Keith's Blog: Pacay Fruit or Ice Cream Bean

When I was on the food tour in Bangkok I thought about some of the strange fruits I have eaten and my mind went back to 2017 and one of the strangest fruits I ever tried. I was traveling in Peru and took the long way to get to Cusco from Lima spending over 3 weeks in a number of cities in what Lonely Planet calls the central highlands of Peru.

I first saw this strange bean looking thing in one of the markets I wondered through.

I later saw a lady selling it along the side of the road and bought a bag. I ended up leaving most of the bag in a hotel. I thought it was sort of like eating cotton with a little bit of sweet flavor. I ate one of the seeds inside the cotton and it was very bitter and later was told you are not supposed to eat the seeds.

While in Cusco I went to a museum and there was a display that included this fruit. I found the name Ice Cream Bean when I was doing some internet searches on Pacay Fruit. I like the name Ice Cream Bean better than the fruit it self.

I also tried Guinea Pig or Cuy which is the name in Peru. It is a bit of a national dish from what I have read and the last supper paintings that you see in Peru will often have Guinea Pig as the dish they are eating. Below was the one I ate and just found it really greasy.

Pepino Dulce is another new fruit to me that I tried while in Peru.

Near the end of my time in Peru I went into the Amazon. I did a 3 day tour in a dug out canoe. What an experience! I took a bus to where the roads end and then a 5 hour speed boat ride on a river to the town of Lagunas. Then I got in the canoe for my tour in Pacaya–Samiria National Reserve.

On my second day of the tour my guide took me on a jungle walk. He was happy when he spotted a specific tree. He chopped it down and cut away until he had what I have in my hand in the following pictures. I believe this is Heart of Palm. He cubed up part of this and made a wonderful salad.