Fruits of Viet Nam: Sapodilla (Hồng Xiêm, Sa-pô-chê)

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Overview

Sapodilla was imported to Viet Nam a long time ago, brought from Central America. In the late decades, sapodilla has been widely planted in the whole country. Two popular species of sapodilla grown in Viet Nam: orange pulp and white-yellow pulp ...

Description

Sapodilla was imported to Viet Nam a long time ago, brought from Central America. In the late decades, sapodilla has been widely planted in the whole country. Two popular species of sapodilla grown in Viet Nam: orange pulp and white-yellow pulp sapodilla. The fruit is shaped like an egg and weighs from around 100 grams, 4-8 cm in diameter. Its peel is brown with tiny cracks near the stalk. The brown-yellow pulp is juicy and smells very sweet, somewhat like overripe pears.

To eat: simply cut and enjoy. The skin is inedible, also the seeds. The flesh is fragrant, honey-flavoured, slightly gritty and somewhat crisp with resemblance to caramel. As it ripens further, Sapodilla becomes extremely sweet and increasingly juicy. Thus, it is best eaten a couple days after it is picked, to wait for its resin to dry.

Sapodilla trees grow to 3-4 m tall and yield fruit twice a year, though flowering may continue year round. It is wind-resistant and can only survive in warm, typically tropical environments. Sapodilla trees take around 6 years to bear fruit.