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Soursop: The Prickly Fruit with Custardy Insides

Also known as guanabana or graviola, this prickly tree fruit is filled with pillowy soft flesh that has a delightfully fruity flavor.

What does soursop taste like?

Soursop has a bright musky flavor. It’s sweet with the citrusy taste of pineapples and strawberries and the creaminess of coconut. The flesh is buttery soft and thick with a creamy white color. Its texture is deeply reminiscent of vanilla custard, so it’s fitting that the fruit is nicknamed prickly custard apple.

How to Buy Ripe Soursop?

Selecting ripe soursop makes all the difference when it comes to taste and texture; underripe soursop is significantly more sour with less tender flesh. Luckily, the fruit can be ripened off the tree, so you can still enjoy any underripe soursop you buy if you wait a few days.

Image Credit: Flickr user missmeng ( CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 )

If you’re looking for ripe soursop, find one that has yellowish-green skin. The flesh under the skin should give slightly when pressed, but shouldn’t feel too mushy.

Leafy green soursops aren’t quite ready, but can still be ripened by keeping it whole in the fridge. Soursop ripened this way will develop a darker green color but should still have the same flavor and texture as tree-ripened ones.

Image Credit: Najib Zamri from Pixabay 

Soursop Uses

Soursop is generally eaten as is, but there are also a lot of delicious ways to incorporate it into your cooking.

Soursop’s creamy texture and fruity flavor make it an excellent choice for smoothies, ice cream, and mousse. The fruit is also commonly made into an iced drink. Countries that produce the fruit, like the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and Indonesia all have variations of soursop shakes featuring ice, sugar, and sometimes milk.

Soursop’s citrusy flavor adds some extra brightness to creamy desserts while its naturally milky undertone keeps it from overpowering other elements in the dish.

If you’re lucky enough to have this custardy fruit at home, feel free to experiment with different ways to incorporate it into your desserts and drinks. We think soursop would be lovely whisked into this crema Catalana or blended with some homemade nut milk.

Feature Image: Flickr user John Loo ( CC BY 2.0 )

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