Star Apple (Vú Sữa)

Star apple is a fruit commonly grown in the orchards of central and southern parts of Vietnam, though the most famous ones are located in Can Tho Province in the Mekong Delta. The fruit appears round with a smooth texture that is often green or violet. But when cut open, it reveals a fragrant white flesh resembling the shape of a star, of which how it is named after. The fruit’s Vietnamese name, Vu Sua (meaning milk from the breast), is owed to the milky sweet juice contained in its flesh.

The star apple could be eaten in many ways. A simple way would be to peel the fruit with a sharp knife and take bitefuls from it, careful not to swallow its seeds. But this may cause most of its sweet-tasting juice to be wasted. Cutting up the fruit into two parts and using spoon to scoop out the pulp carefully is less messy and saves its precious juice for you to enjoy. Orchard growers eat the fruit as a whole by first squeezing it until it becomes tender and that the juice mixes up with its meat. They then drill a small hole on top of the fruit and drink the flow of mixed-up meat and sweet juice.