The pawpaw was once one of America's most popular fruits, and a day out hunting was complete in Autumn unless your pockets bulged with paw paws. It is known by many names, including the Michigan banana, the prairie banana, and the Indiana banana.
While it grows best right here in the beautiful Great Lakes region, as a member of the Tropical Custard Apple Family (Annonaceae) the pawpaw's closest relatives grow in the tropical jungles of Southern Mexico and Central America.
It has the creamy texture of a banana, the shape and appearance of a mango, and it grows right here in the US.