—This is a tropical fruit which is grown in large quantities in Cuba, where two varieties are known, differing only in shape, one being round and the other oval. In the Havana markets the latter variety is incorrectly known as the nispero. This name, however, is properly applied to the fruit loquat (Eriobotrya japonica). The fruit is small, weighing usually under two ounces, has a brown or brownish-green color and in general appearance resembles a smooth, dark potato. The skin is thick and coarse in texture, the pulp is yellowish-brown in color, granular in texture, and rich in juice. The odor is characteristic, and the taste is quite sweet. The seeds number from one to five and are contained in a soft open core,—they are of a brownish-black color with a single white stripe. They measure from three-quarters to one inch in length. The fruit comes into use about the first of April and lasts until the end of summer. It is a very popular fruit in summer and deserves more attention in the various markets than it has yet received. The sap of the sapota tree and juice of the green fruit when concentrated furnish the material known as chicle, from which chewing-gum is made. The compositions of the round and long sapota and the natural preserved pulp of the sapota are given in the following table:
Composition of Edible Portion.—
| Edible Portion. | Composition of Edible Portion. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solids. | Total ash. | Acids. | Protein. | Total sugar. | ||
| Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | |
| Round sapota, | 76.40 | 23.07 | 0.384 | 0.132 | 0.350 | 10.85 |
| Long sapota, | 80.90 | 21.01 | .555 | .162 | .650 | 12.76 |
| Natural sapota preserves, | .... | 22.95 | .399 | .086 | .231 | 11.30 |
The sapota is also used in the manufacture of preserves by boiling it with sugar in the usual way. The analyses show that the sapota is a fruit which is principally valuable as a carbohydrate food. It has, however, very little acid, and is a much sweeter fruit than the anona and, therefore, more pleasant to the taste.
Star-apple (Cainito) (Chrysophyllum cainito).
—The star-apple is one of the less important fruits which abound in Cuba. It is not very extensively used, but medicinal properties are attributed to it. Three different varieties are sold in the Havana markets,—one of a white color and two purple. The first attains the size of a small apple, approaching about seven ounces in weight. There are two kinds of meat in the pulp; the outer portion is a white, gelatinous matter which contains the small black seed and is really the edible portion, and constitutes about one-third the weight of the fruit. The outer fibrous and purple portion of the flesh is inedible. The inner pulp has a sweet characteristic flavor and is eaten raw. No preserves were found made of this in Cuban markets. The composition of the white star-apple is shown in the following table:
Composition of Edible Portion
—41.80 percent.—
| Solids, | 14.23 | percent |
| Sugar, | 7.91 | „ |
| Protein, | .67 | „ |
| Ash, | .35 | „ |
| Acidity, | .05 | „ |
These data show that the fruit is not of a very high nutritive order, and on account of its low acidity it is not suitable for the making of preserves.