Meeting Cherimoya

You know what I miss (aside from family and friends!) when I moved to LA?    Eating some fruits that I can have back home like Mangosteen, Rambutan, Lanzones and my most favorite fruit---ATIS (custard apple)!  Actually, I found some at the Filipino grocery. . .  but they were frozen!

But thanks to an FB post of a friend (Thanks again M!), I learned about a fruit which is the closest thing to having an atis!  As luck would have it, when we went to the Farmers Market over the weekend. . . lo and behold, we saw the "fruit"!

Friends, meet . . . Cherimoya!

Image from www.doctoryum.org

(I got the image online because I was too excited to eat that I forgot to take a photo before slicing it, haha)

This is how it looks like inside . .

Just like an atis!  I am sure they come from the same family tree! (Out of curiosity, I looked it up and guess what, they do!)

How does it taste?  Sweet, just like an atis with a hint of guyabano (soursop).  The more I eat it, the more it tastes like guyabano to me (which is another fruit I like).  

I've read that this fruit is rich in vitamins, notably Vitamin C which is good for the immune system and B6 which is good for the brain.  It is also rich in antioxidant which can prevent cancer.  Eating this fruit is also good for the heart because it reduces bad cholesterol and regulates blood pressure levels and heart rate.  Guess I'll be seeing more of this fruit then, haha!  All of these benefits from a yummy fruit!  

But know what. . . my heart still longs for some atis . . .or probably what I really long for. . .are my family and friends back home. =)