Kendall Farms | Black Sapote

The History of Black Sapote

The black sapote (diospyros dignya) is native along both coasts of Mexico from Jalisco to Chiapas, Veracruz and Yucatan and in the forested lowlands of Central America, and it is frequently cultivated throughout this range. It was apparently carried by the Spaniards to Amboina before 1692, and to the Philippines long before 1776, and eventually reached Malacca, Mauritius, Hawaii, Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The Kendall Farms Range

The Black Sapote is one of the really beautiful tropical trees with its evergreen dark green foliage and vigorous growth. Not surprisingly, this is one of our most popular fruits and if you like chocolate you'll love Black Sapote. The fruit is delicious eaten fresh or used as a chocolate substitute in recipes and milkshakes or simply mix the pulp with yogurt and lemon juice for a refreshing treat.

Cultivation Notes

Growing to height of 3m-4m this evergreen beauty produces fruit from August through to December.

Health Benefits

Commonly known as "Chocolate Pudding Fruit" this amazing fruit is low in fat and an excellent source of Vitamin C containing about 4 times as much as an orange.

Interesting Facts

To use sapote, cut it into 4-6 wedges cutting from blossom end towards the stem. With a spoon, scoop out the pulp, discarding the seeds and undeveloped arils. The pulp tends to break up easily. Pulp can be used immediately or frozen. For cooking, black sapote is usually pureed with a little orange zest and juice or vanilla, which becomes the basic ingredient to add to other preparations such as mousse.

Fruits can be cut in half and eaten covered in passion fruit, in Mexico the pulp is mashed with orange juice or brandy and served with cream, it is also delicious mixed with wine, cinnamon and sugar.

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DULCE DE SAPOTE NEGRO

Ingredients

3 to 4 ripe, soft black sapotes

2 cups orange juice

1/4 to 1/3 cup light honey

2 tablespoons finely shredded orange rind

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Method

Pull off stems and green skins from sapotes. Remove seeds In food processor combine sapote pulp, honey, orange rind and orange juice and puree. Chill. Mixture will be bright, shiny black-brown. Serve in dessert dishes with shreds of orange rind as garnish. Makes 4-6 servings. This pudding like mixture can also be frozen as a sherbet.

Refreshing Sapote Fruit Drink

Mixture for Dulce de Sapote Negro

To the mixture for dulce de sapote negro, add enough orange juice and water (to taste) to bring to a beverage consistency. Chill thoroughly. Serve on ice in chilled tall glasses. Garnish with an orange slice on the rim of each glass.

These delicious ways to use black sapote come from Mary King and Mary Jo Oswald, Family & Consumer Sciences, University of Florida.

HONEY BLACK SAPOTE CAKE

Ingredients

flesh of 3 large Sapotes

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3 eggs separated

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 teaspoon salt whipped topping (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Grease a 8x12 baking pan. Cream margarine and honey gradually and add egg yolks and sapote. Sift and then add dry ingredients a little at a time. In a second bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in egg whites and vanilla to sapote mixture. Pour into baking pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Test cake with toothpick.