This is the Atlas Obscura podcast. I'm Baudelaire. In 2020, my fiance, Rene and I went to Ghana.

2019, the year before, was dubbed by the Ghanaian government as the Year of Return.

2019 was 400 years after 1619, which as you all know, is when the first African slaves arrived in America.

The Year of Return was a way to recognize 400 years of resilience and to invite the African diaspora to return home.

For Rene and myself, it was our first time visiting the African continent.

We couldn't make the trip happen in 2019, but we wanted to be a part of the return so we went as soon as we could in 2020.

We went in February just a few weeks before the pandemic effectively shut down global travel.

We weren't gone up for 10 days and the entire visit was incredible.

But I'm going to tell you about one day that has really stayed with me.

I visited the home of one of my heroes, had a real moment at the edge of the continent,

and I discovered what is hands down the greatest fruit of all time.

And I love fruit, y'all, so I'm not just saying that lightly.

My journey to Black Star Square after this.

February 16, 2020. It's our first full day in Accra, which is the capital of Ghana.

Rene and I are sitting down for breakfast in our hotel.

One of the things I love to do is try fruit in different countries,

like the watermelon in Haiti, taste different than the watermelon in France.

Not sure why, but they do.

And this morning, on the table, I've laid out a bunch of fruits that we bought on our way from the airport.

The one I am most hype about is this fruit I'd never had before, called sour saw.

Sour saw is a light green fruit with these earthy, sometimes prickly bumps all over it.

So we're jelly bean shaped most of the time.

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