I headed early to the Van Ness Market and almost got hit by a baby deer on Connecticut Ave, but I recovered to buy lucuma gelato. I had no idea what a lucuma was, but I found it was a fruit, mostly found in Peru, with a dry and starchy orange-yellow flesh. The web says, “The bulk of the production is used in dehydrated form with only a small percentage reaching the local markets to be consumed fresh. Once dehydrated, the lucuma powder (or flour) is mainly sold as flavoring to be used in ice creams and other dairy products….Some may say it tastes like caramel custard and others a bit like pumpkin….In Peru, it is a favorite. Some say lucuma ice cream’s popularity surpasses even the common vanilla and chocolate flavors! ”
The kids at the market (college kids whose Mom is Peruvian and sends it here) had pudding, cookies and gelato. They also had big bags of the dried stuff you could buy. The cookies were nice, big and chewy. My nephew was telling me lucuma ice cream is his favorite flavor, and I may have to go back next week and buy the bag of powder.
Another bonus: it is somewhat good for you, and it may be used as a sweetener. “Lucuma is an excellent source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals including plentiful concentrations of beta-carotene, which makes it a powerful immune system booster. It is rich in iron, B2 and B1. It`s also high in niacin, which makes it a cholesterol and triglyceride balancer.”