Today I tried a fruit I have never seen before, let alone tasted, called Babaco. I was given it yesterday by a visitor Sam. I was intrigued, and at the same time spent a good 24 hours eyeing it before I decided to try it.

I noticed that I felt quite reluctant to try something new. Isn’t it funny how we humans can be so anxious about change? What is that all about?

I was so involved in this process that I forgot to take a photo…sorry. Anyway, there are plenty of websites and images of Babaco on the web.

The fruit is long and very delicate, and in the 24 hours that I had it sitting on the bench, was starting to look worse for wear. The taste is described online as ‘champagne flavoured’ or a mix of ‘pineapple, strawberry’. I found it to be like a less sweet pineapple, and very subtle in flavour. The flesh has the same consistency of mango.

It was the perfect fruit to be blended with some ice on a hot day, or eaten with muesli and yoghurt – very refreshing.

What intruiges me is that you don’t see these sorts of fruits in the supermarket…they are too delicate and go off too quickly. Makes me wonder what else we are missing out on!

Apparently Babaco can be grown in pots, likes a sub-temperate climate (like in Melbourne), and has a high yield for a small plant. They can only be grown from cuttings, not seed.

Might be worth investigating if I can squeeze one more pot into the tiny backyard!