Soursop (guanábana (Spanish), graviola (Portuguese), Brazilian pawpaw, guyabano, corossolier, guanavana, toge-banreisi, durian benggala, nangka blanda, nangka londa) Sirsak (Indian)

not yet ripe

Soursop is an evergreen tree native to Central America, the Caribbean, and Northern South America.  It is adapted to areas of high humidity and is threatened in cold temperatures.  The flavor of the soursop has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana (Wikipedia).  It is commonly eaten as is, chilled and is used to make juices, ice cream bars, smoothies, and other desserts.

When unripe, the skin is firm and looks almost impossible to get through, but don't be discouraged by the deep green leather looking skin because cutting through (ripe or unripe) the fruit is like cutting through a watermelon-easy and fun.  You wouldn't cut through it unripe to begin with but I state so just to give you an idea of how easy it is.

When ripe, its skin is yellowish-greenish, soft to the touch, and very fragrant.  I'm so glad to find a fruit that tastes as good as it smells.

The more ripe it gets, the looser its fibers will get, the more pulp you will feel with your mouth.  When eaten the moment it ripens, it will be easier to chew through.  If you're not a fan of the pulp, you can mash it with a fork until the juice separates or you can chew it up with your mouth instead and extract the juices.  Better yet, you can grind it up into a smoothie (MmmM).

Soursop is prepared the same way as a watermelon with both skin and seeds discarded. First cut it in half lengthwise, then cut smiley slices, and lastly cut the skin off while trying to retain as much white pulp as you can.  Tip: It can be very messy depending on its ripeness so stand by with a big plastic bag for disposal of the skin and a kitchen towel for all residual juices left behind. 

ripe soursop

Links to Soursop recipes:
soursop smoothie
soursop ice cream
soursop cheesecake
soursop punch