Bite Me!

I was very excited to come across some entirely new fruits (to me) whilst in The Gambia recently, one of which was the cashew fruit (above); the stalks (as you have no doubt already guessed) are where the cashew nuts are found.  The fruit is popular eaten on its own, and is also distilled into a liqueur in the country's main distillery near Banjul.  It's practically impossible to convey the taste of a fruit to someone who has never eaten it, as I am just realising as I try to think of a suitable description, so I shall just say it was refreshing, a little bit citrussy, and although the fruit itself was incredibly juicy (think a large, over-ripe nectarine in terms of juice and you're halfway there) it leaves you with an oddly dry mouth. 

The next fruit I was very excited about, having read a description of it in Gerald Durrell's book Fillets of Plaice, and it didn't disappoint.  Soursop (or guanabana as it is known in South America) is a peculiar-looking knobbly object, about the size of a misshapen galia melon (see below), and I found it delicious.  Again, the taste is hard to describe, but it is very refreshing with an unusual creamy undertone.  The flesh is extremely juicy and also slightly stringy, and apparently it makes a great pudding when whipped up with milk.  If anyone has seen it for sale here in the UK, please tell me - I want to make it into sorbet!