Sapote is a round-shaped tropical fruit that is cultivated in Cuba, Mexico, south Florida, and many Central American countries. Its name varies largely depending on where it is cultivated, mamey sapote is one of the most common names, nevertheless, the list is large and, in some countries, it can even be spelled differently such as “zapote” with a z, for example.
In terms of sapote’s appearance, its size varies between 10 and 25 cm in length – it can grow pretty big – and its flesh color ranges from orange to red. In the center of this fruit there is a large oval seed and its peel can be either brown or yellow with a texture somewhat similar to sandpaper.
Sapotes can be used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from ingredients in delicious recipes to components in beauty products. Curious to know about this tropical fruit? Keep on reading to learn about how to eat sapote, forms of usage, and the health benefits of this tropical fruit.
How to Eat Mamey Sapote
You can choose to eat mamey sapote raw or you can use it as part of a recipe, for instance, mamey sapote is largely used to make ice creams or smoothies. If you would like to eat it raw, the first step is to verify that the fruit is ripe, to do that you can simply touch the skin and check that it is soft.
Once you are ready, you can go ahead and cut the sapote just like you would cut an avocado, divide the fruit into two halves, in one of them you will likely see a single seed in the center. Do not eat the seed as it might contain toxins. Also, the skin is completely inedible so just eat the meaty flesh, you can use a spoon to facilitate the process.
As for sapotes taste, it is generally described as a mixture of pumpkin, peach, sweet potato, with touches of honey, making it a unique and unforgettable flavor.
Mamey Sapote Nutrition Facts
According to the USDA database, a serving of 100 grams of sapote would contain approximately the following nutrition values:
| Calories | 124 Kcal |
| Total fat | 0.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 32 g |
| Dietary fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Fructose | 7 g |
| Protein | 1.5 g |
| Potassium | 454 mg |
| Vitamin A | 7 µg |
| Vitamin C | 23 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.72 mg |
| Iron | 0.78 mg |
| Magnesium | 11 mg |
| Calcium | 18 mg |
Mamey sapote is very rich in many nutrients, it is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. However, if you are following a weight-loss diet caution should be exercised when consuming sapote as despite it being a great source of vitamins and minerals, sapote is also high in calories, so it is better to control the amount consumed as well as opting for consuming it raw in order to take better advantage of all its nutrients.
Mamey Fruit Health Benefits
Due to the minerals and vitamin content, sapote offers a large variety of health benefits. The most incredible ones include:
Improve overall intestinal health: sapotes are a great source of fibers. This substance is key to maintain your intestine healthy, it helps by making the stool easy to pass and preventing constipation.
Prevents anemia: some types of anemia occur due to an iron intake deficiency. Therefore, it is important to consume the recommended amount of iron. In foods, iron is present in animal and vegetable sources. Compared with other fruits, sapotes are a great source of iron.
Maintenance of normal vision: sapotes are also a great source of vitamin A. This vitamin is heavily studied and has shown that its deficiency is linked to visual disturbances. Vitamin A also plays a role in the immune system, cell growth, and skin health.
How to Use Mamey Sapote
By now I believe you are amazed by all the health benefits that sapotes can bring. So here are a few ideas of how you can use this incredible fruit.
Milkshakes – traditional in Cuba and Caribbean countries, sapotes are an excellent fruit to make milkshakes as they have a meaty and creamy flesh.
Ice cream – very popular in Mexico, sapotes ice cream is a perfect option for a hot summer day.
Jam – sapotes can also make incredible jellies, an original taste of the Caribbean.
Muffin batter – people also use sapotes to make batter or mouse due to their creamy texture.
As you can see the options to use sapotes in the kitchen are endless, and they are not only reserved for the kitchen, sapotes are also used by the beauty industry to make oils for the hair and skin.
Sapote recipes
Here is a simple sapote smoothie recipe so you can try out on a hot summer day.
Mamey Sapote Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of fresh sapotes sliced in cubes
- 1 and ½ cup of almond milk
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Ice
How to prepare: In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until ingredients are well combined. Serve it right away.
Conclusion
Mamey sapotes are a tropical fruit, native to tropical America. Sapotes resemble an avocado and thus you can consume them in a very similar way. Their skin and peel are inedible, although they are used by the beauty industry to produce oils.
In terms of how to eat sapote, you can simply use a spoon to extract their creamy and meaty flesh. They can be eaten raw or in a variety of recipes, ranging from ice creams to jellies. If you would like to take advantage of the innumerous health benefits, including improving intestinal health and helping the maintenance of normal vision, that sapotes provide, prefer eating them raw. Just be cautious about the amount that you consume, despite being tasty, sapotes have a high calorie and carbohydrate count, which can be counterproductive if you are following a weight loss diet.
