Custard Apple

Also known asSweetsop · Custard Apple · Annona squamosa · Atis · Sri Kaya · 释迦 · 番荔枝

Name: Custard apple — a name used for several related fruits of the genus Annona. In some regions it means the bullock's heart (Annona reticulata), the species described here; in others it means the sugar apple (Annona squamosa) or the cherimoya (Annona cherimola), each of which has its own page.

Description

Custard apples belong to the soursop family (Annonaceae) and are native to the tropical Americas. The bullock's heart, named for its heart-like shape and reddish-brown colour, is native to the Caribbean and Central and South America, and was spread to the Old World tropics, including India and Southeast Asia, by European traders.

The skin is smooth to lightly marked, and the flesh is creamy, sweet and slightly granular, with a custard-like texture that gives the group its name. The flavour is milder and less aromatic than a cherimoya or sugar apple, and the fruit contains many hard black seeds.

Main nutrition value

Custard apple is a sweet, energy-dense fruit providing carbohydrate, fibre and vitamin C, with some potassium and B vitamins.

How best to be consumed

Custard apple should be eaten fully ripe and soft, scooped with a spoon.

1. Let it ripen at room temperature until it softens, then chill.
2. Cut open and scoop out the creamy flesh, discarding the skin.
3. Remove all the seeds, which should not be chewed or swallowed.
4. Blend into milkshakes, ice cream and desserts, or eat as is.
5. Eat soon after cutting, as the flesh browns quickly.

Overconsumption could cause…

The flesh is safe, but the seeds and some other plant parts are toxic.

1. Poisoning from crushed or chewed seeds, which contain toxic compounds, so they must always be discarded.
2. High sugar and calorie intake from a large fruit.
3. Digestive upset from a lot of sweet, rich pulp.
4. Possible concerns about annonacin in annonaceous fruits and leaves, a compound under study for neurological effects with very heavy long-term intake.

GroupsTropical FruitsCustard apple family (Annonaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Related foodsSugar AppleCherimoyaSoursopBreadfruitPassion FruitJackfruit

Wikipedia — Annona reticulata, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annona_reticulata