Foodies aren’t always so smart.
For instance, at buffet breakfast at the recent conference of the American Institute of Wine and Food in Washington, D.C., a few food “experts” were admiring a section of a beautiful but weird-looking fruit being used for decoration.
Neither a food writer, a dietitian, a cooking teacher or a food salesperson could identify the green gnarly object with its brilliant purple pulp.
One suggested a cherimoya or atemoya, but those were rejected. “For sure, it’s some sort of Frieda fruit,” said another, referring to Frieda Caplan, a Los Angeles distributor of exotic produce.
Someone suggested asking a woman in a hotel uniform nearby. In a Latino accent, the woman responded, “tuna,” but the foodies assumed she probably misunderstood the question.
So two of the group searched out a copy of Elizabeth Schneider’s classic book “Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables,” which was among volumes being sold at the conference by a cookbook store. The fruit quickly was identified as a cactus pear, according to Schneider’s description and a drawing. It also is called prickly pear, and, of course, tuna in Spanish.
