PENNSYLVANIA This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Editor's note: This interview first appeared in Spotlight PA's PA Local newsletter on Sept.
9, 2022. Pennsylvania's fleeting pawpaw season has arrived, and for the next few weeks the commonwealth's native tropical fruit — nicknamed the "hillbilly mango" — is ripe for the picking, assuming you can find one. We talked to Ohio chef, culinary educator, and author Sara Bir about The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, which includes an introduction by forager Alexis Nikole Nelson and recipes for everything from pawpaw cornbread to pawpaw ketchup.
Our conversation — touching on the do's and definite don'ts of the fruit and why Bir says she's yet to meet a bad person who likes them — has been edited for clarity and length. Spotlight PA: Can you describe the taste of a pawpaw for anyone who hasn't tried one? Sara Bir: I like to say that it is most like a mango and a banana and yet something completely unfamiliar . It has a lot of tropical flavors.
It is in the custard apple family. It's the most northerly member of that fruit family. Its relatives are all down in the tropics.
What about texture? When pawpaws are ripe they are very soft. They're like baby food. What's your favorite pawpaw recipe? I thought your pawpaw lassi idea was genius.
That is my favorite. I use butt.