The Supersweet Custard Apple
On our weekly excursion to the local library, Riley stopped me at a fruit stall to look at something he had never seen before. Recently, we have been learning how to distinguish different fruits. So I told him to smell it.
He said “mummy it smells really sweet”
. The fruit seller told us this is a custard apple and is very good nutrition for kids. He launched into a salesman pitch that this fruit had cancer preventing properties, had lots of dietary fiber and was good for diabetics.
I picked it up to try it myself. It had a slight saccharine smell with a leathery smooth skin that was soft to the touch. The fruit seller said it was easy to prepare. He said to cut in half, dig out the flesh and throw away the seeds. They were on offer (albeit not cheap since one cost more than a bag of apples). so I decided to buy one to try.
The flesh inside was soft and mushy. True to it’s name, it looked and tasted like custard. I don’t remember eating this fruit before so I googled for more information.
Nutritional summary of Custard Apple
Firstly, those values of potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C and B6 jumped right off the page. The fruit seller was right, this is superfruit! Eating 100g of this gives you 60% of the daily required Vitamin C ( for a 2000 calorie diet). That amount of vitamin C alone in one fruit is good enough to classify this as a super antioxidant.
It isn’t a commonly sighted fruit. Although my dad says this is pretty commonly grown in Malaysia and he had a custard apple tree back in his hometown.
This skin healing fruit is a rich source of potassium, vitamin C and B6. It also aids digestion due to its high content of dietary fiber. Have a read on this site with a credible list of references on the health benefits of custard apple.
I always try anything new before feeding to the kids. It was REALLY sweet. It not only smelled and looked like custard, it literally tasted like the stuff. Unlike custard however, it is fully natural and jammed packed with wonderful vitamins and minerals.
Despite a high sugar content, custard apple is known to have a low glycemic index and a moderate glycemic load. This makes it suitable for diabetics with a sweet craving. Custard Apples Inc has additional information on the yet unstudied health benefits of this superfruit.
Preparation and the food taster test of custard apple
I steamed it together with a pear into a fruit puree. Added in pieces of cut papaya and some homemade buckwheat flour bread.
Corey has recently started to become picky with his food (horrors of all parents and worse if food allergies are involved!). Therefore I’ve had to get creative and make things interesting for him.
skin friendly fruit puree of custard apple and papaya
The buttery bland sweetness of papaya complemented the tart nectarous custard apple. Corey finished the whole bowl. However he was picking out the papaya more than the custard. He was not quite impressed as I would have hoped (haha)
Therefore I figured he is not accustomed to the sweetness. So I will try using the remainder as a sugar substitute in baking some muffins. Will update later with a new post on the outcome.
DISCLAIMER
This post is for information purposes and does not replace professional diagnostic advice. Therefore always consult your healthcare provider if ever in doubt.
