She had been both amused and aghast when I had declined her gur daru in favour of a fruit wine that has just earned her village a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. I had bumped into her, curious about a glass of chikoo wine, while she had been busy preparing a pela of kali gur daru (a glass of black jaggery alcohol). It had taken me across a chikoo orchard to Jyostna's humble abode, situated in one of the parijaat-laden pada (a cluster of village). Sindh might have varieties that can produce quality fruit, not only for home consumption, but also for export to earn foreign exchange like other Chiku producing countries."Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated," Jyostna reminds me as I examine the heap of black jaggery evaporating from a copper pan on a chulha (traditional stove that uses cow dung as fuel.)Įarlier in the morning, I had walked across a narrow mud street from my homestay. Chiku research is in the "offing" in Sindh at the Horticultural Research Institute, Mirpurkhas and a research station has also been established at Thatta, where the research has given encouraging results. But in Pakistan it is cultivated as a small fruit crop. Seed paste is applied to the stings and insect bites for relief.Ĭhiku is a big fruit crop in many countries of the world. Folic acid helps in the formation of red blood cells. Chiku has haemostatic qualities, decreases blood loss in the piles and other internal injuries. Tannins in the Chiku fruit treat the piles. High content of fiber in Chiku keeps digestion good. The milky latex prevents colon cancer and is also used by the dental Surgeons for filling the dental cavities.Ĭhiku is astringent, tonic and febrifuge, Eating Chiku not only relieves in nose-blockages, but also sooths agitated nerves and helps in nose-blockages and anti-inflammatory, cure cold, cough and diarrhea, ailments. Chiku is an excellent source of protein, fiber, phosphorus, calcium, iron, selenium, pantothenic acid and zinc that keep our body in good health. Vitamin C aids in the night vision, keeps bones, joints, teeth, gums healthy and also protects from the infections. Vitamin A in it, keeps the skin, mucous membrane healthy and protects the lungs from cancer. The "gummy" latex called "Chicle" is used to make chewing-gum, and the chocolates.Ĭhiku has a vast array of nutrients. Young shoots of the Chiku plant and leaves steamed with rice are very fondly eaten in Indonesia. Chiku is also used to make a kind of wine in Trinidad. Chiku also provides raw material for the manufacture of industrial glucose and is canned like the pineapple slices. It also flavours cold drinks, milk-shakes, confectionaries, cakes, jams, jellies, ice-cream and snacks. Chiku is a table fruit and is served as a dessert. The milky latex also starts disappearing as the fruit is ripening. On ripening the fruit skin turns brown and the fruit becomes a bit soft with 3-4 seeds embedded in the pulp which are easily separated from the flesh, when the flesh of the fruit is scooped out with a spoon. The Chiku plant flowers all over the year and fruits twice a year once from May to September and again from December to March. The Oval variety has an edge over the Round and is more sweet and fragrant. Only 2 varieties are under cultivation, viz, Oval and the Round. In Sindh, it is cultivated in Karachi, Malir, Thatta, Hyderabad, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas districts. In Pakistan, Chiku is cultivated in the coastal areas of Balochistan viz, Hub, Kathore and Windor. The important Chiku growing countries in the world are: India, Africa, Thailand, the West Indies, Indonesia, Tropical America, Bangladesh, the Bahamas and the southern Florida. Sandy, clayey and loamy soils are considered as the best for its cultivation. The Chiku tree can attain a height of 30 meters and is highly resistant to gusty winds and soil salinity. The seeds are inedible due to the higher content of Saponins and tannins, which make it extremely pungent. The seeds are black, glossy and hard to press. Asexual means of propagation like grafting, budding and air-layering have given best results and also fruit much earlier. It is native to the eastern Mexico, Central American rain-forest and the Caribbean.Ĭhiku is propagated from the seed, but seed-born trees take long to fruit. It is a member of family Sapotaceae and fruits abundantly. It is also popularly called as Sapota, Sapodilla and Zapota. Chiku is the most delicious fruit of an American tropical ever-green and long-lived tree Sapota Arachis L.
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