Sapodilla? It sounds scary. Do you dare to eat it?

The name of the sapodilla may sound a bit scary, but also a bit curious. What kind of fruit is related to the human heart? In fact, it is a very delicious fruit, and it is also very common in Hainan.

The sapodilla is a tropical fruit belonging to the Sapotaceae family. In appearance, the sapodilla is oval in shape, with a brown skin, more similar to an egg or a kiwi fruit with its hair removed.

This plant, which is "in name only", originates from southern Mexico to Central America and the West Indies . It is cultivated commercially in tropical America, Southeast Asian countries and India. It was introduced to China in the early 20th century and was subsequently introduced several times. It is widely planted in southern China and other places.

In Hainan, some places choose sapodilla trees as street trees, planted on both sides of the road, about several meters high, with evergreen leaves, and some people plant them in front of and behind houses. Sapodilla matures and goes on the market in summer , with coffee-colored or brown fruits dotting the branches, each weighing 50 to 100 grams. The skin is light brown and the surface is rough. The unripe fruit contains a lot of tannins and tastes astringent. After picking, it needs to be stored for a few days to ripen the flesh before eating.

Sapodilla is delicious when eaten raw, and can also be made into jam, dried fruit, fruit wine, etc. Sapodilla is rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, sugar, multiple amino acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin E, and multiple trace elements and minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and iron. The content of selenium and calcium is the highest among fruits and vegetables.

The sapodilla fruit also has the effect of moistening the lungs, so it has a good auxiliary therapeutic effect on some lung diseases that we may have. At the same time, eating the sapodilla fruit can soften blood vessels and has a preventive effect on hypertension and heart disease.

"Compendium of Materia Medica" records that the fruit of the sapodilla is used for epigastric pain, the bark is used for acute gastroenteritis and tonsillitis, the seeds have a diuretic effect, and the latex is used for dysentery and malaria.

The sapodilla tree has a white gum that can be used to make chewing gum. The gum is sticky, and the sapodilla gum mixed with sucrose was cut into small strips and became the early chewing gum that people chewed. Not long after, sapodilla gum was replaced by synthetic rubber substances. In addition, chewing gum was added with resin to improve bubble blowing performance, wax to improve chewing texture, menthol and various sweeteners, and became the chewing gum we are familiar with today. The prototype of this chewing gum is the product of sapodilla gum.

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