Sugar apple facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sugar apple
Scientific classification

The sugar apple (Annona squamosa) is a sweet and tasty fruit that grows in warm, tropical places. It is a type of fruit that belongs to the Annonaceae family, which includes many other interesting fruits. The sugar apple is a relative of the custard apple, but it grows even better in hot, low-lying tropical areas.

What is a Sugar Apple?

The sugar apple is known by many names around the world, like sweetsop or anon. It gets its name because it is very sweet, almost like it's full of sugar! The fruit has a unique look, with a bumpy, scaly skin that can be green or reddish-purple.

Where Sugar Apples Grow

Sugar apples originally came from the tropical parts of the Americas, like the West Indies and Central America. Today, they are grown in many warm countries around the world. You can find them in places like India, the Philippines, Thailand, and even parts of Africa and Australia. They love sunshine and warm weather.

What Sugar Apples Look Like

A sugar apple is usually round or heart-shaped. It can be about the size of a tennis ball or a bit larger. The outside skin is made up of many lumpy segments that look like scales. When the fruit is ripe, these segments start to separate slightly, making it easy to break open.

Inside the Fruit

When you open a sugar apple, you'll find a creamy, white, or light yellow pulp inside. This pulp is very soft and sweet. It has a custard-like texture. Inside the pulp, there are many shiny, dark brown or black seeds. These seeds are not eaten.

How to Eat a Sugar Apple

Eating a sugar apple is quite simple. First, make sure the fruit is ripe. You can tell it's ripe when it feels soft to the touch, similar to a ripe avocado. The skin might also start to crack open slightly.

Enjoying the Fruit

You can gently pull the segments of the skin apart with your hands. Then, you can scoop out the sweet pulp with a spoon. Be careful to spit out the seeds, as they are not meant to be eaten. Many people enjoy sugar apples fresh, right out of the skin.

Taste and Uses

The taste of a sugar apple is very sweet and tropical. Some people say it tastes like a mix of pineapple, mango, and vanilla custard. It's often eaten as a snack or dessert. Sometimes, the pulp is used to make smoothies, ice cream, or other sweet treats.

Images for kids

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  Michał Boym's drawing of, probably, the sugar-apple in his Flora Sinensis (1655)

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  Sugar apple growing on a tree

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  Sugar apple in Tamil Nadu, India

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  Sugar apple (right), with Taiwanese "pineapple shijia" (atemoya) (left)

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  The sugar apple readily breaks open when ripe.

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  A deconstruction of a sugar apple, showing a lobe of fruit and pulpy segments with seeds.

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  A sugar apple ready to eat

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  Red Sugar Apples from Myanmar

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  Sugar apples in Taitung, Taiwan

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  A sugar apple in Goiânia, Brazil

See also

In Spanish: Anón para niños