Mystery Fruit #1: Ciku

In my last post, I mentioned that I bought a mystery fruit. I'm always telling my kids they need to try new foods, so I'm holding myself to that as well.



At first glance, I thought this was a potato. That's kind of weird to find in a fruit stand. But since Malaysians consider kernel corn to be a topping for both ice cream and waffles, who knows into what category a potato falls? Then, I picked it up and realized it was a fruit. Somewhat soft with a slightly furry skin, it reminded me a lot of a kiwi.

Then, I cut it open.

Nope, not a kiwi. With reddish-orange flesh and a few shiny, black, almond-shaped seeds, this probably isn't even closely related to a kiwi. I grabbed a spoon and scooped out a sample (just like a kiwi). It was good! Sweet and soft, it reminded me of a ripe pear.

A few days later, I found some at the Cold Storage grocery store where, like American stores, they had a big sign with the fruit's name and price. The mystery fruit is called a Ciku (pronounced "CHEEK-oo"). It's also know as a zapota, sapodilla, chico, and chicozapote. It turns out that my mom had been asking me during our Skype calls if I had tried a ciku. Now, I can say, "Yes."