Custard apple
The custard apple is believed to be a native of the West Indies but it was carried in early times through Central America to southern Mexico. It has long been cultivated and naturalized as far south as Peru and Brazil. It is commonly grown in the Bahamas and occasionally in Bermuda and southern Florida.
Apparently it was introduced into tropical Africa early in the 17th century and it is grown in South Africa as a dooryard fruit tree. In India the tree is cultivated, especially around Calcutta, and runs wild in many areas. It has become fairly common on the east coast of Malaya, and more or less throughout southeast Asia and the Philippines though nowhere particularly esteemed. Eighty years ago it was reported as thoroughly naturalized in Guam. In Hawaii it is not well known.
In India, the fruit is eaten only by the lower classes, out-of-hand. In Central America, Mexico and the West Indies, the fruit is appreciated by all. When fully ripe it is soft to the touch and the stem and attached core can be easily pulled out. The flesh may be scooped from the skin and eaten as is or served with light cream and a sprinkling of sugar. Often it is pressed through a sieve and added to milk shakes, custards or ice cream. I have made a delicious sauce for cake and puddings by blending the seeded flesh with mashed banana and a little cream.
Medicinal Uses: The leaf decoction is given as a vermifuge. Crushed leaves or a paste of the flesh may be poulticed on boils, abscesses and ulcers. The unripe fruit is rich in tannin; is dried, pulverized and employed against diarrhea and dysentery. The bark is very astringent and the decoction is taken as a tonic and also as a remedy for diarrhea and dysentery. In severe cases, the leaves, bark and green fruits are all boiled together for 5 minutes in a liter of water to make an exceedingly potent decoction. Fragments of the root bark are packed around the gums to relieve toothache. The root decoction is taken as a febrifuge.
Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*
| Calories | 80-101 |
| Moisture | 68.3-80.1 g |
| Protein | 1.17-2.47 g |
| Fat | 0.5-0.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20-25.2 g |
| Crude Fiber | 0.9-6.6 g |
| Ash | 0.5-1.11 g |
| Calcium | 17.6-27 mg |
| Phosphorus | 14.7-32.1 mg |
| Iron | 0.42-1.14 mg |
| Carotene | 0.007-0.018 mg |
| Thiamine | 0.075-0.119 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.086-0.175 mg |
| Niacin | 0.528-1.190 m |
| Ascorbic Acid | 15.0-44.4 mg |
| Nicotinic Acid | 0.5 mg |
