What is Jamaican soursop?

What is Jamaican soursop?

 Jamaica soursop stand

Jamaican soursop is a delicious fruit that grows all over the famous Caribbean island. Some people call it graviola.

Many Jamaicans will tell you stories about how they, or their moms, aunties, or grandmas, picked soursop straight from the tree in their back gardens when they were children. 

The soursop tree and is fruit and leaves are famous in Jamaica. And the fruit and leaves have a well deserved place in natural medicine traditions in island lore. As well as  a prominent place in the Jamaican cuisine.

Ask any Jamaican person, even if they no longer live on the island and have moved on to  live in the United States or Canada or the UK, about soursop and they will tell you about how it can be found on roadside stands and at many island eateries. 

Soursop also makes the Jamaican newspapers fairly often.

That's because soursop has become famous worldwide. It is grown in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. In the Caribbean and South America of course. But also Asia and Africa.

soursop graviola

Jamaicans make soursop into delicious tropical drinks. The pulp from the fruit -which is also referred to as guanabana (the Spanish word for it) - is scooped out of the spiny skin and used as a base for a cool tropical beverage.

See this lovely soursop drink recipe from CookLikeaJamaican.com.

It includes soursop pulp, of course plus sweetened condensed milk, nutmeg and lime juice and a little vanilla. It's quite lovely.

Need some soursop? See our selection of soursop/ graviola products

 

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