Sapodilla / Chikoo

Also known asChikoo · Chiku · Sapota · Manilkara zapota · 人心果

Name: Sapodilla, called chikoo, chiku or sapota in India and naseberry in parts of the Caribbean (Manilkara zapota). It is the same tree that produces chicle, the natural latex once used to make chewing gum.

Description

Sapodilla is native to southern Mexico and Central America, where the Maya and Aztecs used the tree for its fruit and for its latex, called chicle, which was chewed. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, chicle was the base of commercial chewing gum, before synthetic gum bases replaced it. Spanish traders later carried the tree to the Philippines and across Asia, where it flourished, and India is now the world's largest producer.

The round to oval fruit has a thin, rough, brown, sandpapery skin, and soft, juicy, sweet brown flesh with a grainy texture, similar to a pear, with notes of brown sugar and caramel. The flesh surrounds a few shiny black seeds. The unripe fruit is very astringent and sticky with latex, so it must be fully ripe and soft before eating.

Main nutrition value

Sapodilla provides carbohydrate and fibre, with some vitamin C, potassium and tannins, and is among the sweeter tropical fruits.

How best to be consumed

Sapodilla must be fully ripe and soft to be enjoyed, and unripe fruit is unpleasant.

1. Wait until the skin is slightly soft and the fruit gives to gentle pressure, then peel or cut it open.
2. Scoop out the sweet flesh with a spoon, discarding the skin and black seeds.
3. Blend into milkshakes, ice cream and desserts, or eat plain.
4. Remove the seeds, which have a small hooked end that can catch in the throat.
5. Ripen at room temperature and eat within a day or two.

Overconsumption could cause…

Sapodilla is safe when ripe, though quite sweet.

1. Mouth and throat irritation from the sticky latex and tannins of unripe fruit.
2. High sugar intake, which matters for people managing diabetes.
3. A choking or irritation risk from the hard black seeds, which should be removed.
4. Weight gain from large amounts, since the fruit is energy-dense.

GroupsTropical FruitsSapote family (Sapotaceae)Low fatLow sodiumIndianFresh

Related foodsMamey SapoteCanistel / EggfruitBaelIndian Gooseberry / AmlaJava Plum / JamunBanana

Wikipedia — Manilkara zapota, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manilkara_zapota