Sapodilla is good for your eye and improves the immune system
Manilkara zapota
Chikoo (Hindi), Sapoti (Brazil)
First chewing owes its creation to Sapodilla and the sapodilla tree also functions as the building blocks for a number of products utilized by humans. The first chewing gum, not as per the present form was conceptualized long ago by the Mayas and Aztecs.
They would boil the ‘chicle’ sap from the Sapodilla, mold it into thick blocks and cut them into small pieces to chew. This was the origination of the first chewing gum.
Chickoo has brown skin and it looks like a rounded potato. It has a sweet and grainy flesh. It is high on latex content and is about 4 to 8 cm in diameter. Its tree yields fruit twice a year.
The sapodilla or chikoo fruit tree is an evergreen, deciduous tree that grows in the tropical belt, reaching a height of 9 to 12 meters. It is native to the American rain forest in Brazil and it is spread over the tropical belt. India along with Srilanka, Indonesia and Malaysia are the major producers of ‘Chikoo.’