Wondering how to eat a custard apple? It is simple, delicious, and packed with nutrients.
Custard apples, also known as sweet sops or sitaphal, are unique tropical fruits prized for their creamy texture and sweet flavor. While ubiquitous in Southeast Asia and parts of Central and South America, custard apples remain unfamiliar to many.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know about selecting, preparing, and enjoying this special fruit.
What is a Custard Apple?
The custard apple is a fruit with spiky green skin disguising a soft, sweet pulp inside. Often called “the fruit of the gods,” custard apples have a mild custard-like flavor and buttery soft flesh.
They are native to Southeast Asia’s rainforests but widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. On the inside, translucent white segments hold a multitude of tiny black seeds.
Custard apples range in size from that of a small coconut to a large pineapple. Their peak seasons vary depending on location but generally occur in late summer through early winter.
How to Choose the Perfect Custard Apple?
When selecting a custard apple, look for fruit that is heavy for its size, with yellowish-green to yellow peel. The peel should feel slightly soft but not mushy.
Avoid any with bruised or moldy spots. Gently press the sides – ripe ones will yield slightly without feeling hallow or overly soft. Ripe custard apples will also have a pleasant aroma.
How to prepare custard apples?
The first step to enjoying this tropical delight is properly preparing your custard apple. The tools needed for this task are quite simple – just a knife for peeling and a bowl for holding the sliced or cubed fruit.
For firmer varieties of custard apples, use the knife to carefully cut around the equator and peel off the spiky green skin in sections. Softer, riper apples can often be peeled easily by hand after first scoring the skin with the tip of the knife.
Once peeled, you have a few options for how to eat a custard apple. You can slice or cube the segments and eat them raw. Another handheld way is to scoop the flesh from the center with a spoon, leaving some still attached to the skin.
Whichever preparation method you choose, always remember to thoroughly wash your hands before and after handling the fruit. Also wash any surfaces or utensils that come into contact with the unpeeled skin or seeds. The seeds themselves should not be eaten and can be discarded once the flesh is ready.
How to Eat a Custard Apple? Know different Ways
Of course, simply enjoying a sliced or cubed custard apple on its own allows for pure appreciation of its luscious flavor and texture. However, there are also some creative ways to incorporate this fruit into recipes.
For something cool and refreshing, blend peeled and seeded custard apple segments into a smoothie with yogurt, milk, or fruit juice. The result will be a naturally sweetened beverage.
Custard apples pair well with nuts and coconut. Try topping slices with granola, sliced almonds, shredded coconut, or nut butter. Freeze any leftovers into bites of custard apple ice cream!
Bakers can find usage in both sweet and savory applications. Sweet custard apple pulp adds moisture and appeal to quick breads, muffins, curries, or chutneys. Its mild taste also melds with tropical flavors like mango.
Cooked preparations bring out custard apples’ tenderness. Poaching segments allow for easy addition to oatmeal, cereals, or overnight oats. Pureed flesh lends itself to puddings, crumbles, tarts, and more.
Potential Risks of Eating Custard Apple
While enjoying the luscious flavor of custard apple comes with many joys, it is still important to be aware of some potential health risks. With any raw fruit or vegetable, minor precautions go a long way in preventing issues.
As with any produce meant for raw consumption, thoroughly wash hands, utensils, cutting boards and other surfaces after coming in contact with the unpeeled. This reduces the chances of spreading foodborne bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli.
In areas where parasitic infections may be common, take extra care to peel away all traces of skin from the custard apple. Doing so removes any microscopic worm eggs that could potentially cause larva migrans if accidentally ingested.
Current research also suggests the inedible seeds hold trace amounts of a compound called annonacin. Some animal studies linked very large doses to possible neurological effects. However, as the seeds are not meant for eating, this is considered a negligible concern for human consumption when prepared properly.
Read more: 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Custard Apple (Cherimoya)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat the skin or seeds of a custard apple?
The skin of custard apples contains irritating latex, which is best avoided. Likewise, the numerous small seeds inside should not be consumed as they provide no nutritional value and can potentially cause intestinal upset in large amounts. For eating pleasure and maximum enjoyment of this fruit, peel the skin and discard seeds before consumption.
How can I tell if a custard apple is ripe and ready to eat?
Look for custard apples that are heavy and yielding to gentle pressure near the stem. The skin color should be yellowing from green to a shade resembling banana or chicken egg yolk. Ripe fruits will also be fragrant. Avoid any that are bruised, shriveled, or moldy.
What’s the best way to eat a custard apple?
For simple delight in true flavor, slice or cube the peeled and eat by hand. Savoring each segment allows enjoyment of texture nuances within. Toppings like yogurt, granola, or coconut provide enhancement without overshadowing the star. Smoothies are ideal for easy portable sipping.
How should I store custard apples and how long do they last?
Whole unripe custard apples will last several days at room temperature to finish ripening. Once ripe, store whole fruits in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or peel and slice/cube flesh for freezing for up to 6 months for on demand enjoyment later.
Are there any similar fruits to custard apples?
Custard apples are unique but bear similarity in flavor profile to other tropical fruits such as cherimoya, soursop, bullock’s heart, and sugar apple. While each has distinguishing characteristics, these fruits offer comparable creamy textures and mild sweetness for adventurous taste buds to discover.
