Chirimoya Juice

The chirimoya (Annona cherimola) is native to the Andean highlands of Peru and Ecuador and has been cultivated there since pre-Columbian times; it appears in ancient Andean ceramics, and the temperate valleys around Lima, such as Cumbe, are famed for the fruit today. Mark Twain once called it the most delicious fruit known to men. Blending the soft ripe flesh with milk into a juice or batido is a straightforward Peruvian home and juice-stall preparation rather than a dish with a fixed author — it simply showcases a celebrated native fruit. The pulp also flavors ice creams and mousses.

Thick, creamy and pale ivory, with a velvety, almost custard-like body from the smooth fruit pulp. The flavor is sweet and intensely fragrant, often described as a blend of banana, pineapple and pear with a faint vanilla note, rounded and softened by the milk. Lightly sweet and very smooth, it drinks more like a dessert than a juice. Best ice-cold.

The technique is minimal because the fruit does the work: chirimoya flesh is naturally soft and creamy, so blending it briefly with cold milk produces a thick, smooth drink without thickeners. The key is to remove every glossy black seed first, since the seeds are toxic, and to blend only lightly so the pulp stays silky rather than frothy. A little sugar lifts the fruit, and chilling keeps the delicate aroma fresh, which fades if the drink stands warm.