Custard Apples

Custard apples is one of the best known species of the Cherimoya, Annona spp. They originated in the South America and the West Indies They are now planted in Asia, Australia and other tropical countries.

Custard apples are heart-shaped or oval-shaped and can weigh up to 450g. They have light tan or greenish quilted skin which develops brown patches as the fruit ripens.

The flesh is particularly mellow and custard like and one of the most exotic of the tropical fruits. The central core is also soft but has no flavour. The flesh contains a number of hard, black oval seeds which are inedible and must be separated out, making it difficult to eat elegantly.

Custard apples are fragile so here are some tips when buying:

• They are picked before they are fully ripe, so allow 4 to 5 days for firm fruit to ripen or select mature fruit that are dull brownish green in color.
• Choose compact fruit with unblemished skin and tightly packed corpels, once these have separated, the fruit is past its best.
• Press gently to check that the fruit has a slight “give”.
• Custard apples should be eaten as soon as possible after buying but can be kept in the bottom of the fridge for a day or two
• Unripe fruit should be kept in a brown bag at room temperature until they are ready to eat.

Custard apples are eaten raw. Simply cut the fruit in half lengthways and scoop the flesh straight from the shell with a spoon, disgarding the inedible seeds.

The creamy smooth flesh of the custard apples makes a wonderful puree for smoothies. It can be added to mashed bananas and make into ice cream. It can also be an addition to fruit salads

Custard apple is a well balanced food having protein, fibre, minerals and good source of vitamin C, magnesium and potassium also supplies phosphorous.

Custard apple is one of my favourite fruit, it is widely cultivated in the Philippines and available all year round, accordingly, the Spaniards brought the custard seeds in the Philippines during the 17^th century.

Custard apple tree is also a popular backyard fruit tree in the Philippines, it only grows about 10 – 20 ft high when fully matured, so even if you have a small backyard it won’t take much space and you can plant it by using the seeds.

Custard apples are usually sold in the local market, you can see them almost all year round, because the tree bears fruit almost 3 times a year, but it is at its best during summer months.

When I came here in Australia, I thought I will never be able to eat custard apples, but I was wrong, there are custard apples here, a bit differrent in shape and taste a bit creamier, but I have notice that it has less seeds. A bit pricey ...but worth it.