What it is: Grown in the Midwest and South but rarely found in groceries, pawpaws taste like a cross between a banana and a mango. In season locally from August to October, this fruit can be as small as a fig or as big as a mango. Its greenish-yellow skin turns brown when ripe. Spence Farm, Seedling Farms, and Oriana’s Orchard all sell it at area farmers’ markets.
Where we’ve spotted it: Eli’s Cheesecake has a pawpaw cheesecake, farmers’ market darling Suffice Sorbet & Gelato sells pawpaw gelato, and Mirra has a custard made with the fruit and layered with ancient grain granola. On the drinks side, the local Apologue Liqueurs makes a bottled pawpaw liqueur that bartenders at Mariela, Nine Bar, and Avondale Bowl use in tropical-leaning cocktails. And Daisies ferments pawpaws for a variety of drinks.
Why it’s in vogue: “In the Midwest, we’ve spent so much time relying on tropical products that don’t naturally belong to our environment,” says chef Devon Quinn, who uses pawpaws in a smoothie he serves at Eden. “So we’re intentionally shifting toward local, indigenous ingredients that feel more connected to the region, the farmers, and the seasons. Pawpaws are a perfect example of that philosophy in action.”