Cherimoya - WikiHQ

The cherimoya (Annona cherimola), also spelled cherimoyer and chirimoya, and called chirimuya by the Quechua people, is a species of edible fruit-bearing plant in the genus Annona, within the family Annonaceae, which also includes the closely related sweetsop and soursop. Native to mountainous regions of Honduras and Guatemala, the plant has a long history of cultivation in the Andes and Central America.

Today the cherimoya is grown in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, including Central America, northern South America, southern California, South Asia, Australia, the Mediterranean region, and North Africa. American writer Mark Twain called the cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men". The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, the custard apple.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Quechua word ', which means "cold seeds". The plant grows at high altitudes, where the weather is colder, and the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes.

briefly deciduous

but mostly evergreen, low-branched, spreading tree The leathery leaves are long wide,

Fruits

thumb|right|Ripe cherimoya fruits

thumb|right|Split cherimoya fruit

The edible cherimoya fruit is a large, green, conical Moreover, an extract of the bark can induce paralysis if injected.</blockquote>

Because the beetle pollinators are not strong fliers, their entire lifecycle must be facilitated onsite in both orchard and forest restoration settings. The flower itself offers the ideal copulation chamber after beetles enter during the female (earliest) stage. At the inner base of the petals are nutritious tissues called "power bodies" on which the beetles feed until the male stage peaks. Exiting the flower at that time, pollen attaches to the bodies of the beetles, which they carry to yet another flower in its female stage. There, another round of feeding and possible copulation ensues.

Climate requirements

In the tropics the cherimoya grows at altitudes of , requiring warm-temperate conditions throughout the year, only tolerating occasional light frosts. In Guatemala the tree thrives at elevations of with of rainfall with a pronounced dry season.

Cultivation

In Chile, it has traditionally been cultivated in the valleys and oases of the north, as far south as the valley of Aconcagua.

In the Mediterranean region, it is cultivated mainly in southern Spain and Madeira, where it enjoys protected designation of origin status, where it was introduced between 1751 and 1797, while the plant has been considered shade-tolerant in Japan. In 2001, a study conducted by Kyoto University showed shading of 50–70% sunlight was adequate to obtain an optimal light environment.

Cultivars

The cherimoya of the Granada-Málaga tropical coast in Spain is a fruit of the cultivar 'Fino de Jete' with the EU's protected designation of origin appellation. 'Fino de Jete' fruits have skin type Impressa and are smooth or slightly concave at the edges. The fruit is round, oval, heart-shaped, or kidney-shaped. The seeds are enclosed in the carpels and so do not detach easily. The flavor balances intense sweetness with slight acidity and the soluble sugar content exceeds 17° Bx. This variety is prepared and packed in the geographical area because "it is a very delicate perishable fruit and its skin is very susceptible to browning caused by mechanical damage, such as rubbing, knocks, etc. The fruit must be handled with extreme care, from picking by hand in the field to packing in the warehouse, which must be carried out within 24 hours. Repacking or further handling is strictly forbidden."

Harvest

Large fruits which are uniformly green, without cracks or mostly browned skin, are best. The optimum temperature for storage is , depending on cultivar, ripeness stage, and duration, with an optimum relative humidity of 90–95%.

Fruits require storage at to inhibit softening and maintain edibility. The fruit can be chilled and eaten with a spoon, which has earned it another nickname, the "ice cream fruit". In Chile and Peru, it is commonly used in ice creams and yogurt.

When the fruit is ripe and still has the fresh, fully mature green-yellow skin color, the texture is like that of a soft ripe pear or papaya. The World Intellectual Property Organization has defined these collective marks as "signs which distinguish the geographical origin, material, mode of manufacturing or other common characteristics of goods or services of different enterprises using the collective mark." The owner of a collective mark are members of an association of such enterprises.

Cumbe is a valley in the Huarochiri province of Peru where the climatic conditions are favourable for growing chirimoya. The fruit produced in the Cumbe valley is considered of superior quality, with a large fruit size, soft skin, low seed index (number of seeds per 100 grams of fruit), and high nutrient value.

In 1997, Matildo Pérez, a peasant from a village community in the heights of Lima, decided to apply personally to the National Institute for the Defense of Competition and Intellectual Property of Peru (INDECOPI) for the registration of the trademark "Chirimoya Cumbe." The application was refused since no exclusive rights in generic names can be granted to a single person. Mr. Pérez appeared at INDECOPI again, this time with a delegation headed by the Deputy Mayor of Cumbe, to register the "Chirimoya Cumbe" as a trademark which would give the community in Lima exclusive rights with respect to the name "Cumbe".

The INDECOPI officials explained that "Chirimoya Cumbe" is in fact an appellation of origin, not a trademark. To be more precise, the word "Cumbe" is an appellation of Peruvian origin, because the valley of Cumbe is a geographical area that gives certain distinctive properties to the Chirimoya grown there.

The people of Cumbe declined the proposition of appellation of origin: "It is said that with appellations of origin the State is the owner, and it is the State that authorizes use, and that is why we are saying no. We do not want the State to be the owner of the 'Cumbe' name."

After lengthy search for solutions, it was suggested that "Chirimoya Cumbe" should be registered as a "collective mark", the owners of which would be the people of Cumbe and which would be used according to rules that they themselves would lay down.

In 2022, the name "Chirimoya Cumbe" has its own characteristic logo and is registered as a collective mark in the name of the village of Santo Toribio de Cumbe (in Class 31 of the International Classification).

Gallery

Image:Cherimoya_plantage_hg.jpg|Plantation in southern Andalucia

File:Annona cherimola seeds - (2).jpg|Cherimoya seeds

Image:Chirimoyamuseolarco.jpg|Moche ceramic cherimoya, 200 BC, Larco Museum Collection in Lima

Image:Cherimoya bottle Cupisnique pre-columbian santiago.JPG|Cherimoya-shaped bottle made by the Cupisnique culture on the coast of what is now Peru

Image:Annona cherimola fruit, Pedra Bela, Brazil.jpg|Cherimoya fruit cultivated in Pedra Bela, São Paulo, Brazil

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References

External links

California Rare Fruit Growers article on cherimoya