The custard apple is a fruit of tropical origin, more or less round-shaped and netted green skin, consumed for its white, sweet and very aromatic pulp. It is usually eaten raw, although they are also used in jams, milkshakes or ice creams. It is rich in vitamins and minerals.

The custard apple is recommended to people with cardiac, hepatic or kidney problems, since it has a high content in water and low fat levels.

It is also indicated in slimming diets, since it is low in calories, although more than other fleshy fruits. Moreover, it is easy to digest.

The custard apple is a tropical fruit, oval, conical, spherical or heart-shaped, 7.5-12.5cm of length and between 150g and 1kg of weight. It has a netted, green-coloured skin. The white pulp is fleshy, sweet, very aromatic and of sweet and somewhat acid taste. It contains multiple squashed seeds of black colour and 1cm long.

It is native to the Andes, from where it spread to Central America and some Mediterranean countries.

It is usually consumed fresh. It is also added to fruit salads and sherbets and it may be used to make jams, milkshakes or ice creams.

The custard apple is rich in vitamins and minerals. It stands out for its content in vitamin A and C, phosphorus and calcium. It is suitable for people with cardiac, hepatic or kidney problems.

The custard apple tree is a small tree, that grows up to 5m high at the most. The leaves, deciduous, are elliptical and somewhat hairy on the reverse.

The custard apple fruit belongs to the family of Annonaceae, and its scientific name is Annona cherimola.

The plant is a small deciduous tree with low ramifications. The leaves are elliptical, sometimes slightly rounded, 8-12cm long by 4-6cm wide.

The inflorescences are alone or in groups of 2 or 3, on the leaves axils. The are formed by three fleshy petals of a cream green colour that surround a cone containing from 100 to 200 small flowers.

The fruit is a berry with multiple black seeds. Actually, it is a multiple fruit, that is to say, the many small fruits that join one to the other, forming what we know as custard apple.

This plant is of subtropical origin, reason why it requires climates free of great thermal oscillations; it does not withstand frosts. In many areas where it has been introduced, it has been necessary to carry out artificial pollination, to make the culture profitable, obtaining a large number of fruits.