Ugly fruit and vegetables: custard apple and celeriac (plus celeriac mash)

I am still enjoying new fruit and vegetable discoveries. Indeed, it's rather lovely knowing that the discoveries are likely to continue almost indefinitely, given how many varieties are out there.

In saying that, my latest 'new discoveries' are a bit unappealing from the outside.

The custard apple (top) is attractive in a unique, spiky sort of way, but celeriac (bottom)...well, it is clearly in the root vegetable family. I think it's best to leave it at that.

Neither of these products are entirely new, at least in the sense that I have known about them for some time. However, I only got around to actually buying and trying them this week. I did this with the expectation of liking the custard apple and finding the celeriac a bit bland, akin to a parsnip or turnip.

Expectations aren't always correct.

The custard apple was very sweet, even to my sweet tooth, and I was not a fan of the texture. It reminded me of eating fish, which is not generally what I look for in a fruit. I also found the black seeds a bit off-putting.

All in all, this may be the first and last custard apple I eat. However, if you are keen to try them yourself, custard apples are high in Vitamin C and also provide potassium and magnesium, and of course natural sweetness.

The celeriac, in contrast, was subtly sweet in a most pleasing way. I knew it was related to celery but hadn't expected it to taste of celery. It does. It's rather wonderful, especially as it is so bland to look at.

My previous knowledge of celeriac came from Lisa's post on celeriac mashed potato at Bake Bike Blog, and the feature on celeriac in Coles' current August magazine. It is rare that my reading of supermarket magazines proves useful, so this was a nice exception, even if my celeriac didn't actually come from Coles.

Lisa and Coles both led me to believe that mashed celeriac may be a good thing. I can't remember the last time I had mashed potato, but mashed celeriac seemed like something worth trying - and now that I've had it, I can attest that to be true.

It was slightly sweet, with celery tones that defy the fluffy texture, and made quite a wonderful side dish. I added nutritional yeast and smoked paprika for extra flavour, and paired the mash with some tinned Mexican chilli beans, resulting in a vegetable based dinner that was just perfect for winter.

I am not sure how well it would stand in for traditional mashed potato (which is richer and thicker), but if you're after an alternative and can look past the odd exterior - well, celeriac may be your vegetable.

Celeriac mash

Serves 2 as a side dish

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Place the celeriac in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. This should leave the celeriac soft.

Drain the celeriac and mash using a masher or fork. Add the nutritional yeast and paprika and mix through. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Celeriac, you are much better than parsnip or turnip.

You are also surprisingly high in Vitamin K, which Wikipedia tells me is good for bone health - so I'll take that as a bonus.

Percentages in this table are percents of
Recommended Daily Intake as per US guidelines

Have you tried any new fruits or vegetables lately? Or are you a fan of custard apple or celeriac?

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