Related to the papaya, babaco is a five-sided fruit that tastes like a cross between strawberries and melons. The fruit, which can grow as big as 12 inches long and 8 inches wide, has white flesh and edible seeds. When ripe, the skin is a soft gold. Babaco can be eaten cooked or stewed, served raw when it's ripe, or blended into tropical milkshakes or smoothies. It enjoys long shelf life for a fruit; store in a cool place, where fruit can last up to four weeks. Babaco is available from November through January from California, Australia and New Zealand.
