Cherimoya

Creamy, sweet cherimoya from Peru’s Andean valleys is considered one of the most delicious fruits in the world.

The cherimoya is a small, semi-evergreen tree growing 5–9 m tall, with hairy leaves and fleshy, greenish-yellow, fragrant flowers. The fruit is heart-shaped or conical, with green skin covered in a scale-like pattern, and usually weighs from 150 g to more than 1 kg. The creamy white flesh is sweet and aromatic, with a flavour reminiscent of pineapple, banana and strawberry, while the large black seeds are poisonous. It grows best in the cooler, moderately high valleys of the Andes.

Significance in the country

Cherimoya has grown in Peru’s Andean valleys for centuries; it is eaten raw and in juices, ice cream and desserts. Especially prized are the Cumbe cherimoya from Cajamarca, protected by a designation of origin, and fruit from the Santa Eulalia valley near Lima.

Where it grows

In inter-Andean valleys at about 1,500–2,500 m – most of all in Cajamarca and the upper valleys of the Lima region, and also from Piura and Amazonas to Junín, Ayacucho, Apurímac and Cuzco.

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