"The Pawpaw: Foraging For America's Forgotten Fruit"

"So what the heck is a pawpaw?"

"Recently, I heard about a secret snack. Kayakers who paddle the waters near Washington, D.C., told me about a mango-like fruit that grows along the banks of the Potomac — a speckled and homely skin that hides a tasty treat.

A tropical-like fruit here, really? Yep. It's the only temperate member of a tropical family of trees. You can't buy the pawpaw in stores, so for years, the only way to eat them was straight from the tree.

I was intrigued. So I decided to hunt for a pawpaw myself."

Allison Aubrey reports for NPR's Morning Edition/The Salt September 29, 2011.