Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio The World’s Most Difficult Fruits
10 snips
Jan 2, 2026 Kate Lebo, a food and culture essayist, takes us on a delicious journey through the world of challenging fruits, like the medlar and huckleberries, discussing their unique traits and the importance of preserving heirloom flavors. J.M. Hirsch shares the rich history of Hungarian chicken paprikash, emphasizing paprika's key role and the mouthwatering accompaniments like dumplings. Together, they explore the beauty in culinary difficulty, both in fruits and beloved dishes, revealing how embracing challenges can enhance our cooking adventures.
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Why Fruits Become 'Difficult'
- Kate Lebo frames 'difficult fruits' as those that resist mass-market systems and require special handling.
- Their rarity and demands explain why flavors and varieties disappear from common diets.
Treat Food As Practice, Not Cure
- Build a healing food practice rather than searching for a miracle diet to cure chronic illness.
- Use attention to eating to gain control and promote well-being even without definitive cures.
Cook Time Can Rescue Old Fruits
- Recognize fruits like quince need long cooking to become palatable instead of dismissing them.
- Invest time in appropriate techniques to recover lost flavors from heirloom produce.
