Summertime in the jungle is the time for fruit. They are all delicious and exotic, like the Chico Zapote fruit, which has always been one of my favorites.
The Chico Zapote is also known as the sapodilla.
According to Wikipedia ...
"The flavor of Chico Zapote is exceptionally sweet and very tasty, with what can be described as a malty flavor. The unripe fruit is hard to the touch and contains high amounts of saponin, which has astringent properties similar to tannin, drying out the mouth.
The Chico Zapote is a large ellipsoid berry, 4-8 cm in diameter, very much resembling a smooth-skinned potato and containing 2-5 seeds. Inside, its flesh ranges from a pale yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened pear. The seeds are black and resemble beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed."
The Chico Zapote tree produces a sap that is known as "chicle" and was the inspiration for Adams and the basis for the American chewing gum industry. You can feel the stickiness in the texture of the fruit as you eat it.
Hi, how do you eat it? do you just cut it up and eat it like an apple? Or do you bake it? I guess, what's the best way to enjoy this fruit.
ReplyDeleteHi Heidi,
ReplyDeleteI usually just pull it apart (the skin is soft) and hold half in one hand while i eat the fruit with a spoon. Well, here in the jungle I have known people to forgo the spoon :-). I have never eaten one cooked .. although once I made a delicious pseudo-pumpin pie from Zapote ... the full sized member of the same family.
Okay, cool! We just tried it, but it wasn't quite ripe. We're going to try and plant the seeds. Do you know if there are any specific requirements for planting them? Have you ever planted a seed?
ReplyDeleteyes, we have planted them ... we didn't do anything special though ... just planted them. Where do you live?
ReplyDeleteWell, I live in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. We were probably going to be putting it in a pot and keeping it inside.
ReplyDeletePlease let me know how it goes/grows!
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