Black (Chocolate) Sapote Fruit

English: Black Sapote, Black Persimmon, Chocolate-Fruit, Chocolate Pudding Fruit
Spanish: Zapote Negro
German: Schwarze Sapote
Horticultral Species: Diospyros digyna, Family: Ebenaceae.
The Aztec word "tzapotl" meant any soft, sweet fruit, and was not species-specific. The black sapote fruit is a persimmon, but tastes very different from other persimmons. The family Ebenaceae also contains the Chinese and Japanese persimmons.
The chocolate pudding fruit is green when unripe, brown-black when ripe, and may contain 2 to 10 shiny dark red-brown seeds. Some cultivars (including the Hawaiian version) are nearly seedless. Native to Mexico and Guatemala, it is also cultivated in Florida, Philippines, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Hawaii. It is a slow-growing, evergreen tree which may reach 8 meters in height.
Of Culinary Interest: The Black Sapote is a tomato-like fruit, 10 x 13 cm in size, and is best picked with a bit of stem remaining. It is a large single berry type fruit with a thin, firm rind. Its unripe color is shining dark green with brown speckling, browning as it ripens. The fruit's flesh is rich, dark brown colored and is, when fully ripe, mousse or custard-like in consistency. The fruit is at its best once it has changed from green to a completely ugly brown-black appearance. When fully ripe,it has a sweet, nut-like mild flavor, like mild chocolate, but far lower in fat and calories.

See also the fruit pages, here.