Fruits of Viet Nam: Custard Apple (Mãng Cầu)

There are two kinds of custard apples grown in Viet Nam, a firm variety and the other one, soft. Custard apples could vary in shape regardless of its variety, and its fruit could be round, oval shaped or irregular. The fruit has a green peel which is rough to the touch, enclosing white milky pulps with a sweet pleasant flavour. Numerous black pips are scattered throughout the flesh. A custard apple is easy to peel when it’s ripe. To eat the custard apple, slice the fruit into pieces or peel it, or you could even break it open by hand, then use a spoon to eat the flesh. Both the seeds and skin are inedible and should be discarded.

A custard apple tree starts growing fruits once it has matured, usually after three or four years of growth. In Vietnam, these fruits are abundant during the months of July, but not all ripen at the same time. The firm varieties are densely grown in the south, mainly in Ninh Thuan and Ba Ria areas.