Atemoya
Encyclopedia
The atemoya, Annona × atemoya, is a hybrid of two fruit
s – the sugar apple (Annona squamosa
) and the cherimoya
(Annona cherimola
) – which are both native to the American tropics. This fruit is popular in Taiwan
, where it is known as the "pineapple sugar apple" (鳳梨釋迦), and is sometimes mistaken for a cross between the sugar apple and the pineapple
. In Cuba
this fruit is called anón, and in Venezuela
chirimorinon. In Palestine
and Lebanon
, the fruit is called achta and is used in many Lebanese desserts
, including ice cream
.
An atemoya is normally heart-shaped or rounded, with pale-green, easily bruised, bumpy skin. It is very juicy and smooth, with the white flesh tasting slightly sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of a piña colada
. The taste also resembles vanilla
from its sugar apple parent. There are many inedible, toxic
black seed
s throughout the flesh of the atemoya. When ripe, the fruit can be scooped out of the shell and eaten chilled.
Atemoya (Annona cherimola × squamosa) was developed by crossing cherimoya (Annona cherimola) with sugar apple (Annona squamosa).
The first cross was made in 1908 by P.J. Wester, a horticulturist at the USDA’s Subtropical Laboratory in Miami
.
The resulting fruits were of superior quality to the sugar apple and were given the name "atemoya", a combination of "ate", an old Mexican name for sugar apple, and "moya" from cherimoya.
Subsequently, in 1917, Edward Simmons at Miami’s Plant Introduction Station successfully grew hybrids that survived a drop in temperature to 26.5ºF, showing atemoya’s hardiness derived from one of its parents, the cherimoya.
The atemoya, like other Annona trees, bears protogynous flowers that are hermaphroditic, and self pollination is rare. Therefore, artificial, hand pollination almost always guarantees superior quality fruits. One variety, 'Geffner', produces well without hand pollination. Atemoyas are sometimes misshapen, underdeveloped on one side, as the result of inadequate pollination.
An atemoya flower, in its female stage, opens between 2:00 and 4:00 pm; between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the following afternoon, the flower converts to its male stage.
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s – the sugar apple (Annona squamosa
Annona squamosa
Annona squamosa a small well-branched tree or shrub that bears edible fruits called sugar-apple, species of the genus Annona and member of the family Annonaceae more willing to grow at lower altitudes than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola making it the most widely cultivated of...
) and the cherimoya
Cherimoya
The Cherimoya is the fruit of the species Annona cherimola, which is native to the Andes. Today they are grown throughout South and Central America.-Description:...
(Annona cherimola
Annona cherimola
Annona cherimola , and originally called Chirimuya by the Inca people who lived where it was growing in the Andes of South America, is an edible fruit bearing species of the genus Annona from the family Annonaceae is now widely cultivated mostly for its sweet fruits that share the name...
) – which are both native to the American tropics. This fruit is popular in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, where it is known as the "pineapple sugar apple" (鳳梨釋迦), and is sometimes mistaken for a cross between the sugar apple and the pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
. In Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
this fruit is called anón, and in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
chirimorinon. In Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, the fruit is called achta and is used in many Lebanese desserts
Lebanese cuisine
Lebanese cuisine includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb on the coast and goat meat in the mountain regions...
, including ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
.
An atemoya is normally heart-shaped or rounded, with pale-green, easily bruised, bumpy skin. It is very juicy and smooth, with the white flesh tasting slightly sweet and a little tart, reminiscent of a piña colada
Piña Colada
The piña colada is a sweet, rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. It may be garnished with a pineapple wedge or a maraschino cherry or both...
. The taste also resembles vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
from its sugar apple parent. There are many inedible, toxic
Toxicity
Toxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
black seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s throughout the flesh of the atemoya. When ripe, the fruit can be scooped out of the shell and eaten chilled.
Atemoya (Annona cherimola × squamosa) was developed by crossing cherimoya (Annona cherimola) with sugar apple (Annona squamosa).
The first cross was made in 1908 by P.J. Wester, a horticulturist at the USDA’s Subtropical Laboratory in Miami
Chapman Field (Miami)
Chapman Field is a facility of the US government in South Miami-Dade county. Dating from 1898, it is one of the oldest entities in South Florida. Its official title is the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station of the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture...
.
The resulting fruits were of superior quality to the sugar apple and were given the name "atemoya", a combination of "ate", an old Mexican name for sugar apple, and "moya" from cherimoya.
Subsequently, in 1917, Edward Simmons at Miami’s Plant Introduction Station successfully grew hybrids that survived a drop in temperature to 26.5ºF, showing atemoya’s hardiness derived from one of its parents, the cherimoya.
The atemoya, like other Annona trees, bears protogynous flowers that are hermaphroditic, and self pollination is rare. Therefore, artificial, hand pollination almost always guarantees superior quality fruits. One variety, 'Geffner', produces well without hand pollination. Atemoyas are sometimes misshapen, underdeveloped on one side, as the result of inadequate pollination.
An atemoya flower, in its female stage, opens between 2:00 and 4:00 pm; between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on the following afternoon, the flower converts to its male stage.