On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 731

consistency,andadistinctivearomadue
primarilytoamylacetateandotheresters,and
green,floral,andclove(eugenol)notes.
Bananaacidityalsoincreasesduringripening,
sometimestwofold,sotheflavorbecomes
morefullinseveraldimensions.Ripe
plantainsgenerallyretainadry,starchy
textureandcanbetreatedaspotatoesare,
friedormashedorcookedinchunks.
Thepulpofthesefruitsiscoloredby
carotenoids—plantainvarietiesoftenmore
noticeably—andtanninsoftenmakethe
unripepulpastringent.Bananasandplantains
areverypronetobrown-blackdiscoloration
thankstobrowningenzymesandphenolic
substancesindefensivelatex-bearingvessels
associatedwiththevascularsystem.These
substancesslowlydeclinebyabouthalf
duringripening,soonceafruitisripe,itcan
berefrigeratedwithrelativelylittle
discolorationoftheflesh(thepeelwillstill
turnblack).


Thoughasmallhandfulofbananavarieties
(GrandNain,GrosMichel,Cavendish)
dominateininternationaltrade,thereare
manyinterestingLatinAmericanandAsian
varietiestobefoundinethnicmarkets,
usuallyshorter,withtintedskinandfleshand
intriguinglydifferentflavors.

CherimoyaandAtemoyaThecherimoyaand
atemoyaaretreefruitsofspeciesinthegenus
Annona, a native of tropical and subtropical
SouthAmerica(thesoursoporguanabanaand
the custard apple belong to the same genus).
They are medium-sized masses of fused
ovaries with their seeds, enclosed in inedible
green or tan skins. Like pears, they can
contain gritty stone cells. Cherimoyas and
atemoyas are climacteric fruit that store
starchandconvertittosugarduringripening;
theresultisasoft,sweet,low-acidfleshwith
about double the calories of common
temperatefruits.Theyoweavaguelybanana-