Sensory Evaluation

For my sensory evaluation I chose to base mine on fruit. I realize this may sound boring but have you ever been to a grocery store or an independent market on the side of the street and realized you don’t know how to cook half of the items they are selling? Well then, a sensory evaluation might just be whats in store. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to pick up some of these intimidating fruits and learn where they are from, how best to cook with them, and eat them. All while doing a sensory evaluation.

After school, I took a walk over to St. Lawrence Market and picked out different fruits from the vendor’s that I haven’t tried before. St. Lawrence Market is a pretty amazing place when you go in there looking for unfamiliar things. I found quite a few things I’m eager to try to cook but for this post, we will stick to fruit!

I found six different types that are unfamiliar to me. Some of which I actually had to google how to open them! (Don’t judge me). First one up is…

Mangosteen.

Origin: Southeastern Asia

Sight: looks slimy, slippery, pale pink like an oyster. It also reminds me of a garlic clove.

Taste: sweet with light sourness, juicy, slimy.

Smell: floral.

Touch: slimy, slippery. The outer shell is hard as a nut and crumbly.

Hear: cracking.

Alright, let me start off by saying I am completely foreign to buying mangosteen so I think that it wasn’t as fresh as it could have been. In my defense, they all looked the same! Overall I think I would really enjoy this fruit if it had been fresh. I liked the slimy texture.

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Longan Fruit

Origin: Native to Asia

Sight: slimy, clear, grotesque, fleshy.

Taste: juicy, chewy, sweet. It reminds me of melon.

Smell: Sweet like sugar and a bit musty smelling.

Touch: rubbery, tacky.

Hear: cracking of the shell.

This fruit reminds me of a cross between a grape and a peanut. The inside resembles the grape and the outside resembles the peanut. I have formed a new love for this fruit and found myself snacking on them throughout the night. The fruit tastes like pure sugar to me. So sweet and simple. It looks like it would feel slimy but it feels more tacky and rubbery. The smell is a bit musty and sweet at the same time.

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Passion Fruit

Origin: Southern Brazil

Sight: looks like a brain, goopy, slimy, bright, colorful, dark seeds, brilliant, dazzling, shiny, slimy.

Taste: an explosion of flavor, sour, grainy, crunchy, like a sour candy, popping, goopy, slimy.

Smell: strong aromatic, perfume, floral, fragrant, scented.

Touch: slimy, slippery, hard shell, gooey, textured.

Hear: the crunch of seeds, slurping, popping of seeds while eating.

This fruit blew my mind. I had no idea how incredible passion fruit is. The outside of the fruit looks very dull and boring but the inside is like a galaxy of color and bursts of flavor! It highlighted all of the 5 senses nicely. It also tasted citrusy and sour like a sour candy and the seeds gave it an amazing texture. You also experience an explosion of flavor from the seeds popping in your mouth.

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Prickly Pear

Origin: Mexico, United States, South America

Sight: bright, vibrant, dense, slimy, brilliant, colorful, dark, crowded, magenta.

Taste: sweet, creamy, silky, juicy, hardy, ripe, sugary, tasty, textured, grainy.

Smell: earthy, fresh, floral, mellow, mild.

Touch: slimy, bumpy, hard, dense, rocky, uneven.

Hear: crunching of seeds.

This fruit reminds me exactly of a watermelon. The texture of the flesh and the graininess of the seeds make it similar in my mind. I went out to buy this fruit again this week. It takes minimal work to eat compared to cutting up a whole watermelon. I am also crazy about the texture! It’s one of my new favorites. Fun fact: Prickly Pear is an edible cactus.

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Forelle Pear

Origin: Germany

Sight: rustic, pretty, simple, small, short, dainty, classic, blushing, fancy, petite.

Taste: dry, tart, sour, sandy, tough, gritty, juicy, better, sharp.

Smell: soft, light, sweet, clean, mellow, bland, weak.

Touch: hard, waxy, firm, crisp.

Hear: crunching, snapping.

I picked this pear because it reminds me of fruit still life paintings. If I was to describe this fruit I would call it rustic looking with a dry crisp taste and a light sweet smell. They also look beautiful poached and hold their shape. Poaching Forelle Pears for Christmas Dinner is on my to-do list!

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Quince

Origin: Turkey

Sight: funny shape, irregular, bright, chubby, bulky, colossal, fat, heavy.

Taste: tough, spongy, dry, sandy, parch, firm, dry, hard, gritty.

Smell: Mild, clean, bland, weak.

Touch: Hard, wobbly, waxy, dense.

Hear: crunching, snapping, spitting.

I thought this fruit would be edible like an apple but it was terrible tasting! It took away all the moisture in my mouth, similar to a dry white wine. After eating the Quince my mouth felt dry and parched. I thought to myself there is no way someone would eat this raw! It turns out most people either use this fruit for preserves or they poach them. So I decided to poach them.

Click picture for the recipe I used to poach Quince

After poaching the Quince it turned from a dry unsatisfying fruit to a delicious treat which tasted like candy with a subtle hint of cinnamon and clove. The texture was chewy and sticky and the smell reminded me of candy apples. It tasted much better compared to when it’s in its raw form!

Poaching the Quince was far more simple then what I thought it was going to be. Considering I have never poached a fruit before.

Poaching Instructions:

• 1 Quince
• 2/3 Cups Sugar
• 2 1/4 Cup Water
• Choice of spices, vanilla bean, cardamon, cinnamon, lemon, nutmeg, clove, star anise.

1. Peel the Quince and cut out the core.
2. Cut Quince into 1 Inch pieces.
3. In a large saucepan bring sugar, water, and choice of spices to a boil.
4. After it comes to a boil reduce heat to a simmer and add in the Quince pieces.
5. Leave Quince in simmering liquid for an hour and a half.
6. Flip Quince halfway through.
7. When Quince is finished cooking, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve over ice cream, mascarpone cheese or on its own.

Overall, this was a fun experiment. I realize that I have never really paid much attention to my palate when I am eating. Being connected to my senses while eating is something I need to develop more. One thing I realized was I enjoy sweet flavors over bitter. Bitter foods are not something I enjoy in excess. This experiment also gave me a chance to try something new and experience different tastes I have never experienced before. I found new fruits I love and will continue to buy. It also gave me the drive to go buy unknown products and learn how to cook with them. My fridge will be full of weird stuff from now on!

Note: All photos taken by Jennifer Adams

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