Fruit of the day: zapote

The rains have begun and the land is changing fast. So are the things we find in the market. Today Marina brought in some zapote.

It has a very leathery skin that looks like the bark of a tree.



Inside you find a bright orange flesh and a large smooth central pit.

It is smooth and creamy--custardy rather than crunchy or fibrous and reminded me a bit of the flavor of cantaloupe. It had almost no smell at all.  It was mildly sweet and had a slightly dusty flavor--although not in an unpleasant way.

The ladies here explained that this particular fruit is native to Nicaragua, but is also beginning to be cultivated for sale further south of us. Rumor has it that the seeds are made into something intoxicating...but don't worry, we just ate the fruit.