Though a small handful of banana varieties
(Grand Nain, Gros Michel, Cavendish)
dominate in international trade, there are
many interesting Latin American and Asian
varieties to be found in ethnic markets,
usually shorter, with tinted skin and flesh and
intriguingly different flavors.
Cherimoya and Atemoya The cherimoya and
atemoya are tree fruits of species in the genus
Annona, a native of tropical and subtropical
South America (the soursop or guanabana and
the custard apple belong to the same genus).
They are medium-sized masses of fused
ovaries with their seeds, enclosed in inedible
green or tan skins. Like pears, they can
contain gritty stone cells. Cherimoyas and
atemoyas are climacteric fruit that store
starch and convert it to sugar during ripening;
the result is a soft, sweet, low-acid flesh with
about double the calories of common
temperate fruits. They owe a vaguely banana-