History

The native of custard apple is said to be West Indies, but the fruit was carried through Central America to southern Mexico. For a long time, the custard apple was grown and naturalized in countries like Peru and Brazil. Evidence suggests that these fruits have been cultivated in the Bahamas, Bermuda and southern Florida. This fruit quickly spread across tropical Africa around the 17th century and was grown in South Africa as a dooryard fruit tree. In India, the custard apple was prevalent in parts of Kolkata.