Star apple

The star apple, or as this fruit is also called - the star apple, is the fruit of a southern tree belonging to the genus Chrysophyllum of the sapotum family. In addition, it is often found in literary sources under the name kaimito and kainito (from Spanish caimito).

The height of the tree sometimes reaches twenty meters, and its bark contains milky juice. The leaves of the plant can be described as alternate, leathery, which are about 16 centimeters long. Leaf blades with a solid edge differ in oval shape with short pointed tips.

The inflorescences of the star apple consist of a considerable number of flowers (up to 30) and they grow in the axils of the leaves. Small nondescript flowers give quite interesting fruits, which in mature state have a diameter of up to ten centimeters. In shape, they are rounded or ovate fruits, which are covered with a shiny green or violet-brown skin. Inside the starry apple there is a juicy white or slightly violet-pink flesh, which is characterized by a sweet taste.

In addition, there are shiny dark seeds in the fruits, the number of which sometimes reaches eight pieces. They are in gelatinous seed chambers. It is noteworthy that the star apple got its name due to the fact that a characteristic pattern like a star is formed at the cross section of the fruit.

Central America is considered the birthplace of this fruit, but at present this plant is cultivated not only there - it has adapted perfectly and bears fruit in the tropical part of South America, in Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Tanzania, West Africa and Vietnam.

The juicy fruits of a star apple can be consumed fresh as a dessert of their own, or aromatic juices and various sweet dishes can be prepared on their basis. However, it should be borne in mind that the peel of the fruit, which occupies about a third of the fruit, is not suitable for food. This is due to the content of bitter latex or milky juice in it, so mainly the fruits are cut in half, and the flesh is selected by a spoon. In addition, seed cells and the seeds themselves are also not used when consuming a stellar apple.

The fairly specific but equally pleasing taste of starry apple flesh can be greatly improved by adding some citrus juice to it. So, for example, in Jamaica, it is customary to mix the crushed pulp of this fruit with pineapple, mango, citrus and coconut milk. Frozen, it's a gorgeous dessert.

In addition, you can mix the juicy flesh of a star apple with a little sugar, orange juice, a spoon of sherry and ground nutmeg - you get an unusually tasty and very fragrant dish, reminiscent of a strawberry dessert with cream.