An Interview with Author David Karp, Fruit Detective

The author of "Berried Treasure" discusses fruit mysteries and pith helmet style.

  • By Amy Crawford
  • Smithsonian.com, July 01, 2006, Subscribe
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As a leading fruit expert, you've tasted all kind of fruits that few laypeople have even heard of. What's your favorite fruit?

I'm constantly asked this: the greengage plum. It's related to prune plums and it originated in or around the Caucasus Mountains. It's incredibly high in sugar but has good counterbalancing acidity and really intense aromatics. It's an atom bomb of flavor. We had a tree in our yard when I was a kid. It didn't produce fruit very often, but when we did get fruit it was just delicious, and I've been obsessed with finding them again here in the United States. They're a fruit that could and should be grown in the United States and I'm convinced that they will be.

You often wear a pith helmet—is it to protect your head from falling fruit, or just for style's sake?

I like to protect myself from the sun, because I've got a lot of exposed coastline, if you know what I mean. And also when you're around fruit trees all the time there are tree limbs that you can bonk into. Plus it's sort of a trademark of mine.


Why do you call yourself “the Fruit Detective”?

Well this is a little embarrassing. I don't usually watch popular movies and I certainly didn't watch Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, but I heard the title, and in a moment of levity I said, "Oh, Ace Ventura, Pet Detective—I could be the fruit detective!" And so I printed up a card.

Why fruit?

There are a lot of people who write about food, but nobody has really concentrated on fruit connoisseurship. Think how many wine connoisseurs there are writing for various different publications, and there are whole magazines devoted to wine. And fruit is far more complex and multifarious. Each fruit is a world unto itself.

Have you solved many fruit mysteries?

I'm constantly looking into cases for which there are few or no written sources. I dig really deeply trying to find answers to questions that no one has asked or that have never been answered. For example, fruit writers have generally assumed that the coloration of blood oranges correlates with their taste. But I found out that it's not that simple, that anthocyanin —the pigments of blood oranges—has no flavor at all. There's another example, the dekopon, which is a very expensive and sought after Japanese tangerine hybrid. People had smuggled it into the United States illicitly, and I tracked down how it got in—and the amount of intrigue I discovered! It was kind of weird actually. Also, farmers are very proprietary about varieties that they think are going to become commercially valuable, so they don't necessarily want to have an article come out before they're ready. This is a perfect example here—I found out about the strawberry story five years ago and I had to nurse it along.

What drew you to the strawberry story?

I am attracted to those few individuals, often obsessive or quixotic, who dare to make flavor their primary objective. For no other fruit than the strawberry is the chasm wider between commercial and connoisseurs' varieties, between actual and potential fruits.

As a leading fruit expert, you've tasted all kind of fruits that few laypeople have even heard of. What's your favorite fruit?

I'm constantly asked this: the greengage plum. It's related to prune plums and it originated in or around the Caucasus Mountains. It's incredibly high in sugar but has good counterbalancing acidity and really intense aromatics. It's an atom bomb of flavor. We had a tree in our yard when I was a kid. It didn't produce fruit very often, but when we did get fruit it was just delicious, and I've been obsessed with finding them again here in the United States. They're a fruit that could and should be grown in the United States and I'm convinced that they will be.

You often wear a pith helmet—is it to protect your head from falling fruit, or just for style's sake?

I like to protect myself from the sun, because I've got a lot of exposed coastline, if you know what I mean. And also when you're around fruit trees all the time there are tree limbs that you can bonk into. Plus it's sort of a trademark of mine.


