Kendall Farms | Sweetsop

Annona Squamosa

Sweetsop or in English, sugar apple, is often mistaken for custard apple (A. reticulata). However, when the 2 fruits are compared, it can be seen that the custard apple generally has a bigger fruit than the Sweetsop and that the Sweetsop is tastier than the custard apple.

Today it is commonly cultivated almost all over the tropical region, and it is one of the most important fruits in the interior of Brazil. It is a native of the tropical Americas and is highly valued. It is also very popular in the West Indies, especially Jamaica where it is ranked as one of the favoured fruits.

The original home of the Jamaican sweetsop is unknown. It is commonly cultivated in tropical South America, not often in Central America, very frequently in southern Mexico, the West Indies, Bahamas and Bermuda, and occasionally in southern Florida. In Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Barbados, and in dry regions of North Queensland, Australia, the Jamaican sweetsop has escaped from cultivation and is found wild in pastures, forests and along roadsides.

The Spaniards probably carried Jamaican sweetsop seeds from the New World to Jamaica. The sweetsop was growing in Indonesia early in the 17th century and has been widely adopted in southern China, Queensland, Australia, Polynesia, Hawaii, tropical Africa, Egypt and the lowlands of Palestine. Cultivation is most extensive in India where the sweetsop tree is also very common as an escape and the fruit exceedingly popular and abundant in markets. The Jamaican sweetsop is one of the most important fruits in the interior of Brazil and is conspicuous in the markets of Bahia.

The Taiwanese named it “Shijia” because the exterior appearance of the fruit resembles the top part of Siddhatha Gautama head; it is also known as Buddha Head in Taiwan.

The Sweetsop tree is from 3 to 6 meters in height with deciduous, oblong, dull-green leaves. The flowers are oblong and approx. 3 cm long, yellow-green on the outside and pale-yellow on the inside with a dark-red spot at the base.

The compound fruit is nearly round or conical and 6-10 cm long.

The thick rind is composed of knobby segments with a pale-green or bluish green colour. The fruit flesh of the ripe fruit is conical segmented, creamy-white and delightfully fragrant, juicy and sweet. Most of the segments enclose a black seed, and there can be as many as 40 seeds per fruit.

The sweetsop tree requires a tropical or near-tropical climate, preferably sheltered from constant wind and like a good friable soil. A young tree will usually bear in the first 3 years.

The ripe Sweetsop is usually broken open, and the flesh segments enjoyed while the hard seeds are separated in the mouth and spat out. The seeds are acrid and poisonous. The seeds can also be separated from the fruit flesh by a sieve, and the remaining pulp can be used in cool beverages or ice cream.