Local Fruits - Ciku/Sapodilla

Ciku/Sapodilla

Sapodilla, or ciku as called in Malaysia is the edible fruit of Manilkara zapota (formerly Achras zapota), of the family Sapotaceae. The fleshy, brown fruit is the size of a small tomato, and has the mixed flavor and texture of cinnamon, apple, and pear. Ciku is also called as Sawo Manila in Indonesia, Chico in Mexico and Naspero in Venezuela.

The fruits are very astringent when young and must be fully ripened and soft to be eaten. The latex of the sapodilla plant is also the source of chicle, the name  for the chewing gum of the Aztecs. The gum obtained from the latex of the sapodilla tree (Manilkara zapota) are used in manufacturing boots and machine belts and other related products in tropical American countries or regions. 

Sapodilla is an evergreen tree measuring 15–20 m tall, and has ovate or elliptic leathery leaves and small, white flowers. The rounded or oval fruits, which measure 5–10 cm across, contain 2 to 4 hard black seeds( usually not more than 5 seeds in a single fruit). Apart in tropical Asian countries, the sapodilla also grows in tropical rain forests of Central and South America; where it is cultivated in all tropical countries as a fruit and industrial plant. The milky juice obtained from the bark contains 20–25 percent of a substance closely related to gutta-percha, which is used to manufacture chewing gum too.

The ciku fruits will ripe between 6 to 8 months from the date of flowering and it is best for harvesting when approaching the eight month. The newly harvested fruits normally are not ready for direct consumption as it needed times to ripe. In my place the newly plucked fruits will be wrapped with newspapers or old clothes and stored in a container such as boxes or big vases for a period of 2 days. Matured fruits will be ripened within 2 days and will taste much more sweeter than the immature fruits.  

The best way to enjoy the ripen ciku is to peel of the skin and keep it in the freezer for 1 or 2 hours. But do not let it frozen. Keeping it inside the refrigerator is advisable.

The name of ciku is synonym in Malaysia, to the extent of the government's agency called FELDA has a palm oil plantations by the name of FELDA Ciku located in the state of Kelantan.