You don’t know what you don’t know. And often, you don’t know it. Huh? Well, I know I don’t know how to fly a plane, but I’m cognizant of that fact. Sometimes it’s reassuring to find something that you simply didn’t know even existed, something of which you were unaware. It can light a fire, make you more curious, open new doors.
Like chico, otherwise known as sapodilla. It’s a tree which bears a funky fruit of the same name. Who knew? Maybe you did. But while tagging along with my seedling-seeking wife at a Waimanalo nursery recently, I spied a cardboard box that said “chico” as we were paying for our plant-able goods. The proprietor told me that chico fruit, which looks like a cross between a kiwi and a Russet potato, has the granular sensation of a pear and tastes like cinnamon. Cinnamon!? That’s my boo! The ultimate spice, a gift from above. Oh, by the way, seek out the more expensive Ceylon cinnamon; it’s healthier for you than garden variety cassia cinnamon.
So I bought a half dozen of the mundane chicos and waited for a slight give in their texture when pinched. I quartered them, removed the solo pit, and savored- nirvana! Who knew? Yet another local food treasure to add my palette. I am now on a chico quest, like a truffle-hunting pig, because chicos are surely not the centerpiece of your every day, local produce departments.
But they are available on farms, specialty grocers (Foodland Farms Ala Moana), and some farmer’s markets (KCC). I’ve since learned that sapodilla wood can be found in Mayan ruins. Ancient, tropical, and available. Yes, you simply don’t know what you don’t know. To learn of a luscious, nutritious new fruit at my overripe old age has been a real treat. Did you know there are perhaps 14 varieties of papaya, but well over 500 types of mangoes?! Trivia like this boggles one’s mind. Did you know that furry rambutans are laden with potassium and healthy folates?
We can go beyond kale, blueberries and walnuts to survive! So indulge yourself- it’s out there if you just look for it, or perhaps stumble upon it. And finally, despite a great marketing effort for green Actinidia deliciosa (kiwi), the gold/yellow kiwi variety pack more Vitamin C and sweetness. So check chicos, or find your own new passion.
Think about it…