Did you know that the exotic pawpaw fruit thrives in Canada? Chef Tawnya Brant describes it as a delightful experience if you ever get the chance to taste it.
âImagine the essence of the tropics embodied in a fruit. That’s the essence of a pawpaw,â shared Brant, the proprietor of Yawékon Foods and the host of APTNâs One Dish One Spoon.
Originating from the Mohawk community at Six Nations of the Grand River, Brant compares the fruit’s flavor to a blend of banana, mango, and pineapple, with a creamy consistency that turns almost caramel-like as it matures.
âIt’s like a peculiar banana, shorter and plumper, with an oval shape and large seeds inside,â she mentioned during an interview with The Current‘s Matt Galloway.
Pawpaws have been a part of North American flora for centuries, once flourishing from Florida to Missouri and southern Ontario. Despite being widely nurtured by Indigenous communities pre-colonization, the fruit receded as forests gave way to agricultural lands. However, some wild trees and orchards in pockets of southern Ontario, B.C., and Quebec still bear fruit in autumn.
One reason pawpaws are not commonly known is their brief shelf life, turning brown rapidly post-harvest. Their susceptibility to bruising makes large-scale harvesting and commercial distribution challenging.
