Anunas/Anonas: Mystery Fruit of My Childhood
“Come quickly, I have something special for you,” my Auntie Rita beckoned to me early this year. What could she be bringing from the barrio? I was in awe, it was anunas (Annona reticulata) - a sweet, heart-shaped and red-skinned fruit related to the unaba/gunaba (guyabano) and anatis (atis) which can be gleaned from the fruits’ morphology. I spent a reverent moment staring at the fruit not because it was spectacular but because it was the first time I’ve seen one in my life although I kept hearing about it for as long as I can remember.
As a child, I would listen intently to my grandmother and grandaunt when they would refer to it as one of their favourite fruits. My mother, her siblings, their cousins and most older people in our clan had fond memories eating anunas straight from the trees. Frustrated at being deprived of what I thought was such a wonderful fruit, I would often ask how it looked like and how it tasted. They would say it’s pinkish to almost red, the flesh looks like a soursop’s (guyabano in Tagalog, guanabana in Spanish - Annona muricata) but sweet without the sour taste. Oh indeed it was sweet and the flesh was creamy, unlike the fibrous soursop and much less grainy than the atis (sugar/custard apple, sweetsop - Annona squamosa). It is one of the ‘migrant fruits’ which made their way to the country through the Galleon Trade.
Due to its shape, it is called corazón in Spanish and Bullock’s heart in English. It’s interesting to find out that anunas is also known as custard apple. I grew up using the term to refer to atis, which is in turn called sugar apple. The business of naming… here we go again!
According to the Department of Agriculture1:
“Native of tropical America and widely cultivated in the Philippines. It is also known locally as ‘salikaya’ and ‘sarikaya’. The fruit is heart-shaped and reddish or yellow when ripe; pulp is white, sweet, slightly granular toward the skin and contains many large, dark-brown seeds that adhere closely to the pulp.”
In Tikim2, Doreen Fernandez notes:
ANONAS. Although not as popular as its relatives, the atis and the guyabano, the custard apple is referred to as early as 1609 by Antonio de Morga, and in 1751 Fr. Delgado writes: “Asi en Visayas como en tagalos se da muy bien el arbol llamado anonas, aunque tambien en raro, y pienso que es traido de la Nueva España.” He blames its comparative rarity on the fact that “los naturales no logran utilidad positiva, cual se alcanza por la venta, principalmente en Visayas; si alguno cuida y cultiva algun arbol de estos… es para comer de su fruta o regalaria” (518-519)
It is eaten fresh, or made into desserts, jams and jellies. The green fruits are used to treat diarrhea and dysentery, the leaves as external suppurants, or plastered on the stomachs of children suffering from indigestion. The herbolario (native healer) is said to tie up the toes and fingers of patients with anonas bark to drive away evil spirits.
[Rough translation: "The fruit tree anonas (translates into soursop in Spanish) brought from New Spain (Mexico), although rare, grows very well in the Visayas as well as in the Tagalog area." He blames its comparative rarity on the fact that "the natives do not find much value in it, based on sales, mainly in the Visayas; if anyone cultivates some of these trees... it is to eat their fruit or to give away as presents" - pardon my pidgin Spanish! More accurate translation from readers desperately needed. Italics mine.]
Not content with the fruit, I had to go to the village to see the tree which bore it. It is a very tall tree of around 9-10 metres, not too thick of trunk, around half a metre at the thickest point with numerous branches, verdant foliage. It had a profusion of flowers and fruits in late January. Sorry, my camera and photography skills couldn’t capture all that.
Anunas is now seldom found in the marketplace - never, as far as I am concerned. This is the first time that we know of the tree in my late grandaunt’s lot in the barrio bore fruit. I did not find out if this is among the almost mythical pre-World War II trees, their offspring or an import from somewhere.
The mystery (fruit) of my childhood has ceased to be. If only for the wonderful feeling of finally knowing what it is - to hold, break open, savour and enjoy - I am now more connected to my forebears and the soil which nourished them.
karen, para nga ‘tong pinaghalong atis at guyabano. what does it taste like? closer to the former or the latter? naku, ‘yon namang last line mo, you know how i feel about this — sniff. this is what i’m trying to accomplish now. wala man ako sa inang bayan, makuha ko man lang ang connection through the earth….
Hmmm… it tasted more like the atis in terms of sweetness but it doesn’t taste at all like it. Perhaps I’ll have to wait for another batch of this fruit to be able to describe its taste more accurately.
Stef, how I wish I could find all the ‘mystery’ food I have been wondering about. Many of them are fast vanishing.
I have never seen or tasted one! Have gotten several inquiries about it though. This is closely related to the atis, right? One is the sugar apple and the other referred to as a custard apple…I think. Amazing the things that make us look with wonder these days…
Hi, Karen. I am not realy sure about this, but I think I tasted something resembling anonas the last time I was in California. Only, they referred to it as a cherimoya. I’m not sure if it’s one and the same thing.
Wow! I have never tasted this! I love fruit…especially the ones found here in our islands (give me tropical fruit anyday)
Wonderful story about how you got to finally taste it…
We used to have an anonas tree in my Lola’s yard and we would always eagerly await for the fruit to ripen. The taste and texture is closer to an atis than to a guyabano.
Trivia: Anonas is believed to ward of “mangkukulams.”
Right Marketman! But I gather the terms are used interchangeably. But what’s new? In an old Spanish dictionary, I found the term ‘anonas’ translated into ’soursops’ (both plural) and for us soursop is guayabano. Atis are also called sweetsop in some places.
Midge, cherimoya (Annona cherimola) is another member of the Annonaceae family. I haven’t seen one but from what I’ve read, it is often mistaken for an anonas. How does it taste, Midge?
