On Saturday, I went out to dinner with a friend. We ate at a nearby Peruvian restaurant in part because Rebecca had never tried Peruvian food and I wanted to share the experience with her. I was looking for some new taste experiences for myself as well.
The new experience was dessert: Lúcuma ice cream. Lúcuma is the fruit of a tree that grows in the Andean valleys of Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Peru. Even though I spent some time in Peru, and had a Peruvian lady friend, I never tasted lúcuma.
I learned that the pulp of the fruit itself has a subtly sweet flavor and is somewhat dry with a mealy texture. In powder form, it is said that lúcuma tastes like butterscotch and sweet potato with undertones of maple syrup or caramel. The ice cream we shared had just that flavor profile and was quite delicious. I strongly suspect it was made with the powder.
Overall, a nice treat that has instilled a desire to explore and experiment with lúcuma some more. Lúcuma reminds me somewhat of Candy Cap Mushrooms which have a strong maple flavor and aroma. Their extract is often used in desserts like ice cream, cakes, and cookies.
