Flying Saucer White Peach

It really helps when the food's name helps sell my kids into eating it.

With summer here, I'm looking forward to trying new fresh produce I normally would have overlooked. At the store Friday, I couldn't help passing up this odd-looking thing. It looked like a flattened peach, one that had been squished at the bottom of the peach box. The sticker said "Flying Saucer White Peach", and it smelled heavenly, so my daughter, Braylynn, agreed it would be her choice of a new food to try. She also helped me pick out one other fruit for her brother, Ben, since he was home with daddy.

Braylynn's Review

"Sweet and yummy!"

Rating: Love it!

Ben's Review

"It's sweet and juicy and peachy!"

Rating: Love it!

What we learned: They are also called "donut peaches".

"Donut peaches are uniquely shaped freestone peaches which look remarkably like donuts, since they are flattened with a depression in the middle which suggests a donut hole. In addition to having a distinctive appearance, donut peaches also have a special flavor, with a sweet tenderness and faint hint of almond which some consumers find enjoyable. Many farmers' markets and specialty stores carry donut peaches when they come into season in the middle of the summer months, and large markets sometimes stock them as well. In warm climates, donut peaches can be grown just like regular peach trees.

"The origins of the donut peach can be found in Asia, where flat peaches have been cultivated for centuries. In the mid-1800s, several varieties were exported to the United States, and Chinese flat peaches, as they were called, became popular for a brief period of time. The fruits fell out of fashion, however, and the flat peach was considered an essentially lost heirloom variety until the 1990s, when it began to enter widespread cultivation again.

"Some stores market donut peaches as “saucer peaches” or “Saturns,” in a reference to the unusual shape. As a general rule, donut peaches tend to be more expensive than traditional peaches because they are sort of a novelty item, but they can be used just like regular peaches in pies and fruit salads in addition to being eaten plain. "

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-donut-peaches.htm

"...is actually a direct descendant of an ancient Chinese peach variety. History claims Chinese emperors preferred the oval peaches so they could nibble at the fruit without getting sticky juice on their beards. It came to the U.S. via Australia, where it had been carried by Chinese workers in the Aussie goldmines in the 19th century."

http://www.cgfi.org/2002/02/flying-saucer-peaches-with-firmer-flesh-for-better-flavor/

I, myself, am not a very big peach eater, but I LOVED these! Tender and sweet and delicious!