Here’s what you need to know about this delicious tropical fruit native to the South.
Every late summer into early fall in Virginia, my dad keeps a watchful eye on the Pawpaw trees in his backyard, waiting patiently for them to drop their speckled green fruits. They hit the ground almost always all at once: Thud, thud… thudthudthud.
The directive was simple: Once they fall, you know for certain that they’re ripe, and once they’re ripe, you must eat them quick. The time window for eating is fleeting, but it makes their sweet, tropical, custardy pulp that much more special—a once-a-year Southern delicacy.
While my dad jokingly calls them “the West Virginia banana,” pawpaws actually grow as far South as the Florida panhandle, and they have a long, storied history across several regions. If pawpaw lovers aren’t eating the fresh fruit on its own, they’re making jam, sorbet, and even pawpaw beer.
Learn about Pawpaws, arguably the South’s most special, unique fruit.
What Are Pawpaws?
According to Dr. James L. Chamberlain, pawpaws are the largest tree fruit native to the United States. They ripen only for a very short time in late summer and early fall. Despite the fact that another term for the Spanish papaya is “pawpaw,” North American pawpaws are not the same as papayas.
Pawpaws are part of the custard apple or “soursop” family, which is a flowering plant tree or shrub, and they have a long history in the Southeastern region of the United States.
What Do Pawpaws Taste Like?
Pawpaw fruit is frequently compared to bananas and mangos, which gives them a score of nicknames including “banango,” but even these rightful comparisons fall a bit short. Pawpaws are themselves their own tropical fruit, taking on different flavors as they ripen on and off the tree.
“A lot of them have a fruit salad quality,” says Casey Roe, a pawpaw forager in North Carolina. “[Flavors] go from fruit salad to caramel as they age.”
Eat them on the earlier side of their ripeness, and they’ll be more tart and acidic—Roe even calls out some subtle notes of coffee—and as they age, they sweeten and soften on the palate.
Pawpaws are not bright, shiny, and blemish-free—while it may be off-putting to some, it makes no difference in taste whether they appear tossed around, a quality that Choctaw historian and writer Dr. Devon Mihesuah says is very similar to indigenous American persimmons, known as Diospyros virginiana. Overly ripe pawpaws, she says on the other hand, “are unappealing and taste fermented.”
Related: How To Grow And Care For American Persimmons
Where Do Pawpaws Grow?
Pawpaws are native to North America and grow across a wide range of Southeastern states, but they’re most highly concentrated in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Pawpaw trees prefer moist soil, and grow in dense forested understory. Steering clear from coastline for the most part, they grow as far South as the Gulf Coast and Florida panhandle and as far north as the Great Lakes.
Why Are Pawpaws Hard To Find?
You can’t find pawpaws at the grocery store, and there are several reasons why: They bear fruit for only a short period every year, and they bruise easily, making them difficult to transport and sell at such a scale.
Farming and ranching have also vastly changed our landscapes, eliminating or negatively affecting forested environments where pawpaws would have grown and thrived.
Fortunately, pawpaws are easily propagated and transplanted, and there’s a lot to learn from a rich community of pawpaw enthusiasts, foragers, and seed savers. Pawpaws have a storied history in the Southeastern region that runs deep, owing in part to Indigenous knowledge of some.
“Pawpaws are a nourishing, delicious fruit that were part of sometribes’ traditional diets,” says Dr. Mihesuah. “You had to know when they were ready and what parts to eat and what not to eat—that is all part of traditional Indigenous knowledge.”
How To Prepare Pawpaws
It’s important to stick with the fresh, ripe, pawpaw pulp only, avoiding the seeds and especially the pawpaw peel. The seeds, outer peel of the fruit, tree bark, and leaves of the pawpaw are not safe to eat. They contain alkaloids and other naturally occurring chemicals that will make your tummy hurt.
While the fresh pulp is completely safe, pawpaws should also not be consumed dried or dehydrated into fruit leather for the same reason you shouldn’t eat the peel.
How To Store Pawpaws
Pawpaws have an infamously short shelf life. They’re ready when the tree drops ‘em, and the tree almost always drops them all at once. The best way to store pawpaws is by freezing them one of two ways:
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Freeze pawpaws whole: Pawpaws can be frozen whole, but the freezing temperature may affect the seed viability. This is important to note for people who may want to propagate their own pawpaws.
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Freeze pawpaw pulp: Remove seeds from the pawpaws and scoop out the pulp. Discard the peel. Pawpaw pulp can be stored in a freezer-safe airtight container or ziplock bag until ready to use.
Recipes To Try With Pawpaws
Nothing beats pulp from a fresh, ripe pawpaw when the time is right. “There is a two-week period when I can go for my daily run and stop for a few minutes to eat one or two small ones,” says Dr. Mihesuah, who also makes pawpaw sorbet from pawpaws and blueberries. Here are a few more ideas to try:
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Cook pawpaw pulp with apples and spices to make jam.
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Swap pawpaws for bananas in any banana bread or banana muffin recipe.
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Make sorbet, and combine with other fruits to try different flavors.
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Pulsed or pureed into a fresh jam; use as you would on toast—or as Casey Roe recommends—on a peanut butter sandwich for a yummy, sweet, custardy jelly.
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