Fruit that starts with P

A papaya, sometimes called a pawpaw, is a soft, tropical fruit that has a taste a little like a mild peach or pineapple. Papayas are usually eaten fresh. The seeds are also edible, with a very sharp flavour and are sometimes ground up and used instead of pepper.

Peaches are a large, pale orange fruit related to plums, apricots and cherries. The outside of the peach fruit is covered in fine fuzz, which some people don't like. A fuzzless peach is called a nectarine. Peaches are usually eaten fresh or preserved in jars or tins.

Persimmons are an orange fruit with a sweet, tangy flavour. The variety most commonly grown is native to China. They must be completely ripe before they can be eaten, as the immature fruit is very bitter. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or used to make foods like desserts or even fermented to make vinegar. The main variety now grown commercially and in home gardens in New Zealand is Fuyu. This is a non-astringent variety and is best eaten while it is still crisp - like an apple.

The plum is a small, dark red fruit related to peaches and cherries. Dried plums are sometimes called prunes. Plums can be eaten raw or used to cook puddings.

The prickly pear is a kind of cactus. When you eat the fruit of the cactus, you have to be very careful to remove the thorns from the fruit. The entire cactus including the fruit is covered in thorns.