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Comments (11)

The farm stand at Union Square with the Reine Claude plums is named Tree-licious. He is located on the northwest corner of 17th and Broadway. He is there only on Fridays. I will check with him in early August as to the availability of the green gage plums, the farmer said he only has 3 trees and they don't have fruit every year. I volunteer at Union Square every Wednesday and it has been great fun.
All the best and thanks for your reply.
Veda

Posted by Veda Karlo on April 14,2011 | 06:35 PM

Hello commenters,
I just saw this string recently and would like to reply to those who have asked questions:
Logan McKim: I have been the Fruit Detective for about 15 years. I have had the registered service mark for about 5 years.
Robert K. Quon: I am also interested in melons:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/09/food/la-fo-melons-20100909
Irmgard Conley: I have heard that Lynn Smith grows Sarawak(= Tahitian pamplemousse). They are indeed delicious. I wish more farmers would grow this variety.
Veda Karlo: Nice to hear from you. I never lived at 784 Park, but I am the David Karp linked to that family. I’m glad to hear that you were able to locate greengages at the Union Square Greenmarket, and I’d be interested to know who the farmer is. My father has a few greengage trees in East Hampton, and I have endowed an orchard of them south of San Jose.
Best regards,
David Karp

Posted by David Karp on December 2,2010 | 09:24 PM

Please, Smithsonian, kindly forward this message to David Karp, if possible, thanks.
There is a elderly farmer at Union Square Market NYC,with a very small stall, once a week,who has three old Reine Claude trees in NJ. I was so excited to see the small pile of his Reine Claudes in September after having searched for years at NYC farmers markets. I am certain there were Reine Claudes and so was he. I had just come from SW France in early September where they were at every farmers market.
I bought them, ate most of them, made a couple of bottles of Reine Claude with vanilla bean preserves and went back to the market the following week with a jar for him. I'll be looking for him again next September, hopefully the finicky trees will fruit.
Are you the David Karp who used to live at 784 Park in the mid 80's? If your step mother was Karen Appignani her twins went to Episcopal school with my daughter, we live a block away.
Thanks for all the terrific fruit articles.
Best,
Veda

Posted by Veda Karlo on October 18,2010 | 05:32 AM

Reading about your adventures with the "Flavorists", written up in the NEW YORKER MAGAZINE November 29th, 09, made my mouth water:

My late husband and I spent 6 months in Tahiti on our sailboat in 76/77 and got thoroughly hooked on "Pamplemouse".If I had a Magic Carpet, I would head for Moorea in a flash, at the right time of course....

One day, while visiting friends in San Luis Obispo, I came across the real thing at a Saturday Market: Mrs. Lynn Smith of Smith Groves went into the back and brought out what I had asked about. A few years later she mailed me a box of "Pamplemouse", most of the cost being postage, of course. I asked her to do it again this year, but have not heard back from her.

Posted by Irmgard Conley on February 1,2010 | 06:07 PM

My great uncle grew fruit commercially in Reedley California for several decades (he retired a few years ago) and had a few greengage plums in the family orchard near the house--they were delicious!

Posted by Kat Richardson on August 5,2009 | 08:25 PM

Hello David, Very interesting to have found someone with such a passion for fruit, I do agree with you that the supermarkets are the last place to look for flavorful fruit its all tasteless pulp to me, nothing is ever ripe with full potential of aroma, texture,and flavor!! I'm wondering if your passion extends to melons also YUM!!

Posted by Robert K. Quon on March 3,2009 | 12:29 AM

Hi David, Where could I get some good really ripe peaches? Merci en avance, Michael Hirsh Newport beach ca.

Posted by MJCHAEL HIRSH on September 28,2008 | 10:19 PM

doesn't the soil, amount of sun/rain etc. also affect the flavor of the fruit? (I know it's true of blueberries, and my own garden strawberries seem to vary in sweetness from year to year)

Posted by Angelia Graf on June 30,2008 | 04:47 PM

how long have you been the fruit dectective?

Posted by Logan McKim on March 3,2008 | 09:57 PM

how long have you been the fruit dectective?

Posted by Logan McKim on March 3,2008 | 09:52 PM

Could I have a contact phone or e-mail for Mr. Karp?

Posted by Polly Evans on February 27,2008 | 10:39 PM



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