History of Sapodilla fruit

The sapodilla plant is believed to have originated in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, northern Belize and northeast Guatemala.

Although the genus is cultivated widely for its fruit it is the taping of its trunk for the production of chicle for which the tree is most renowned.

Mesoamerican Indians used this latex for chewing gum, as did early manufacturers of chewing gum in the United States.

The ancient Maya used the timber of the sapodilla tree in the construction of their temples. Intact sapodilla timbers have been found as support beams in Mayan temple ruins. T

he plant was highly prized by the Aztecs, who called the fruit ‘tzapod’ from which the Spanish derived the name sapodilla.

American Indians ate the sweet, brown-colored fruits from tree produces.

The sapodilla was introduced into the Philippines by the Spanish. The Spanish prized it for its sweetness. 

Linnaeus first published the species description in 1753 in Species Plantarum.
History of Sapodilla fruit