lucuma

Lucuma (Pouteria lucuma) is a fruit-bearing tree in the family Sapotaceae, native to the Andean region of South America. It is widely associated with Peru, where the fruit is culturally and economically important, but it also occurs in Ecuador, northern Chile, and Colombia. The evergreen tree commonly grows to 8–20 meters tall and bears oval to oblong fruits with thick rind and orange-yellow flesh.

The ripe pulp is dense and creamy, with a distinctive sweet, maple-like flavor and aroma that has made lucuma a popular dessert ingredient. The fruit can be eaten fresh when fully ripe, or processed into purées and dried into powder for flavoring and sweetening.

Lucuma powder is a common ingredient in Peruvian and other Latin American desserts, ice creams, smoothies, and baking. It is valued for its pleasant flavor as a natural alternative to sweeteners in some markets, and is also marketed as a nutritional supplement in dried form. The pulp contains carotenoids such as beta-carotene and provides dietary fiber.

Cultivation notes: Lucuma grows best in warm, frost-free climates with well-drained soils and is often grown in valley and foothill environments at various elevations. Fruit harvest is seasonal and varies by location; the fruit is harvested when fully ripe. In Spanish, the fruit is called lúcuma.