Zapote

Zapote is a common name in Spanish for several tropical fruits whose edible flesh varies in flavor, texture, and appearance. The term is used across Latin America and parts of Asia to refer to fruits from different species, many of them within the sapodilla family group of tropical fruit trees. While the exact species differ, zapotes are typically sweet, pulpy fruits that are eaten fresh or used in desserts and beverages.

Sapodilla, or zapote chico, is Manilkara zapota. Native to southern Mexico and Central America, the fruit is oval with a rough brown skin and a grainy, very sweet flesh reminiscent of brown sugar. It is commonly eaten fresh, but is also used in shakes, jams, and sweets. The tree is evergreen and long-lived, and its latex historically provided chicle.

White sapote, zapote blanco, refers to Casimiroa edulis. This fruit has smooth green skin and pale, custard-like flesh that ranges from white to pale yellow. It is mild, sweet, and often eaten fresh, in fruit salads, or desserts.

Black sapote, zapote negro, is Diospyros digyna. The fruit is green to brown on the outside, but the flesh turns dark brown to black when ripe, with a soft, custard-like texture and a chocolate-like flavor, popular in desserts and smoothies.

Other zapotes include red sapote and yellow sapote (often called canistel) and the mamey sapote, which produce orange to reddish flesh with a range of textures and uses from fresh eating to custards and shakes. The term “zapote” thus covers several distinct fruits traded under a single name in different regions.