ColorChallenge ThursdayGreen Soursop

Today I went into the local ShopRite Supermarket to buy food groceries for the week and look for some more lobsters to grill. In the fruit section, I noticed that they were selling soursop. Also known as custard apple in Southeast Asia and guanabana in Latin America, this fruit is hard to come by in the United States. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised that this tropical fruit is being sold in a typical American grocery store. Even in the Vietnamese supermarkets, they are only available infrequently.

Just a few years ago, in the Vietnamese diaspora, we often talked about going back to Vietnam and what the trip would mean for each of us. We often joked that we want to go back so that we can eat the tropical fruits and vegetables of Vietnam. High on that list includes the soursop because we can't find them anywhere in America. It is still true today that Vietnamese abroad going back to Vietnam to eat tropical fruits, but with the globalization of the tropical fruit industry and the news surrounding Vietnamese fruits being highly intoxicated with harmful chemical, it's not as a charming a story as it was in the old days.

Taste wise, I think the name is somewhat misleading. It's not really sour. It has a distinctive sweetness to it, a combination of a pineapple and a banana. It's great to eat when ripe. However, the best way to enjoy a soursop is a smoothie. Blending the fruit with ice and you've got a natural rich, smooth, refreshing and healthy drink. It's low in calories and therefore you can drink many servings without any guilt.

Besides its good taste, the vitamins and minerals are surely pluses from consuming the soursop. There are also many indicated health benefits of soursop, including the ability to suppress cancer, improving eye health, relieving inflammation, and boosting immunity, and numerous other benefits.

All and all, the next time you're in the local supermarket and see this fruit being sold, buy it and try it! You may have to kick 'em apples aside and leave room in the dining room fruit tray for the soursop.

Photo taken with iPhone X.