Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Pomegranate vs. Chiramoya

Ok, I'm guessing you've read the title to this post and you're a little confused, right?  You're probably thinking something along the lines of, what the heck is a chiramoya?  Well, get ready to learn something new about the world because I intend to tell you exactly what a chiramoya is.  As you might've guessed from the context, a chiramoya is a type of fruit.  However it only grows in this part of Spain, which is why you've most likely never heard of it before.

 It's kind of a weird-looking fruit, don't you think?

So now you may be asking yourself, what does a pomegranate have to do with all this?  Good question.  Well, here's the story...

I kept hearing about these chiramoyas and how good they taste, but I had absolutely no idea what they looked like.  When I first arrived in Spain, some of the people at the school described them to me as almost being a type of apple, but sweeter.  So naturally, in my mind I was picturing something that looked similar to an apple.  Well, last week I was in the grocery store and I saw a sign advertising a sale on chiramoyas.  The fruit and vegetable section at Lidl (the grocery store) isn't very well marked though, and I was confused as to where these chiramoyas actually were.  So, I unknowingly picked up a pomegranate thinking, this sorta looks like an apple...  I asked some old lady walking by, but her accent was really thick and she seemed to be confirming that yes, it was indeed a chiramoya.  So I put one in a bag and continued shopping.  I was still unsure if I had the right fruit though, so I asked when I got to the cash register.  The lady told me that it was a granada (still didn't know what it was at that point), and then she showed me a picture of what a chiramoya looks like off of her list of codes for the cash register.  Turns out that I had seen them but decided to pass them by because they looked totally weird and I wasn't sure if they were even edible!  I decided to buy the "granada" and just come back another day for a chiramoya.  The next day I talked to some of the other staff at the school and came to the realization the fruit I had in my possession was a pomegranate.  Someone even informed me of the best way to eat it.  The teacher for Year 3 also had a chiramoya to show me so that I could be assured that when I went to try and buy one I would get the right fruit.  I made another trip to the grocery store after school that day and finally bought a chiramoya!

Ok, so now I had both a pomegranate and a chiramoya... neither of which I had ever tasted before.

Ok, does the pomegranate not look like an apple?  Can you blame me for being confused?

 At this point you may be asking, how do you eat them?  Do they taste any good?  Which one is better?

Whoa, whoa, whoa... slow down.... rest assured that all of your questions will be answered! :)  This is where the "vs." part of the title comes into play.  Luckily for you, I documented my pomegranate/chiramoya experience in pictures.  *HELPFUL HINT: The captions are there for a reason! ;)

Needed materials: a cutting knife and a spoon.


It turns out that the little knife wasn't big enough to cut through the tougher skin of the pomegranate.  So I had to use a slightly bigger knife.

This is what a pomegranate looks like on the inside... I think it's a very interesting-looking fruit.


Someone informed me that the easiest way to eat a pomegranate is to hit the back of it with a spoon to help the fruit fall out... so that's what I did.


This is the part that you eat.


This is what a chiramoya looks like when you cut it in half.  I knew it was ripe because it was soft to the touch (I purposely bought a ripe one), and I was able to cut it with the smaller knife.


You are supposed to spoon out the fruit, and then spit out the seeds.


There were lots of seeds!


They were both really good and it was an interesting experience... but in my book I would say that the chiramoya won.  Why?  Because not only was it easier to eat (I had to hit that pomegranate pretty hard with the spoon), but I also think it tasted better overall.  I would say the pomegranate was definitely juicier, but the chiramoya had a smooth taste to it that is unlike anything I've ever tasted before.  If you ever come to Southern Spain between mid-October and the beginning of January I would definitely suggest that you try a chiramoya.

Well, that is all for now.  Hopefully you'll be hearing from me again soon!
Hasta luego, mis amigos! :)

2 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly! I just found your blog :) Sounds like you're having a great time exploring new things! I've started a blog while I'm in France and I've found I love updating mine and reading others, so I'm glad to read what you share! Hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I definitely learned something new! I had never heard of a chiramoya, though I have enjoyed a pomegranate or two. Have you found a church?

    ReplyDelete