A large, round, fuzzy-skinned fruit (also called cotton fruit) with thick rind and soft, cottony white pulp surrounding several seeds. Sweet-sour and aromatic, eaten fresh, candied, or made into a tart relish.
Santol joins the diaspora's expanding fruit vocabulary as a high-fiber, vitamin-C tropical option whose traditional medicine reputation runs deep across Southeast Asia.
Santol pulp is high in fiber and pectin, supporting digestion and steady blood sugar, and carries vitamin C and a notable iron content for a fruit. The bark and roots are rich in triterpenoids (sandoricic acid, koetjapic acid) studied for anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity in traditional medicine. The thick rind is sometimes simmered into a sweet-sour preserve. As fresh fruit, santol is moderate in sugar and high enough in fiber to be a reasonable choice for blood-sugar awareness.
Peel the thick rind (or cut around it) to reach the cottony pulp clinging to the seeds. Suck the sweet-sour pulp off the seeds — do not swallow the seeds. The rind can be candied or cooked into chutney.
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