuts in the cookies and bread. The taste is "too strong" for her.
Netstorm2k10
Nov 4, 2009 12:14 PM CST
Looks good. The growing season looks a little long, though.

 
nutrition • diet • fruit and vegetables • paw paw

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