Cupuassu

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Botanical Name: Theobroma grandiflorum
Common Names: Cupuassu
Region of Origin: Brasil
Propagation: seed

Description: chocolate relative but with flesh instead of beans. beans can however be made into a delicious chocolate drink called cupulate.

the ripe fruit has a banana bubblegum scent to it even through the solid wood exterior of the fruit. you can either saw the fruit open or what they do in south america is crack it open on a hard surface like a rock or on the ground.

inside you have cylindrical shaped ball of fruit. you use sharp scissors to cut the pulp off the seeds and discard the small amounts of string. the pulp is actually the aril of the seed like with a jackfruit.

cupuassu blended with vanilla ice cream tastes delicious. also im told a milkshake made with soy milk, honey and vanilla extract tastes delicious.

the fruit is a variation on the melon flavor and i imagine it would be hugely successful if it were grown in asia. sort of a melon flavor with a tang like pineapple.

the seeds can be left in a glass of water to ferment for a day or two to soften the pulp so it can be washed off. sprouts readily from seed. seedlings look similar to cacao but with new growth as velvety red leaves. very attractive plant.

susceptible to witch's broom disease
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/cocoa/witchbrm.htm

References:

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/cupuassu.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-372.html