Sapodilla, << `sap` uh DIHL uh, >> is a tropical fruit native to Mexico and Central America. It also is grown commercially in parts of Asia. In the United States, sapodillas are cultivated only in southern Florida.
Sapodillas may be round, oval, or cone-shaped. The ripe fruit ranges from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) in diameter. It has rough, grayish-brown skin. The soft, sweet flesh is yellowish-brown and filled with large, black seeds. The sapodilla is a good source of potassium and vitamin C. People eat sapodillas fresh or in sherbet.
The fruit grows on an evergreen tree that can reach a height of about 100 feet (30 meters). The trees are grown either from seeds or by grafting (see Grafting). Grafted trees produce fruit after four or five years, but trees that are grown from seed take several years longer. Sapodilla trees contain a milky juice called latex beneath their bark. The latex is boiled to make chicle, formerly an important ingredient in chewing gum (see Chicle).
