By ANDREW HOUSMAN
Soursop Fruit Is Hard To Eat But Packs Rewarding Flavor
Soursop, also called guanábana or graviola, is a fruit that is widely popular in Central and South America and in the Caribbean.
Widely grown and consumed in Southeast Asia and North Africa, soursop has a distinct green hue and bumpy outer casting, with a shape that somewhat resembles a pear.
The inside of a soursop is lined with big black seeds, which are removed to reveal a milky white interior that hints at its creamy consistency.
Soursop is too soft to slice and dice like you would with other fruits, like pineapple and watermelon. Instead, you can scoop lumps of it out with a spoon.
This fruit is often described as a cross between pineapple and strawberry but with a citrusy kick. Its taste is a balance between sweet and sour and can be bitter when unripe.
However, its texture has a soft, creamy mouthfeel more akin to bananas than any citrus fruit due to the stringy fibers that make up its inside. That said, it doesn’t lack in juice.
Blending soursop into a beverage or dessert eliminates the mess of scooping its innards out. Champola de guanábana, for example, is a fulfilling blend of soursop, water, and sugar.
Soursop mixes well in concoctions like the soursop punch, in which ingredients like cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla are paired with milk. It also makes for a tasty ice cream flavor.
Soursop ice cream is a popular menu item in Latin American and Caribbean dessert shops. Malaysia and Indonesia make a shaved ice dish called ais kacang, which includes soursop.
Southeast Asian cuisine has also grown accustomed to turning the fruit into a jelly called dodol. Additionally, soursop jam is commonly found across locales that grow the fruit.