In the Netherlands Antilles it is kasjoema. This name and boeah nona are used in Surinam. In Cuba, it is mamon or chirimoya. Some Central Americans give it the name anona, or anonillo; Colombians, anon pelon. To the Carib Indians the fruit was known as alacalyoua; to the Aztecs, quaultzapotl, and to the Maya, tsulimay, tsulilpox, tsulipox, pox, oop, or op. It is generally called in the Philippines sarikaya; in India ramphal, nona or luvuni, in Malaya, nona kapri, or lonang; in Thailand, noi nong"; in Cambodia, mo bat or mean bat; in Laos, khan tua lot; in South Vietnam, binh bat; North Vietnam, qua na.
The custard apple tree is not especially attractive. It is erect, with a rounded or spreading crown and trunk 10 to 14 in (25-35 cm) thick. Height ranges from 15 to 35 ft (4.5-10 m). The ill-smelling leaves are deciduous, alternate, oblong or narrow-lanceolate, 4 to 8 in (10-20 cm) long, 3/4 to 2 in (2 5 cm) wide, with conspicuous veins. Flowers, in drooping clusters, are fragrant, slender, with 3 outer fleshy, narrow petals 3/4 to 1 1/4 in (2 3 cm) long; light-green externally and pale-yellow with a dark-red or purple spot on the inside at the base. The flowers never fully open.
The compound fruit, 3 l/4 to 6 1/2 in (8-16 cm) in diameter, may be symmetrically heart-shaped, lopsided, or irregular; or nearly round, or oblate, with a deep or shallow depression at the base. The skin, thin but tough, may be yellow or brownish when ripe, with a pink, reddish or brownish-red blush, and faintly, moderately, or distinctly reticulated. There is a thick, cream-white layer of custardlike, somewhat granular, flesh beneath the skin surrounding the concolorous moderately juicy segments, in many of which there is a single, hard, dark-brown or black, glossy seed, oblong, smooth, less than 1/2 in (1.25 cm) long. Actual seed counts have been 55, 60 and 76. A pointed, fibrous, central core, attached to the thick stem, extends more than halfway through the fruit. The flavor is sweet and agreeable though without the distinct character of the cherimoya, sugar apple, or atemoya.
Advantage of Custard Apple
Custard apples contain anti-oxidants like Vitamin C, which helps to fight free radicals in our body. It is also high in potassium and magnesium that protects our heart from cardiac disease.Not only that, it also controls our blood pressure. Custard apples contain Vitamin A, which keeps your skin and hair healthy. This fruit is also known to be great for eyes, and cures indigestion problems. It's important to include this fruit in your diet, as the copper content helps to cure constipation, and helps to treat diarrhoea and dysentery.
As they are high in magnesium, they equalise the water balance in our body, which helps in removing acids from the joints and reduces the symptoms of rheumatism and arthritis. If you feel tired and weak more often than usual, then have this fruit in your daily diet, as the potassium present in it will help to fight muscle weakness.
It is also good for people suffering from anaemia, as it this fruit is high in calorie. And if you want to put on some weight, include this in your daily diet chart. Custard apple contains natural sugar, and hence make great nutritious snacks and even desserts.Custard apples are an excellent source of copper. Copper is a trace mineral that helps are body form hemoglobin. When a woman doesn’t have enough copper in her system, there is an increased risk that her child will be born early.
Other side effects of a copper deficiency include brittle bones and a low white blood cell count. The average person needs about nine hundred micrograms of copper each day. Pregnant women need one thousand micrograms of copper each day, and if she decides to breastfeed she will need approximately thirteen hundred micrograms of copper.
Custard apples are also rich in vitamin B6 and potassium. Custard apples are also rich in copper and have plenty of dietary fiber, which is good for keeping the digestive tract healthy and aids digestion as well prevents constipation. Custard apples have low levels of fat, which is good for health.
It is believed that a paste made with the creamy flesh of the fruit can be used as a balm to treat boils, abscesses and ulcers.
Custard apples can be sun-dried and then ground into a powder, which can treat dysentery and diarrhea. Custard apples also act as coolants, stimulants and expectorants. These fruits are good for treating anemia.
Some people make the fruit into a beverage that can act as a substitute to milk.
Even the bark of the custard apple tree, which contains astringents and tannins, is used in making herbal medicines. The leaves of the tree are supposed to be god for treating cancer and tumors; while the bark can relieve toothaches and gum pain.
Custard apples are a rich source of the Vitamin B6. It is important that you eat a diet that is rich in Vitamin B6 because a deficiency can cause skin problems, an extremely sore tongue, convulsions, depressions, and depression. The older a person gets the greater the chances of a Vitamin B6 deficiency.
Custard apples are a well-balanced food having protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins, energy and little fat. They are an excellent source of Vitamin C, a good source of dietary fibre, a useful source of Vitamin B6, magnesium and potassium, and with some B2 and complex carbohydrate.
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