
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 9, 1995                   TAG: 9508090034
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A TASTE FOR THE EXOTIC

One look at the small, pear-shaped fruit's yellow and green mottled skin and it was easy to understand why a local produce manager said one of the questions customers most frequently ask is, "Has this thing gone bad?"

The "thing" was a papaya, and no, it hadn't gone bad. In fact, it was just approaching its prime, when its skin would become a uniform golden yellow, its yellow-to-rosy flesh around peppery black seeds would be firm and moist, and its peach-apricot-berry flavor would be at its peak.

Lately - and particularly during these summer months - supermarket shoppers have probably noticed more and more unfamiliar fruits among the produce-shelf standards. Depending upon which supermarket you're in, you might find showy red-skinned mangos; speckled round Asian pears; pearl-sized clusters of Champagne grapes; muscadine grapes; red bananas; waxy-skinned, five-pointed star fruits; spiky, bright orange-skinned kiwanos; and melons of assorted shapes, sizes and colors.

These exotic new offerings bring intrigue to our health-conscious quests to increase daily servings of fruit, and they add variety, taste, texture, color and form to what could be ho-hum meals.

If you're an adventurous soul who likes surprises and doesn't mind the prices - which can get as high as $3 for one piece - it can be fun to simply buy one or two of the unfamiliar fruits when you see them. If you prefer to know a little more about what you're getting into, reference/recipe guides, such as author/chef Norman Van Aken's "The Great Exotic Fruit Book" ($15.95, Ten Speed Press), or Marlene Brown's "International Produce Cookbook and Guide (12.95, HP Books, 1989) can be a big help. Such books provide all-important visual identifications of the strange fruits, tell a little about their origins, give some idea of what type of taste to expect and, of course, give tips and recipes on how to use them (although most are perfectly fine eaten raw). Cookbooks from the fruits' indigenous regions often will incorporate the fruits into their recipes and are another good source for finding out how to use the fruits or, for that matter, what the heck the fruits are.

If you're still daunted by all the newfangled produce that's popping up, remember that not so long ago avocado, pineapple, plantain and kiwi were considered exotic fare. Now, most consumers don't give them a second glance and consider them as familiar as cherimoya pie.

Recipes for:

KEY WEST SWEET PLANTAIN STUFFED AND SPICED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH A SOUR ORANGE MARINADE

LAMB CHOPS WITH FRESH NECTARINE SAUCE

SEAFOOD AND JICAMA FIESTA SALAD

STAR FRUIT FLAPJACKS

DEEP DISH ASIAN PEAR PIE

PINEAPPLE PICO DE GALLO

KIWIFRUIT ICES

by CNB