A tropical American tree (Annona cherimola) that produces heart-shaped fruits with creamy, white flesh that tastes like a blend of pineapple and banana.
From Quechua 'chirimuya' or 'chirimoya', the indigenous Peruvian name for the fruit. This Spanish colonial loan word entered English in the 18th century as Europeans discovered South American fruits.
Mark Twain supposedly called the cherimoya 'the most delicious fruit in the world,' and once you taste the custard-like flesh, you understand the obsession—it's creamy enough to eat with a spoon and tastes like dessert exists in fruit form.
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