A rare appearance of America’s “secret fruit”
It was nearly 30 years ago now that we began the project to make Paw Paw Gelato. At the time, hardly anyone in Ann Arbor knew about this old American fruit. Today, I’m happy to say that paw paws are getting more and more popular—and we now have our annual autumn release of this super tasty gelato! It’s the kind of traditional, delicious food with a great story that we love to work with.
Once upon a time, paw paws were pretty easy to find around these parts. Indigenous to North America, they’ve been historically known by a range of wonderful monikers, like Prairie Banana and Hoosier Banana. Paw paw trees are about 10 to 20 feet in height, with long, dark green, sort of droopy-eared leaves and the largest native edible fruit that grows on our continent. They look a bit like mangoes, but with pear green–colored flesh. The fruits are ripe when their skin gets a bit darker and their perfume is more pronounced. One reason that paw paws pretty much disappeared is that, like many great heirloom varieties, they’re hard to grow and have a very low yield—and the fruit one does get requires a lot of handwork to process. A few years before the pandemic, Tammie and I bought a paw paw sapling from a local farmer to plant at our house. Now, about a decade later, we get just a handful of fruits every year!
Roadhouse bartender Cori Scharmin is a superfan of the Paw Paw Gelato. “It’s so freaking good!” she says. “It tastes like a tropical fruit, but it’s from here in Michigan. A little mango-y and very banana-y. It’s really different. I love it!” To my taste, the gelato is slightly citrusy and kind of custardy—a bit like passion fruit and cherimoya, with a little hint of lime and a touch of vanilla, papaya, and ripe pear. Serious Eats says the flavor is “a riot of mango-banana-citrus that’s incongruous with its temperate, deciduous forest origins.” Paw Paw Gelato also pairs beautifully with the Bakehouse’s Lemon Poppy Coffee Cake. Ask for a taste next time you see us!
Marc Stadler is a farmer and paw paw grower in Urbana, Ohio, who serves as an expert in the industry. Writing in his highly recommended newsletter, The Midwesterner, Jed Portman quotes Stadler as saying that the best thing to make with paw paws is ice cream: “There’s nothing like it. I’ve judged paw paw cooking contests, and nothing compares.”
You can get Paw Paw Gelato at the Roadhouse and the Deli. It’s delicious!