Name this fruit, part II

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Apr 11th 2006 @ 6:14PM

Well, I'm impressed. It wasn't even half an hour before Andrew M. correctly replied to my original post, identifying this fruit as a ripe black sapote. Way to go. He's also right in calling it a 'black persimmon,' as it's closely related to the persimmon, according to a fact sheet from the horticultural department at Purdue. When I bought this black sapote at Robert is Here, a fruit stand in Florida City, Robert, the owner, told me not to eat it until it started dripping. I kid you not. So, I set it on a plate and, in about seven days, it went from a firm green orb to a deflated brown lump. (As a side note, if you're ever anywhere in the Homestead/Florida City/Everglades area, you owe it to yourself to visit Robert Is Here and get some fruit and a milkshake.) Another tropical fruit website had this to say about the black sapote: "Ripe fresh fruit looks very unattractive and has little appeal to the inexperienced consumer." I'll buy that.

The term 'chocolate pudding fruit' is often used for the black sapote, and, while it may look like chocolate pudding (or stewed prunes, as Purdue says), I didn't really think it tasted like it. I've heard the flavor described as mild and nutty. While I wouldn't disagree, there was also a very sweet, almost liquor-like quality to the taste and smell. Like a lychee or a cherimoya, there was a similarly perfume-like sweetness. Apparently the fruit is often served with milk or orange juice, blended into drinks or turned into ice cream. I just ate it with a spoon. The texture was amazingly close to flan or some other custard. I've never found that sort of trembling, egg-y mouthfeel in any fruit elsewhere. In all honesty, the black sapote didn't completely win my heart, but I'd surely try it again, given the chance.

Filed Under: Ingredients
Tags: black persimmon, black sapote, BlackSapote, chocolate fruit, chocolate pudding fruit, fruit, how to eat black sapote, name this fruit, ripe, robert is here, tropical fruit

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-12-2006 @2:22AM Andrew M. said... Whoop! They're terrific little fruits, and you're right about the texture - it definitely doesn't seem fruit-like at all. For anyone who's ever had durian, the mouthfeel's similar, though black sapotes lack the...pungency of a proper durian. Definitely an improvement, to my mind.

Hope these write-ups will continue. I love trying exotic foods, especially fruits (such as are avaiable in Canada, anyway), and I'm always interested in learning about more.
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4-12-2006 @12:09PM ScottR said... Durian is exactly what I was reminded of reading the original post.

Do you eat everything, or just the red parts, or what?

Thanks,
ScottR

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