Abiu

A relative of the sapote family

Abiu belongs to the same family as sapodilla and star apple — the Sapotaceae — and shares the family’s signature sticky white latex that oozes from the skin when cut. Locals warn first-time eaters not to let the latex touch their lips: it glues them shut for several uncomfortable minutes.

The fruit ripens to a brilliant lemon-yellow on the tree and is harvested when the skin is fully colored.

Crème caramel in a fruit

The flavor of fully ripe abiu is uncannily similar to crème caramel — sweet, mild, with caramel-vanilla notes. The flesh is jelly-like and translucent, dotted with 1-4 large brown seeds in the center.

Underripe fruit is starchy and bland; fully ripe fruit is intensely sweet but easily bruised, which is why abiu rarely leaves the Amazon.

A backyard fruit, not a market fruit

Abiu trees are common in Amazonian dooryard gardens but virtually unknown commercially. The fruit ships poorly and ripens unevenly on the tree, making mechanized harvest impossible.

In Brazil’s north, it’s a beloved seasonal treat — children climb the trees and eat fruit by the dozen. Outside the region, abiu is essentially unobtainable except as occasional curiosity stock at tropical fruit specialty growers in Florida and Hawaii.