Cherimoya: what is this fruit and why is it useful?

Cherimoya is an exotic fruit, successfully assimilating in our latitudes. People walk around with the names "ice cream tree" and "cream apple", due to the delicate with sweet flavors of the fruit, and the resemblance of the flesh when cold to ice cream.

What kind of fruit is it?

Cherimoya is a tree. It can reach a height of 5 to 9 meters. The leaves are arranged in two rows, 4-9 centimeters wide, and 7-15 long. During the flowering period, the cherimoya bears beautiful flowers with fleshy petals. When it reaches four years of age, fruits begin to appear. And by the age of six, the cherimoya can produce more than 20 full-grown fruits.

What it looks like

The fruit of the cream apple looks like a heart or cone. The size ranges from 10 to 20 centimeters wide. Inside the fruit is white, fragrant flesh and seeds. A single fruit can weigh up to three kilograms.

Where does it grow?

This "beauty" comes from Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. In our countries, the fruit comes from Chile, Venezuela, Australia, China and other countries.

For your information! South America revered cherimoya as the wonder of the world because of its nutritional properties.

What is the healthfulness of the cherimoya fruit

The fruit boasts a diverse organic composition: citric and succinic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, glucose, sucrose, fructose, iron, phosphorus, vitamins C and B and other beneficial substances.

Benefits of the fruit:

1. Sugar and acids do their job - the product is easy to digest, pleases with its varied taste. The condition of the liver and stomach improves, acid levels are normalized, excess weight goes away.
2. There are 74 calories in 100 grams of cherimoya, so if the weight problems are serious, you need to regulate the frequency of eating the fruit. The taste is so pleasant that it has been compared to pineapple, papaya, passion fruit, and of course ice cream. The fibers are very soft, similar to cotton candy, and if you hold them in the refrigerator, you get a consistency resembling mashed potatoes or cream.
3. The structure also contains sodium, which can be used to fight depression, seizures, and to improve the functioning of the nervous system.
4. Modern scientists have revealed a unique property of the fruit - it can prevent cancerous tumors.
5. With regular use, the mood improves (it contains B vitamins), magnesium will remove any "tension". Increased production of dopamine and serotonin, leaving a pleasant mood for many hours to come. It is good to eat chorimoya for people over forty and older.
6. As we know, free radicals aggravate chronic diseases, worsen health. And the composition of this fruit removes toxins, impurities and free radicals from the body. The body from the inside becomes younger before your eyes. The heart muscle is strengthened, the vision is aggravated, if there were problems with it.
7. Lutein in the composition protects the retina from cataracts.
8. Catechins, flavonoids and antioxidants keep cancer cells from growing, protect the urinary system and breasts as well as the colon and stomach.
9. Potassium and magnesium are good for the cardiovascular system. For example, scientists from the U.S. found that people who ate the fruit regularly were much less likely to suffer from hypertension or hypotension, looked fresher and younger.
10. The pleasant and pliable pulp kind of envelopes the walls of the stomach. Dietary fiber destroys everything harmful in the intestines, and the stomach digests them with ease, leaving no heaviness. Intestinal microflora is stabilized and improved. Immunity increases, colic, acute pain, indigestion go away, ascorbic acid saves from colds, any inflammatory processes disappear.

What harm can it do

Cherimoya has carbohydrates and sugars in its composition in large quantities. People with diabetes should be careful. In addition, there is an individual intolerance in case of allergies.

The seeds of the fruit should never be eaten. They are very poisonous. Although, knowledgeable people in the homeland of this amazing tree know how to make an antiparasitic remedy from the seeds, which also helps against food poisoning.

But it is important to remember: The pips are very hard, and they are indeed poisonous. You should never try to chew, taste or grind them. This can be fatal. If the juice of the seed gets into the eye - you may even develop blindness. The toxin annonacin paralyzes the central nervous system. In addition, you can not eat the skin of the fruit.

That's interesting! In Mexico and South America, people used to prepare a poison from the skin and seeds against parasites that destroy crops.

How to Eat Cherimoya Properly

Cherimoya is eaten in its traditional fresh form. It is added to desserts and drinks. Foodies like to combine the fruit with other citrus and dairy products. But, the most delicious and refined option would be to freeze the fruit pulp, and put it in waffle cups, glasses or bowls. Such "ice cream" will not leave anyone indifferent. By the way, making delicious ice cream is not difficult. You just need to crush the pulp in a blender, put it in containers, and put it in the refrigerator. To eat the puree afterwards, you need to let it thaw a little after the fridge. True, long shelf life of the fruit can not. Fresh it stays three or four days - if the temperature is not less than 8 degrees, and humidity is not more than 60 degrees. To prevent it from getting weathered, you need to wrap it with a paper towel.

People who like to exercise, bake healthy bread with fruit pulp. For this, they take the pulp itself, whole-grain flour or chopped nuts.

The easiest option is to make a delicious healthy fruit salad. Add strawberries, passion fruit, pineapple, whatever you want. Exotic fruits have a wondrous flavor and aroma.

What you can make with chérimoya

In addition to ice cream, the fruit pulp can be added to desserts, pastries, cocktails, prepare salads. If you cut the cherimoya into halves, the creamy pulp can be used for layer cakes or to make nutritious and delicious yogurt with it.

