Sapodilla, raw

Sapodilla, also known as chikoo or naseberry in some markets, is eaten fresh rather than cooked. The pulp is soft and grainy, tasting like brown sugar mixed with pear and a touch of caramel, so it is usually halved and eaten with a spoon once fully ripe, blended into smoothies and milkshakes, or spooned over ice cream and yogurt. Unripe sapodilla contains a bitter, astringent latex that coats the mouth unpleasantly, so it needs to soften fully before eating; some cooks also stew the pulp into a simple compote, bake it into quick breads, or fold it into a fruit salad with citrus to balance its heavy sweetness. In parts of the Caribbean and Southeast Asia it is also pureed into drinks or frozen into a simple sorbet.

Choose sapodillas that are firm at the store, since ripe fruit bruises easily in transit, and ripen them at room temperature for several days until they yield to gentle pressure like a ripe pear, then move them to the refrigerator to slow further ripening for a few more days. A cup of pulp (241 g) runs 83 calories per 100 g, with 5.3 g of fiber, 19% of the Daily Value, and 16% DV vitamin C, plus a naturally low sodium content of 12 mg per 100 g, making it a fiber-and-vitamin-C fruit that does not add much sodium to a meal plan and works well as a naturally sweet finish to a meal instead of a processed dessert.