Sapodilla

ORIGINS

Mexico

TASTE

Heavenly, entwined taste of sugar, honey and almond. Some even compare it to brown sugar and root beer. Although not attractive like other fruit varieties, Sapodilla overcompensates with its taste.

AYURVEDA & MEDICINAL USES

High tannin levels make it effective in controlling diarrhoea. Under-ripe Sapodilla mixed with flowers is a remedy for pulmonary issues. When withered and yellow, they help treat coughs and colds. The bark is ground to make tea that alleviates stomach problems like dysentery. A study published in ‘Journal of Natural Products’ revealed that polyphenols found in Sapodilla display cytotoxic activities against human colon cancer cells. Sapodilla extracts are antimicrobial and the fruit’s seeds possess potent antibacterial properties.

NOTABLE FACTS

Sapodilla fruit has grey/brown, sandy, “kiwifruit like” outer surface but without the fuzziness. Unripe fruits possess white, hard, inedible pulp that secrete sticky latex containing toxic substance saponin. This milky latex gradually disappears and its white flesh turns brown as the fruit ripe. Once ripen, it becomes soft, aquires sweet taste and smooth or grainy texture with slight musky flavor. It contains about 3-10 black, smooth, shiny “biconvex/bean” shaped, inedible seeds, located at its center.

TRY-ME RECIPES

Make a sweet sauce by straining the flesh through a colander and adding other fruit juice (pineapple or orange). Adding a nut based whip cream adds greater dimensions to the taste.

Make a pie from sapodilla: upon layering the sliced fruits on the crust, drizzle lemon and lime juice to prevent the fruits from becoming rubbery. Blend a bit of banana and avocado with sapodilla for the filling to make a raw vegan pie.