This month, I bring to you a very special fruit: Sawo. Known by many names in many countries (sapodilla, zapote, naseberry, etc.), this deceptive little fruit first crossed my path over a year ago. I was completing my practicum teaching at an agricultural-vocational high school (part of my Peace Corps training) when some students shyly approached me with a package of these fruits: their class project and harvest. Small, brown, and oblongly-round, at first glance I thought they were potatoes. But oh, they were so much more.
I purchased the humble-looking fruits after being assured that they were definitely not potatoes, but something “sweet and delicious.” And thus started yet another of my Indonesian addictions.
When ripe, sawo fruit has a slight grittiness (akin to a pear, but much juicier). It is soft, sweet, and, according to Wikipedia, malty. I’ve had my fair share of malted milk balls, malted milk shakes, and other forms of malted beverages, and wouldn’t quite use that term to describe this fruit.
To me, sawo are more like brown-sugar in fruit form. Imagine having a tree in your backyard that grows slices of pecan pie, and you might understand the wonder I feel towards sawo.
Although not native to Indonesia, sawo abound in their deceptive, lackluster wrappings. And they will always be a symbol for my experience here on Java – a hidden sweetness in humble surroundings, a reminder to allow ourselves to indulge and be surprised.
Worth a Journey 