| Canistel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lucuma campechiana | |
 | |
| Lucuma campechiana cross section | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Sapotaceae |
| Genus: | Lucuma |
| Species: | L. campechiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Lucuma campechiana | |
| Synonyms[2][4] | |
| |
| Nutritional value per 100 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 138.8 kcal (581 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
36.69 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | .10 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.13 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.68 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Laboratorio FIM de Nutricion in Havana[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lucuma campechiana (commonly known as thecupcake fruit,eggfruit,zapote amarillo orcanistel) is anevergreentree native to, and cultivated in, southernMexico,Belize,Guatemala, andEl Salvador.[6] It is cultivated in other countries, such asIndia,Costa Rica,Brazil, theUnited States, theDominican Republic,Australia,Cambodia,[7]Vietnam,Taiwan,Indonesia,Sri Lanka,Nigeria,Cameroon and thePhilippines. The edible part of the tree is its fruit, which is colloquially known as anegg fruit.[7]
The canistel grows up to 10 m (33 ft) high, and produces orange-yellow fruit, also calledyellow sapote, up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long, which are edible raw. Canistel flesh is sweet, with a texture often compared to that of ahard-boiled egg yolk, hence its colloquial name "eggfruit". It is closely related to thelúcuma,mamey sapote, andabiu.
The shape and size of the fruit is highly variable, depending on the cultivar. The better selections consistently produce large, ovate fruit with glossy skin weighing upwards of 400 g (14 oz). The flesh is somewhat pasty, although the best varieties have a creamy, mousse-like texture. The flavor is rich and is reminiscent of an egg custard.[8] The fruit may contain one to six large, brown seeds.
The canistel displaysclimacteric fruit ripening. A fully mature fruit shows an intense yellow skin color. Eventually, it softens and drops from the tree. Insects and birds avoid the fruit flesh, perhaps due to itsastringent properties, that are much reduced insenescent fruits, but still perceptible to the human palate. Apparently mature fruits severed from the tree while still hard often fail to develop the desired climacteric changes in terms of reduced astringency and a texture reminiscent of egg yolk.
Like the relatedlúcuma, the canistel can be eaten fresh, and has the texture of a hard-boiled egg yolk.[7] The ripe fruit can be made into jam, marmalade, pancakes, and flour.[9] The ripe flesh is blended with milk and other ingredients to make a shake, and pureed, it is sometimes added to custards or used in making ice cream.[5] It is also used in a milkshake known as "eggfruit nog".[7]
The wood of the tree is occasionally used in construction where it is available, especially as planks or rafters. In its native range, it has been a source of latex used to adulteratechicle.[5]
Itsspecific name is derived from the Mexican town ofCampeche, where it is native.
In the numerous countries where it is cultivated or sold, it is known by many vernacular names; canistel is common, as are variations on egg fruit and names referring to its yellow color.[10] In the Philippines, it is calledchesa,tiessa, oratiesa. In Sri Lanka, this fruit is known aslavul,laulu,lavulu, orlawalu.[9] In Thailand, it is known by different traditional popular names such aslamut Khamen (ละมุดเขมร="Khmer sapodilla") ortho Khamen (ท้อเขมร="Khmer peach"), folk imagination attributing a hypothetical Cambodian origin to this fruit (the name of the fruit issee da in Cambodia).[11] Currently, those names are discouraged by linguistic authorities and names making no reference to Cambodia, such astiesa (ทิสซา), are officially favored.[12]
The fruit is also given names after its unique yellow colour similar to anegg yolk: it is known as thebuah kuning telur ("yolk fruit") inMalay,[13]cây trứng gà ("chicken egg plant") inVietnamese,mon khai (ม่อนไข่,khai meaning "egg") inThai[12] anddanhuang guo (蛋黃果 "egg yolk fruit")in Taiwan.
It is calledsawo mentega ("butter sapodilla", for its color and texture) throughoutSoutheast Asia.[13] It is also known asalkesah in Indonesia.
Though relatively rare in East Africa, they can be found, and in theSwahili language, the fruit is confusingly namedzaituni, which is the same word used to refer toolives.
The Taiwanese also call this fruitxiantao (仙桃), "peach of theimmortals".
Media related toPouteria campechiana at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toPouteria campechiana at Wikispecies