Season Thirteen, Episode Four. Forgotten Favorites
Learn about the largest native fruit of North America and why it remains a hidden treasure today.
The complete script for this episode, with the two hosts, in eleven parts.
Amiyah: Hey guys, hope y'all having a good day. How is y'all today?
Poke: I am good, just swaying in the breeze. How about you?
Amiyah: Could not be better, let us get into it.
Amiyah: All right, let's spin the wheel and see what we have today.
Poke: boom. Pawpaws!
Amiyah: The wheel landed on the pawpaw, the largest fruit native to North America and one of its best kept secrets. The hosts were thrilled to spotlight this hidden treasure.
Poke: Buckle up, folks. We are doing pawpaws today.
Poke: Give me the history. Where did pawpaws begin?
Amiyah: Pawpaws grew wild across eastern North America for thousands of years and were a cherished food for Indigenous peoples long before they were ever farmed.
Poke: Because the soft fruit does not ship or store well, pawpaws faded from markets, but they remain a beloved find for foragers and backyard growers.
Amiyah: Time for the surprising tidbits.
Poke: Pawpaw has a creamy custard like texture.
Amiyah: That tracks.
Poke: The flavor is a tropical blend, a little like banana and mango.
Amiyah: Wait, really?
Poke: It is the largest edible fruit native to North America.
Amiyah: Okay, that is so good to know.
Poke: It grows on small understory trees in shady woods.
Amiyah: Let us talk varieties. What is out there?
Poke: Pawpaws are mostly wild, with a few named types grown by enthusiasts.
Amiyah: I am listening.
Poke: Wild pawpaws are small with rich custard flesh.
Amiyah: Cultivated varieties are larger with fewer seeds.
Poke: Wait, really?
Amiyah: Some types are prized for an especially tropical flavor.
Amiyah: Take me around the globe with this one.
Poke: In the American Midwest, pawpaws are celebrated at autumn festivals.
Amiyah: I did not know that at all.
Poke: In Appalachia, the fruit is eaten fresh from the woods.
Amiyah: That tracks.
Poke: Across North America, pawpaw is blended into ice cream.
Amiyah: Wait, really?
Poke: Foragers everywhere bake the soft pulp into breads and puddings.
Amiyah: Let us bust a myth. What have we got?
Poke: A lot of people think some think the pawpaw is the same as the tropical papaya.
Amiyah: Amazing.
Poke: Here is the truth. They are different fruits with similar sounding names. The pawpaw is a temperate North American fruit, while the papaya grows in the tropics.
Poke: A listener wrote in. Let us hear it.
Poke: Why have so few people tasted a pawpaw?
Amiyah: Ooh, good one.
Amiyah: Pawpaws are very soft and only last a few days after picking, so they rarely reach stores. You usually have to forage them or grow your own.
Amiyah: Alright, real talk. Here is what I actually think.
Amiyah: I will be real, this one is growing on me the more we talk about it.
Poke: Okay okay, fair, I will allow it.
Amiyah: Amiyah loves a ripe pawpaw scooped straight from the skin.
Poke: Poke prefers the custardy pulp blended into a tropical pudding.
Poke: I am just a palm tree, but even I think that is a spicy take.
Amiyah: Time for the Fun Fact Lightning Round.
Amiyah: Pawpaw is the largest native fruit of North America.
Poke: It tastes like banana and mango.
Amiyah: It grows in shady woodlands.
Poke: It is best eaten very fresh.
Amiyah: Let us recap what we learned today.
Poke: The hosts learned that the pawpaw is the largest native fruit of North America, a creamy tropical tasting treasure that is hard to find because it spoils so quickly.
Amiyah: Let us close it out with something delicious.
Poke: Today we are making Simple Pawpaw Pudding. The full ingredients and steps are right below.
Amiyah: Thanks for spinning with us. Spin It. Learn It. Love It.™
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