Article from Edible South Florida
The Intriguing Black Sapote
Ripe black sapote
What looks like chocolate pudding … but really doesn’t taste like chocolate at all?
One of South Florida’s more unusual tropical fruits, the black sapote (Diospyros nigra)
is related to the persimmon. Native to the Americas, the fruits are
often picked when full grown, about the size and color of a large green
tomato, then left to ripen until they’re slightly shriveled and mushy
and appear ready to toss in the compost bin. This is the time to eat
this fruit.
Unripe black sapote are bright green and firm
Robert Moehling of Robert Is Here shows ripe fruit
Pulp showing seeds
Inside,
the glossy pulp looks like dark chocolate pudding, but the flavor is
mild and sweet, ready to be enhanced with citrus, spice, pineapple
juice, brandy or rum in milkshakes or eaten with a spoon. Black sapote
is in season here in early winter months. Look for it at farmers
markets and farmstands like Robert Is Here, LNB Groves and Redland
Community Farm and Market.
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