Guanà… What? Maybe you’ve heard of it as soursop, or of its Brazilian name graviola. Almost neutral, we think that the Spanish name guanábana still sounds nicer, and more tropical, so we decided to stick to this name.
For those of you who haven’t heard of this fruit yet, let’s go on a quick journey to the mountains of Antioquia in Colombia.
Ok, so what do we know so far? A name that is hard to remember and, granted, it doesn’t look that pretty either. So why is it the fruit of the day? And as always in life, we need to remember that the inner values are way more important than any looks.
The guanábana is native to the Caribbeans, Central America, and northern South America, and is now also produced in Southeast Asia and tropical parts of Africa. Technically, the guanábana is a berry, and a huge berry at that, since it can get as big as 15 inches and weigh nearly 9 pounds. The fruit’s prickles are a reminder of the saying hard shell - soft core, because even though they may look deterrent, they’re actually soft and are not meant to play a protective role. With its smooth, juicy fruit pulp the expression “soft core” is more than appropriate. Thanks to our artisanal processing, we can guarantee whole, small pieces of fruit flesh, keeping the creamy texture and fibers that create the impression that you just picked the ripe fruit off the tree.
Talking about its taste, honestly we are floundering a bit since there is hardly any taste you can compare the guanábana to. It definitely has a unique flavor, a mix between sour and sweet, some call it even slightly tangy. But what we can tell you for sure is that it is refreshing! So best you try it and see or better taste it for yourself. You can use it for a pure blended guanábana juice, or mix it with your smoothie or breakfast cereal for an original twist, that gets you started in the morning right away thanks to its sour citrus flavor.
But, let’s not forget about the inner values: Guanábanas are a brilliant source for nutrients. Just one Tamarin fruits pack (3.17Oz/90g ) contains 20.6 mg of vitamin C as well as significant amounts of A vitamins, calcium, and iron. Moreover, you find plenty of articles promoting the fruit as an alternative cancer treatment. In 1996, a laboratory research was published saying that the fruit contains cytotoxic substances that fight the malignant cancer cells 10,000 times better than any chemotherapeutics and at least 100 times more effective than any chemotherapy. An insider report proving that the pharmaceutical industry started to investigate synthesizing this substance, emphasizes the healing effects of the guanábana. So far they’ve failed to do so, but it doesn’t stop us from taking advantage of the whole fruit. The indigenous people of that areas that the fruit is native to have been using not only the fruit but the leaves or the bark for a while, without any analysis on scientific research. It also brings other health benefits like mood improvements when one is depressed or stressed, relieves respiratory problems such as cough and asthma, lowers the blood pressure, better eye and blood health, and is a natural colon cleanser. And this is why it is our fruit of the day!
Now that you got to know the guanábana a little better, don’t get deterred by its name or looks and give this renowned, incomparable tropical fruit its well-deserved chance. Try guanábana!
