During this first week of 2012, my family and I are on vacation in Costa Rica, which affords me a good opportunity to try several new species of tropical fruit. Since I'm not entirely sure that I will actually be able to find 365 different species of plant in my local supermarket, Central America also gives me a chance to get off to a good running start.
At breakfast this morning my sister, Erin, gleefully presented me with a large green fruit roughly the size and shape of a football. My first species: A. muricata, known in English as the 'soursop.' I prefer its Spanish name though - guanábana - mostly because it's more fun to say.
I dug in to to the prickly skin with a butcher's knife. The fruit cut easily, revealing a snowy white flesh interspersed with black seeds, similar in size and shape to a kidney bean. Soursops are closely related to cherimoya, another fruit popular in Latin America. They are somewhat more distantly related to paw-paws, a native fruit that was once widely cultivated in North America, but has in recent years passed out of flavor.
Guanábana's story as a food plant is similar to many other tropical fruits: from its origin in Meso-America it spread along global trade routes to tropical countries around the world. Its range is primarily limited by the fact that A. muricata doesn't tolerate temperatures much below 40F degree.
As far back at the 1960's, though, Nestle identified guanábana - along with guava and passionfruit - as one of the lesser-known tropical fruits that would be “most promising for the European market.” (Morton, Julia. Fruits of warm climates).
It's easy to see why. Guanábana has a delicate, sweet flavor that tastes pleasantly familiar - even on the first bite. They can be served fresh or pulped and used in a variety of food products. During our week in Costa Rica, we sampled guanábana yogurt, guanábana nectar and guanábana smoothies. Its most popular use throughout the Carribean basin, though, is definitely in juices and sodas.
Despite its popularity in tropical countries, guanábana remains relatively obscure in North America and Europe. I'm not sure that I can really say why. Getting past the name 'soursop' might help.
My advice: the next time you see one in the grocery store, put it in your cart, proudly announce to any skeptical family members that it a guanábana, and enjoy!
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