This Ohio Festival Will Give You a Flavor for Pawpaws

Although it’s Ohio’s official native fruit, pawpaws have a unique flavor that’s hard to nail down. Some describe them as “custard apples,” while those in southeast Ohio may know them as “Appalachian mangoes.”

No matter how you characterize them (and especially if you’re asking, “What the heck is a pawpaw?”), this annual Athens County festival is for you.

Chris Chmiel founded the Ohio Pawpaw Festival (Sept. 12 through 14 this year) in 1999 to educate the community about the tropical-tasting fruit, as well as sustainability and agriculture. Now the ticketed event draws crowds each September to sample unique dishes featuring pawpaws.

Cooking competitions are a favorite festival tradition, and anyone can submit pawpaw dishes for consideration in four categories, from sauces to desserts. Some notable winners from years past have included pawpaw ice cream and a pawpaw shrimp roll. There’s also an eating competition for those who want to see how many pawpaws they can put away. Each festival food vendor is required to serve as least two pawpaw-focused items, and beers made using the fruit will once again be among festival offerings.

Chmiel collaborates with local breweries when assembling the large pawpaw beer menu from regional breweries such as Sixth Sense Brewing, Little Fish Brewing Co. and Devil’s Kettle Brewing. Stop by the roundtable tasting, where you can pay to sample a large selection of brews created for the festival. Athens-based brewery Jackie O’s is also selling a canned version of its pawpaw brew at this year’s festival.

“When we started selling pawpaw beers, that was a big game changer for us,” Chmiel says. “It made the festival a bit more festive.”

Lake Snowden, 5900 U.S. 50, Albany 45710, ohiopawpawfest.com

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