Plant atlas Short
Sapodilla: The Fruit That Gave Us Chewing Gum
Sapodilla · ละมุด · Manilkara zapota
Sapodilla — ละมุด (la-mut) — Manilkara zapota.
Sapodilla — lah-mut — a dull-brown fruit that scoops out sweet and malty, close to brown sugar, plus how to eat it ripe and what the research shows. Sapodilla has just one gut study, and it stops at animals: the extract was tested against diarrhea and ulcers, and none of that has been shown in people. You eat the ripe flesh and discard the seeds. For sapodilla nutrition, that flesh carries vitamin C, fiber, copper, and potassium. The vitamin C helps your body build collagen and works as an antioxidant. The fiber keeps digestion moving and slows sugar absorption. Copper helps your body put the iron you eat to work, and potassium supports normal muscle and nerve function. Two Thai desserts show it off: swa loy kaew steeps sliced ripe sapodilla in jasmine syrup and serves it cold over crushed ice, while lamut kuan slow-cooks overripe sapodilla with lime juice and salt into a thick sweet preserve. Skip the seeds, since each has a hooked end and is traditionally discarded, and eat sapodilla only when it is fully soft, because unripe fruit turns harshly astringent and its sticky sap can irritate your mouth and gut.
Sapodilla in Syrup — ละมุดลอยแก้ว (lamut-loy-gaew)
Thai Sapodilla Paste — ละมุดกวน (lamut-guan)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: vitamin C, fiber, copper, potassium
Research context
Sapodilla extract protected against diarrhea and ulcers in animal studies — BioMed Research International, 2019
Sources
Source: Ansari SF et al. (2019). Sapodilla for GI disorders: in-vivo/proteomic/in-silico. BioMed Res Int 2019:4921086. DOI:10.1155/2019/4921086 (PMID 31886219)
Narration transcript
Opening
The sapodilla tree bleeds a sticky white latex called chicle — the stuff that first made chewing gum. Its fruit looks like a dull brown potato but scoops out sweet and malty, close to brown sugar. Sapodilla — ละมุด, la-mut. You eat the soft ripe flesh and toss the hooked black seeds.
สวาลอยแก้ว (Sapodilla in Syrup)
In lamut loy kaeo, sliced ripe sapodilla steeps in a warm jasmine syrup, then is served cold over crushed ice.
ละมุดกวน (Thai Sapodilla Paste)
For lamut guan, overripe sapodilla slow-cooks with lime juice and salt into a thick, chewy paste.
Nutrition summary
That malty brown scoop is mostly about fiber, with a modest amount of carbohydrate, iron, and magnesium.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
Fiber
Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.
Copper
Copper helps your body use iron and maintain normal connective tissue.
Potassium
Potassium helps with normal fluid balance and muscle function.
Closing
Skip the seeds, since each has a hooked end that Thai cooks throw out, and eat sapodilla only when it's fully soft. Unripe fruit turns harshly astringent, and its sticky sap can irritate your mouth and gut. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
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