Soursop (guanábana): what it is, taste and how to eat it

What is it?

The soursop is one of the most representative and beloved tropical fruits of the cuisine of south-eastern Mexico and the American tropics: a large fruit, fifteen to forty centimetres in length and up to two kilos in weight, with a thin dark green skin covered in soft curved spines (hence the epithet muricata, meaning bristling with spines), and inner pulp that is white, creamy, juicy and bittersweet, with numerous flat black-brown seeds distributed among segments. Its flavour is one of the most distinctive of the tropics: sweet and sour at the same time, with notes that combine pineapple, strawberry, banana, vanilla and a subtle citrus acidity that make it unmistakable. It is a refreshing fruit par excellence, ideal for warm seasons, and is consumed mainly in aguas frescas (one of the most popular agua fresca flavours in Mexico), ice creams, ice lollies, sorbets, atoles, mousses, desserts and, more recently, in tropical cocktails and smoothies. The main season runs from March to October. The soursop has also gained worldwide fame for its supposed medicinal properties.

Origin and history

The soursop is native to the American tropical basin, particularly northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru), the Caribbean and parts of Central America, where its use is documented from pre-Inca and pre-Columbian times. The name guanábana comes from Antillean Taíno wanaban, the Caribbean language the Spanish brought from the Antilles. There was no original Nahuatl name because the plant is not endemic to the Mexican highlands, although it was grown in adjacent tropical lowlands. Francisco Hernández in his Historia natural de la Nueva España (sixteenth century) and the colonial chroniclers document the soursop at length among the fruits of the New World, attributing food and medicinal uses to them. It belongs to the genus Annona of the Annonaceae family, the same as the anona, the cherimoya and the atemoya. After the conquest, the soursop spread globally through the tropics of Africa, Asia and Oceania, where it is widely grown. In Mexico, the main producing regions are Nayarit, Michoacán, Veracruz, Colima, Guerrero, Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca, with the Compostela region in Nayarit considered the main national producing centre, where annual soursop fairs are held. CONABIO and SADER (gob.mx) document Annona muricata as a crop of great commercial and biocultural importance in the Mexican tropics.

Characteristic ingredients

The soursop is Annona muricata, an evergreen tree of the Annonaceae family that can reach ten metres in height, with glossy elliptical leaves and large yellow-green flowers with three fleshy petals. The fruit is harvested when it has reached its full size and the skin begins to soften; it ripens fully at room temperature in one to three days. It is ready when the skin yields to gentle pressure and the spines begin to flatten slightly. To prepare, it is cut lengthwise or peeled; the pulp is scooped out with a spoon, separating the segments and removing the large flat black-brown seeds (which are not eaten, as they contain acetogenins in high concentrations). The pulp contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, dietary fibre and antioxidants, along with low calories. The distinctive bittersweet flavour comes from a combination of sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose), citric acid, malic acid and volatile aromatic esters that generate the unique tropical perfume. The main culinary uses are: soursop agua fresca, one of the most popular agua fresca flavours in Mexico, made with blended pulp, water, sugar and a touch of lime; artisanal ice creams and ice lollies, where soursop is one of the favourites; soursop atole, a traditional drink; jams; mousses; sorbets; tropical cocktails with white rum; and sauces for white meats in contemporary versions. The leaves have been used in medicinal infusions to treat digestive complaints, inflammation and other ailments, although their use requires caution because of the bioactive compounds.

Cultural significance

The soursop is gastronomic heritage of the Mexican tropics and an emblem of Mexican aguas frescas, along with hibiscus, tamarind and horchata. The National Soursop Fair in Compostela, Nayarit, held each year, is one of the most important regional gastronomic events of the Mexican Pacific. Traditional Mexican cuisine, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, includes tropical fruits such as the soursop among its cultural components. Economically, the soursop supports thousands of producers in Nayarit, Michoacán, Veracruz, Colima, Guerrero, Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca, with Mexican annual production close to 30,000 tonnes. SADER (gob.mx) highlights Mexico as one of the world's leading producers, with growing markets in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. The medicinal properties attributed to the soursop, particularly its supposed anticancer effects based on preliminary studies of acetogenins, have generated a growing global nutraceutical market, although robust clinical evidence remains limited and authorities such as the FDA and COFEPRIS warn against therapeutic use without medical supervision. Chefs such as Margarita Carrillo Arronte, Patricia Quintana, Enrique Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes have incorporated the soursop into fine dining menus, giving it new international visibility.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between soursop and cherimoya?

Both are annonas but different species. The soursop (Annona muricata) has green skin with soft curved spines, creamy white pulp with a very intense bittersweet flavour (notes of pineapple, strawberry, banana), and grows in the warm lowland tropics. The cherimoya (Annona cherimola) has green skin with raised scales and no spines, creamy white pulp with a sweeter and milder flavour, and grows in temperate highland areas. The soursop is larger and more acidic.

What does soursop taste like?

It has a distinctive bittersweet and very aromatic flavour that combines notes of ripe pineapple, strawberry, banana, vanilla and a sour citrus touch. The texture is creamy but with fibres and seeds distributed through the pulp in segments. The aroma is intense and very tropical, fragrant and easy to identify. It is one of the most complex and intense tropical fruits in aromatic profile, which has made it one of the favourites for aguas frescas and desserts in Mexico.

How is soursop served?

Its most popular use in Mexico is in soursop agua fresca, blended with water and sugar and strained to remove seeds. It is also prepared in artisanal ice creams and ice lollies (one of the most popular flavours), traditional atoles, jams, mousses, sorbets, tropical cocktails with white rum and, in contemporary cuisine, in sauces for white meats and modern desserts. Fresh, it is eaten with a spoon, spitting out the seeds. The leaves are used in medicinal infusions with caution.

Where does the soursop come from?

It is native to the American tropical basin, particularly northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru), the Caribbean and parts of Central America, where its use is documented from pre-Columbian times. The name comes from Antillean Taíno wanaban. Today it is grown throughout the Mexican tropics (Nayarit, Michoacán, Veracruz, Colima, Guerrero, Tabasco, Chiapas, Oaxaca) and has become naturalised in tropical Africa, Asia and Oceania.