America's Forgotten Fruit: Celebrating National Pawpaw Day

This Thursday is National Pawpaw Day, which makes this week a great time to learn more about pawpaws, a fruit native to the U.S. that many people have never heard of or tried before.

Pawpaws are mild-flavored fruits with a flavor profile somewhere between mango and banana. They grow on the American pawpaw (Asimina triloba), a small deciduous tree in the same family as the African custard-apple and soursop.

This tree is native to 26 states, stretching from northern Florida to Ontario, Canada, and west from Texas up to Michigan.

One answer is that its picking season and shelf life are both quite short (the trees bear fruit for only about six weeks, and the fruit only lasts a few days after being picked, presenting commercial challenges). Because of that, you’re much more likely to find pawpaws at a local farmer’s market than a supermarket.

Safety tip: Some people will be allergic to pawpaws, so you should taste only a small amount of fresh, raw fruit the first time you eat one. No reactions after around 12 hours mean that you can probably tolerate the fruit. Follow this start-small tip for baked or cooked pawpaw, too. Just make sure you don’t eat any of the seeds or skin, which are toxic.