Recipe for real ice cream
The main condition for such a dessert is a homogeneous structure. Therefore, to begin with, the fruit should be well washed, cut, carefully remove the poisonous seeds, and collect the pulp with a spoon. The next step is to whip the pulp in a blender or with a whisk together with cream and egg yolks. The cream can be put to taste, and the yolks need three or four. Sprinkle a teaspoon each of vanilla and powder.

The mass should be put on a small fire, stir gently and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. After that put it in the freezer. And every 20 minutes whip the mass. Repeat this procedure for two hours. After that just leave it in the freezer. In 7 hours the ice cream will be completely ready. The taste will be incredibly light and delicate.

When serving, you can decorate the top with fresh mint, coconut or chocolate shavings. You can pour the melted chocolate. Many people like to add a milkshake to such a dessert.

The use in folk medicine

As a medicinal plant, the fruit is used quite widely. There are antibacterial components in the composition. Stems and leaves of the tree have alkaloids necessary for the body - reticulin, annonin, liriodenin and mychelalbin. And also - essential oils. From the leaves are prepared an alcoholic infusion designed to save from parasites and lice. For example, in southern countries, people use the stems, leaves and seeds as a natural antioxidant.

The bark and leaves are used to make medicinal teas. It soothes and relaxes the stomach and has a slight laxative effect. If you crush two tablespoons of dried fruits and pour boiling water over them, you can get a remedy that helps with poisoning.

Cosmetic applications

Thanks to the nutrients, organic acids and trace elements of cherimoya, human hair and skin improve, become healthier and more beautiful. For example, Inca girls used the pulp of the fruit as a mask for their hair and facial skin. Hair became soft and shiny, and the face got rid of age spots, wrinkles and signs of chronic fatigue. If you can find fresh fruit in our area, it is easy to make such a mask at home. To the fruit pulp you can add lemon juice or honey.

In modern cosmetics there is an extract of this plant. Such creams and serums have a whitening effect, making the skin smooth, soft, beautiful, fresh and supple.

In addition, the fruit contains a trace element of copper. Thanks to this you can escape from the early graying. This trace element perfectly restores the coloring pigment.

To strengthen weakened hair, you can prepare a useful mask at home. To do this, you will need the pulp of a cream apple, a teaspoon of lemon juice or honey. Everything should be thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass. Comb your hair before the procedure and divide it in a parting. Apply the resulting mask evenly to the roots and along the entire length of the curls. Cover with a polyethylene and a towel. Hold for thirty minutes. Rinse well and gently with warm water. After the procedure, you need to let the hair dry itself. They will become smooth, soft and shiny. The mask stimulates their growth and helps to restore split ends.

How to grow cherimoya

This tree grows in Colombia, Ecuador, and the foothills of the Andes. It has many other names. For example, the golden Peruvian apple or the pearl of the Andes. The modern Incan name "chirimoya" means cold seed. "Chiri" means cold and "moya" means seed. The tree is able to grow in harsh conditions, without sufficient sun or water.

The golden apple is grown in regular large tubs from seed. Of course, the taste of the fruit will not be the same as in South America or Chile, but will certainly please. When the plant in the house begins to bloom, the rooms are filled with a special wondrous fragrance. A real home tropic. But you can not grow a tree 5 meters high at home. The maximum height is three meters.

First you can plant a seed in a small pot, and, as the sprout grows, transplant it to a large tub. The care process will not take much time. It is necessary to use organic fertilizers in moderation, and to water regularly, maintaining a moderate humidity. In one year, the plant grows 25-30 centimeters. Over time, the stem will turn into a trunk: covered with bark, release strong branches. For a while the cream apple may stop developing at all, until it gets used to the new soil.

The cherimoya is now actively cultivated in Thailand, Egypt, Vietnam, Italy, Spain and Australia. This process takes place in extensive plantations.

How to pick the right fruit

The international UN/ECE standard has developed requirements for the quality of the product. So, what requirements a quality product should meet:

1. Correct, good even green color of the skin. It must be clean, with no apparent or latent damage.
2. Accurately and briefly cut stalk.
3. The surface must be moist.
4. Fruit weighing less than 100 grams should not be sold.

What are the varieties of sugar apples

Every country boasts a cult of its own variety of this fruit. But, there are some of the most common ones:

1. Pinks Mammoth. The name comes from the man who brought this variety to Australia (Queensland). The fruit is very large, tasty and flavorful. It can weigh up to three kilograms. There is a bitterness in the taste, the flesh is brown in color. The fruit itself smells sweet.
2. African Pride. The native land of this variety is South Africa. There it was bred. It is planted in Florida. Trees reach a height of three meters. The fruits are heart-shaped and have a thick rind. One fruit weighs about half a pound.
3. Hilary White. This species grows to medium size, the golden apple is smooth and its flesh is tender and soft. The flavor is reminiscent of cream, mango, and pineapple.

These are the most popular and widespread varieties that are in demand and have success on the world market. However, not all types of this fruit have a true variety of flavor and aroma.

Photo of cherimoya fruit