Cherimoya

/ˌtʃɛriˈmoʊ.ə/ noun

Definition

A tropical fruit with custard-like flesh inside a bumpy green skin, native to South America and related to the sweetsop.

Etymology

From Spanish 'chirimoya,' borrowed from Quechua 'chirimuya,' the indigenous Andean language term for this fruit. The word traveled from Peru through Spanish conquistadors to European languages in the 16th century.

Kelly Says

The cherimoya is sometimes called 'custard apple' and was so beloved by Mark Twain that he called it the most delicious fruit he'd ever tasted—yet it barely grew outside South America until the 20th century!

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