What is the difference between saramuyo, cherimoya and soursop?

All three belong to the Annonaceae family. The saramuyo (Annona squamosa) has a scaly green skin with segments and very sweet white pulp. The soursop (Annona muricata) is large with a spiny green skin and acidic fibrous pulp. The cherimoya (Annona cherimola) has a smooth green skin with soft scales and creamy pulp with a more balanced flavour between sweet and sour.

What does saramuyo taste like?

The saramuyo has a very sweet, fragrant and creamy flavour, with notes reminiscent of custard, vanilla and apple. The pulp is soft and dissolves in the mouth like a natural dessert, with no perceptible acidity. It is considered one of the sugariest Annonaceae, which is why it is preferred to be eaten fresh or in ice creams.

How is saramuyo eaten?

It is cut in half and the pulp is eaten with a spoon, spitting out the black inedible seeds. In Yucatecan cuisine, fresh water, artisanal ice creams, ice lollies, sorbets, mousses and dessert fillings are prepared. Saramuyo ice cream from Mérida is especially famous. It must be eaten ripe to appreciate its full sweetness.

Where does saramuyo originate?

It is native to the Antilles and tropical America, with an ancestral presence in Mesoamerica. The Maya knew it as 'tsalmuy' or 'dzalmuy' and grew it in their household plots. During the colonial period it spread to Asia and Africa. In Mexico it is mainly grown in Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz within the traditional system of the Maya household plot.

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Saramuyo: the sweet fruit of south-eastern Mexico

What is it?

The saramuyo (Annona squamosa), also known as sugar apple, anona, ate or azucarón, is a tropical fruit of the family Annonaceae, a relative of cherimoya and soursop. It has a scaly green skin formed by prominent segments and a very sweet, fragrant white pulp with a soft texture surrounding shiny black seeds. In Mexico it is mainly grown in Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz, where it ripens between July and September. It is eaten fresh as a table fruit and used in fruit waters, ice lollies, ice creams and atoles, and also plays a relevant role in Yucatecan dessert cooking. It is one of the traditional fruits of the Maya household plot and retains high cultural value in the south-east.

Origin and history

The saramuyo is native to the Antilles and tropical areas of America, naturalised in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún recorded several Annonaceae in the Florentine Codex under Nahuatl names such as 'tzapotl', and the Maya knew them as 'tsalmuy' or 'dzalmuy', from which the current Spanish Yucatecan name 'saramuyo' derives. The species Annona squamosa spread through the Caribbean and tropical America from pre-Columbian times, and the Spanish took it to Asia and Africa during the colonial period, where it is now widely grown. CONABIO records it as a naturalised species with traditional cultivation in Maya family orchards and CONABIO Trees describes its early domestication. Larousse Cocina documents it as a key fruit of the Yucatecan recipe collection and México Desconocido includes it among the traditional Annonaceae of south-eastern Mexico alongside the cherimoya and the soursop.

Characteristic ingredients

The saramuyo tree is small, 3 to 7 metres tall, with alternate leaves and small greenish flowers. The fruit is spherical or ovoid, measures 6-10 cm and has a green skin with scaly segments that separate on ripening. The pulp is white or slightly yellowish, sweet, creamy and very fragrant; it contains natural sugars, vitamin C, iron, phosphorus and antioxidants. Each segment of pulp encloses a shiny black inedible seed. Variants exist with pinkish pulp and others more acidic depending on the region. To eat it, the fruit is broken in half and the pulp is eaten with a spoon, spitting out the seeds. In cooking, fresh water is prepared by blending the pulp with water and sugar, artisanal ice creams, sorbets, ice lollies, mousses and dessert fillings. It must be distinguished from the red anón or 'anona' (Annona reticulata) and from the cherimoya (Annona cherimola), close relatives with different flavours and appearances.

Cultural significance

The saramuyo forms part of the gastronomic heritage of south-eastern Mexico and especially of Yucatecan cooking, where it is used in markets such as Lucas de Gálvez in Mérida and in traditional ice-cream, ice-lolly and dessert establishments. On the peninsula it maintains strong roots in the Maya household plot, an agroforestry system of family orchards recognised as biocultural heritage by SADER and CONABIO. It does not have a denomination of origin, but it is among the Mexican Annonaceae with underused commercial potential. The artisanal ice-cream parlours of Mérida and Campeche, such as the legendary Colón, have popularised saramuyo ice cream as a distinctive regional flavour. The fruit also has uses in traditional Maya medicine and appears in stories from the Yucatecan countryside as a backyard tree associated with abundance. Its seasonal character and the difficulty of transporting it because of its fragility give it a very specific regional value, hard to reproduce outside the south-east.

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

We are preparing recipes for this guide. Check back soon.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between saramuyo, cherimoya and soursop?: All three belong to the Annonaceae family. The saramuyo (Annona squamosa) has a scaly green skin with segments and very sweet white pulp. The soursop (Annona muricata) is large with a spiny green skin and acidic fibrous pulp. The cherimoya (Annona cherimola) has a smooth green skin with soft scales and creamy pulp with a more balanced flavour between sweet and sour.
What does saramuyo taste like?: The saramuyo has a very sweet, fragrant and creamy flavour, with notes reminiscent of custard, vanilla and apple. The pulp is soft and dissolves in the mouth like a natural dessert, with no perceptible acidity. It is considered one of the sugariest Annonaceae, which is why it is preferred to be eaten fresh or in ice creams.
How is saramuyo eaten?: It is cut in half and the pulp is eaten with a spoon, spitting out the black inedible seeds. In Yucatecan cuisine, fresh water, artisanal ice creams, ice lollies, sorbets, mousses and dessert fillings are prepared. Saramuyo ice cream from Mérida is especially famous. It must be eaten ripe to appreciate its full sweetness.
Where does saramuyo originate?: It is native to the Antilles and tropical America, with an ancestral presence in Mesoamerica. The Maya knew it as 'tsalmuy' or 'dzalmuy' and grew it in their household plots. During the colonial period it spread to Asia and Africa. In Mexico it is mainly grown in Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz within the traditional system of the Maya household plot.