There's one fruit that lies on the stalls every summer, and most people walk right past it as if it didn't exist - the flat peach, the one that looks like a peach squashed from above. The Spanish call it „paraguaya", around the world it's also known as the donut peach, and the truth is it's underrated precisely because it looks unusual. Beneath that flattened skin hides a sweeter, less acidic taste than the regular peach.

Despite the name, the fruit doesn't come from Paraguay - it originated in China thousands of years ago and reached Europe via the Silk Road. It differs from the ordinary peach in everything: a flatter shape, softer velvety skin, juicier and more fibrous flesh, and less acidity. Whoever tastes it properly once rarely goes back to the hard supermarket peach.

Choosing it is easy if you know what to look for: slightly soft to the touch (not hard, not mushy), with a sweet smell and even color. If it's underripe, leave it at room temperature for one to three days; if it's ripe, keep it in the fridge for three or four days. That's it - it asks for nothing more than attention when you buy it.

And in the kitchen it's more versatile than you'd think. It works great in fresh salads with cheese, walnuts, and bacon; it's baked or grilled as a side to meat; it goes into smoothies, drinks, and cocktails; and in desserts it shines in tarts, cakes, ice cream, and sorbet. Just a few ideas: a salad with flat peach, fresh cheese, and croutons; a homemade sorbet; or an iced drink with yogurt and a slice of flat peach.

At a time when everyone is chasing exotic „superfoods" with unpronounceable names and even more unpronounceable prices, an ordinary seasonal fruit from the market does the same job - juicier and cheaper at that. Sometimes the best thing on the table isn't what traveled half the world, but what we skip because it doesn't look flashy enough.