QuickCheck: Is there a fruit that tastes like a chocolate dessert?

The black sapote fruit. Photo by: Critical Miami - flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

STRUGGLING to meet your recommended daily intake of fruit and veggies because you hate how they taste? What if we told you if there was a fruit that has the flavour of delicious chocolate pudding?

Let’s take a look at whether such a fruit exists.

Verdict:

TRUE

The black sapote is a species of persimmon often referred to as the “chocolate pudding fruit”.

This is because the flavour, texture and appearance of the fruit resembles a dense chocolate mousse – or “raw brownie batter”, according to Atlas Obscura.

When unripe, the fruit has a white pulp that is astringent and inedible. However, as it ripens, the flesh takes on a rich dark-chocolate colour as suggested by its moniker.

Whether or not it actually tastes like chocolate differs from person to person.

Many tasters describe the black sapote’s flavour profile as “sweet and mild, with chocolatey overtones” but add that the fruit would not be mistaken for actual chocolate pudding in a blind taste test.

Some, on the other hand, fail to detect any hint of chocolate at all.

If you’re wondering why you have never spotted one of these fruits in the supermarket, it is because black sapote is notoriously hard to import.

Farmers can only harvest them when they are close to full maturity, and at that stage, the fruit develops an extremely soft skin that is susceptible to bruising.

Much like avocados, they also have a rapid ripening phase and go bad quickly by the time they are ready to eat.

Those fortunate enough to come across these unusual treats should only break the fruit open when it is right on the verge of being overripe.

One writer suggests that the fruit “is best consumed when the exterior looks like it is completely past its prime, with a somewhat bruised appearance.”

Black sapote can be enjoyed on its own or incorporated into various desserts. You can even mash the flesh up and pop it in the freezer to make a healthy popsicle. Yum!

Sources:

1. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chocolate-pudding-fruit-gastro-obscura-beer

2. https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/chocolate-pudding-fruit

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_nigra

4. https://ecobotanica.com.au/harvesting-chocolate-pudding-fruit/