Neua (ନେଉଆ) or Custard Apple

Custard Apple

According to Wiktionary, Neua (Odia: ନେଉଆ) is a kind of apple; the bullock's heart; Anone Raticulate. This is also called Custard Apple by English people.

This fruit is also known as Sitaphala (Odia: ସୀତାଫଳ) or Aata (Odia: ଆତ), belongs to the genus Annona of the Annonaceae family.

According to a news article on the Telegraph India, there are five fruits in this family that are edible and hence significant: The Custard Apple, Bullock’s Heart which is also known as Ramphal and Nonaphal, Sour Sop (also known as Ramphal), Cherimoyer (Hanumanphal) and Ilama. 

Neua - ନେଉଆ

The same article also says that all of these originated in America and their arrival in India is a much-debated topic. When the Portuguese came to India they brought these fruits with them, but it is likely that Neua was already growing in India by then since it finds mention in Ain-e-Akbari, the 16th-century documentation of Mughal emperor Akbar’s kingdom. It is also seen in the paintings of Ajanta and in the sculptures of Mathura.

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