CHIKU'S LITTLE SECRET

Who would have even thought that innocent looking fruit like this has its own little secret?

 

You need this to reach them

Meet Chiku, Chiko, Chikoo, Sapodila, Sapota or Sapote; they're all the same!

They look a little like kiwi fruit; brown and slightly sandy on the outside but without all the 5 o’clock shadow.  They bled latex when plucked.  The flesh when ripen is juicy, extremely sweet and fragrant with a slightly granular texture.  Cut the fruit in half and you see shiny black seeds. 

Tree ripen fruits are the best but just in case the birds beat you to them, pluck them when they’re of a reasonable size.  To hasten the ripening process, toss the fruits in between the grains in your rice bin or wrap the fruits up with newspapers and leave them in room temperature. 

Chiku trees are bushy and pretty tall although cultivars are shorter.  Supposedly in the past, chewing gums were made from latex found in the bark of the trees. That’s how chiclets (brand) gum got their name?

When I posted photos on my Instagram, someone left a comment saying “If you eat 1 - 2 kilos of it you will get drunk.” “If you eat much of it like a kilo, your breath will smell like alcohol.” Yikes!

It’s also said that the flesh from chiku can be fermented to make wine.  That is a little too adventurous for me to experiment right now although wine does sound nice after a day out in the garden. 

They deserve more love

Well, maybe wine in the pipeline...