Same here Joey! Give me a tropical fruit anyday. Some of my temperate country friends envy me for having all I want of our mangoes, bananas (imagine!), etc.
Hi Maricel, I agree. Closer to atis in taste and texture but very distinct from an atis. I’d venture to say the creaminess is more akin to the durian.
So, is it right that the bark is used to tie up the toes and fingers of patients to ward off evil spirits? I wonder how that started considering the anonas is an ‘imported’ plant. Very interesting!
Hi, Karen. The flavor of cherimoya is similar to atis, only richer.
The skin kinda looks like a fig, but inside seeds are much bigger. Does it taste like a fig at all?
Thanks for the information Midge. The anonas is similar although it’s taste is distinctly not an atis.
Lynn, not a fig at all. Hmmm… how do I describe it? Have you tasted a soursop or a sweetsop/sugar apple? I’m not sure if you get thos in Japan. But the texture is similar to a durian’s.
ate karen, don’t like the taste of this fruit =(
That’s because you want it to taste like an atis, cousin dear! Hahaha! :cat:
Yes, I have had soursops when I lived in Singapore. Oooh, I would love this fruit then! not a fan of durian though.
Karen,
Just to let you know, there was a little blurb on this fruit in the in-flight magazine on my Malaysian airline flight, and they said the English name for it is custard apple.
Hey Lynn! I read it’s known as custard apple but some parts of the English-speaking world use custard apple to the atis or sugar apple/sweetsop. But having tasted both, texture-wise, I think custard apple is better applied to the anonas. :cat:
:cat: it’s kadiri no
É uma das melhores frutas do mundo.
hi everyone,i am from lithuania ir just before few days in our shops i found this strange fruit.hi was green,taste like green nut or something.so maybe you can write to me,waht real colour he is,and taste?becouse i think that in our shops wasnt delicious and real anunas. lialkalia@takas.lt
Hello Gabriele! There are a lot of annona fruits. If it’s green, it could still be unripe. But if it’s green and soft, it could be a soursop or a guanabana (guayabano). Now, if you had a picture… :cat:
Sim Inácio, eu concordo. Obrigado visitando. :cloud9:
thanks for all the other names of the anonas, it’s really a mystery fruit coz you can’t find it in the market.. just visited our farm yesterday, and my dad was really excited coz we’ll go picking anonas.. (if i’m not mistaken, i’ve tasted it 20yrs ago.. kinda excited too..) so in 1 tree, got 10 ripe anonas.. it’s really yummy. Can’t describe it, but you’ll enjoy it! :cloud9:
Bought one, called a Cherimoya, in Publix supermarket in Florida yesterday. It was wonderful.
A year ago, I went to my country. All I wanted was an ANONA, unfortunately they were out of season (it was not August when they are in abundance. After 21 years, I am still craving the YUMMY ANONA.
Can you get Custard Apples in Tenerife?
We tasted them in Maderia 12 years ago! They were delicious!! We are Going to Tenerife on Wednesday 7th March and would like to know before we go and what they would be called there. Please send me an e-mail! Thanks.
E-mailed Margaret and posted her question on food fora I frequent. Since I am in the Philippines and I’ve never been to Tenerife, I didn’t know the answer. But I have it on good authority that custard apples can be found in Tenerife but the fruiting season had to be found.
For updates on this, visit the Book of Rai forum post on custard apple.
How long does a new plant take to mature and bear fruit?
your recipe is queer tasting. i love the taste of the pips on the custard flavoured tree. i remeber when i was young and my mother and i would lick the tree for its flavours.
the fruit of my chilhood was tobacco leaves
I was in Australia last years. Test the frut custard apple as marshmallow, but better
About to taste this friut for the first time….bought it frozen in the local Asain market (for those of you wondering where you might be able to find one)in a small town in Connecticut. I’ll let you know how it goes…..
Interesting….I’m thinking that the freezing of the fruit changes the taste/texture somewhat. Flavor/texture IS similar to marshmallow and it’s juice is really sticky. The name custard apple is very fitting. It’s like a creamy version of the tree fruit. Worth a try!
I was horrified to read that soursop juice, my favorite juice (that I drink daily), may be the cause of a type of incurable parkinson’s desease…
Hi there
I’m from South Africa, and this fruit is very rare here. Some eople haven’t even heard of it. We call it Custard Apples. On the 2 occasions that I’ve had the chance to taste it, it was extremely smooth & creamy. The fruit inside was a soft yellow colour with a sweet smell, and the outside was bright green and not the reddish variety you speak of…
I am from India and that too from a district of custard apple the ” MAHABUGNAGAR “. There we find only Anona squamosa and not Anona reticulata. Atimoya also is not found. Enough research work is going on in Rajendranagar of Hyderabad in Acharya NG Ranga agricultural university. A variety ” BALANAGAR” was identified as a suprior one amongst several others. Red custard apple is also found. In Sholapur of Maharashtra there are varieties with smallest seeds and good taste. Lot of work needs to be done on this fruit, which is quite a nutricious one and comes in poorest soils. Collection and selection of the varieties is the primary work, that is needed to promote the fruit. In America this fruit can’t be grown, because of unsuited weather. Lot of research work is needed in fruit plans, medicinal planta apart from only crops. Farmer must be given enpugh options to earn his bread and live on the standards of other professions, in India. Agriculture needs to be made an industry in all the countries of the world by paying enough attention on research and extention. In fact Extention has not taken a real shape in India so far. That is the main instrument in our small and marginal farming system. Many things need to be told to them, so as to teduce the grave problem of suicides. Suicides is the result of the failure of the Government otherwise Extension system.