Mystery Fruit: Canestel

As my Alternate Spring Break group and I discovered, there is a reason why people rarely choose to visit Florida City when they vacation in Florida. The "city" of about 8,000 is lacking in beaches, night clubs and amusement parks. However, Florida City does have one redeeming factor- Robert is Here... Fruit Stand (yes, that is its name). The stand, which is more like a large shed, serves decadently tropical fruit smoothies, is stocked to the brim with a plethora of unusual fruits and even has a feeding area for an assortment of farm animals out back.

We had a lot of fun trying unusual fruits, like starfruit, which when cut creates a star shape, kumquats, small sour orange citruses that you pop in your mouth peel and all and the suspicious "chocolate pudding fruit" which is only ready to eat once it begins oozing black juice. Yum?





















Would you like tomatoes, sea sponges ... or a baby goat?

I purchased a canestel, an orangish-yellow fruit that vaguely resembled a persimmon. As a lover of anything pudding, I couldn't resist the description "tastes like a sweet and creamy custard."

However, once I took my first bite of the incredibly squishy fruit, I realized its nickname, "egg fruit," was much more deserved. It was the exact texture and taste of a boiled egg yolk, just a bit sweeter. Interesting, but not something I could bring myself to eat every day.

I could, however, see myself drinking a canestel milkshake, which are apparently quite popular. So, if you ever have a spare canestel lying around, stick it in a blender with some milk, ice cream and perhaps a banana for a tropically unique drink!

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