Skip to Content

Tropical Delight: What Does Soursop Taste Like?

Soursop is a tropical fruit that has been consumed for centuries in the Caribbean region.

It’s one of the most popular fruits in Jamaica where locals consume it by the gallon during the summer months.

It’s also known as “guanabana” or “Graviola.”

They’re dark green, have bumpy skin, and are about the size of an apple.

If you’ve never tried soursop before, this blog post will tell you what does soursop taste like so you can decide if it’s something you want to try.

What is Soursop?

Soursop or Graviola is a fruit that has been used as medicine in many parts of the world for generations.

It contains an enzyme called Annonaceous acetogenins, which inhibits cancer cells from growing and multiplying.

It is native to tropical regions of the world, including the Caribbean and South America.

The Latin name for this tree goes by Annona muricata.

The fruit is a large green oval when mature with white flesh inside that has an acidic flavor reminiscent of lemon or pineapple-like fruits such as guava.

The soursop fruit undergoes a significant color change, the spines soften and swell as it ripens.

Ripe fruit will be about four to five days after being picked from the tree; which is when maximum flavor develops before becoming over-ripe.

The trees will produce year-round but the peak season is from May to July.

The leaves of this plant have also long been brewed into a tea to make an herbal infusion with purported healing properties.

In Brazil, healers use soursop leaves in conjunction with other home remedies to treat cancer patients.

The fruit is eaten fresh or made into juice, syrup, or liqueur.

The leaves are also edible after being cooked in boiling water for 20 minutes which turns them soft and brownish-green coloration when cooled off again.

Is Soursop Safe to Eat? Can You Eat Raw Soursop?

Soursop is a tropical fruit that contains high levels of Vitamin A and C.

The fruit also has many health benefits including reducing inflammation, relieving pain, helping with weight loss, and more.

But there are some precautions to take when eating soursop because it can contain toxins (piperine).

For the body to absorb these nutrients safely from the tree’s fruits you need them to be pureed or ripe before cooking/eating so as not to release any hazardous chemicals into your system.

You can eat raw soursop, but the seeds should be removed before eating.

The best way to enjoy this healthy treat is by mixing water or milk in with its flesh while blending it up until nice and smooth.

You can also put it in a blender with ice, bananas, and honey to make a smoothie.

Health Benefits of Soursop and Soursop leaves

This fruit is packed with nutrients that are good for your health.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

* Antioxidants – it contains high levels of antioxidants that fight free radicals in the body and prevent oxidative stress

* Immune system booster – The Vitamin C content helps to strengthen immunity by supplying cells with antioxidant protection, lowering inflammation, and boosting antibodies. Vitamin C also supports tissue repair by enhancing blood flow and healing wounds faster

* Memory enhancer – is rich in choline which plays an important role in brain function (memory) as well as fetal development during pregnancy

* Kidney cleaner and Lower Blood Pressure – this fruit can help boost kidney function thanks to its potassium content; Potassium also helps to reduce blood pressure and is a natural diuretic 

* Improves cardiovascular health – the fruit contains antioxidant properties which help to remove harmful toxins from your body

* Fatigue fighter – this fruit’s bromelain content can combat fatigue thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects; it breaks down protein into smaller molecules helping digest food more effectively as well as promote healing in joints such as those found in the knees or elbows or other areas where you may suffer pain due to injury

* Weight loss agents – research has found that soursop contains several substances which are helpful for weight control, including high fiber content and compounds called saponins. These properties promote healthy digestion while discouraging fat storage.

* Diabetes prevention – is rich in chromium which helps prevent or manage diabetes by helping insulin work better; it also supports healthy glucose levels and decreases risks of diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).

What Does Soursop Taste Like? The Taste of Soursop Tea and Soursop Leaves

The taste of soursop can range from tangy to sweet depending on the ripeness of the fruit.

The flavor usually tastes like citrus fruits such as grapefruit or lemon but with a sweeter finish.

When it’s ripe enough for eating, the flesh has an edible white seed in its center which many people find distasteful because they have quite an acrid taste and feel gritty when chewed.

Once you peel away the skin and try eating the meat inside, there’s often a tart-sweet flavor too – though sometimes it just tastes plain bitter instead without any sweetness at all.

Some people eat the fruit while others consume it in drinks or desserts, all of which have their distinctive taste and flavor.

Those who don’t like soursop may find that they enjoy its taste when blended with other fruits such as pineapple or papaya to make juice blends.

As mentioned above, soursop leaves are also used for tea.

The taste of the brewed leaves is quite strong and they can be sweetened with honey to make it more palatable, or spiced up by adding ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

Soursop tea is usually consumed as a hot drink but can also be made into iced tea.

How Much Soursop To Eat To Cure Cancer?

Soursop contains a compound called annonacin, which has been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in some lab studies.

But there have not been any human studies that prove this and it’s difficult to say for certain whether soursop can help prevent or cure cancers because there are no long-term studies on its effects on humans.

Soursop is promoted as an alternative treatment for people with breast cancer who cannot tolerate chemotherapy drug.

But we don’t know if soursop will work as a replacement therapy yet, either.

The scientific community does agree that Graviola pulp extract may slow prostate tumor development in mice through inhibition of cell proliferation.

So more tests need to be done before claims about soursop being able to treat cancer.

According to cancerresearchuk.org, “there is not enough reliable evidence that Graviola works as a treatment for cancer”.

The site goes on to say, “Graviola extracts can kill some types of liver and breast cancer cells.

These cells are resistant to some chemotherapy drugs.”

Therefore, at this point, we don’t know how much soursop you’d have to eat every day (or even if they work) and so consuming them should still be considered experimental.

Conclusion

In conclusion, soursop is a very tasty fruit and it is worth trying if you have the opportunity.

It tastes like an exotic mix of pineapple, strawberry, and banana with much more complex flavors that make this fruit irresistible.

It has many health benefits and is a great fruit to enjoy.

So if you are looking for new fruit to try this summer, give the soursop a chance.

About The Author

Sharing is caring!