Guanábana: love it or hate it

Published June 19, 2023

by Janet Blaser

My first experience with guanábana was while driving from Sinaloa to Nayarit, and somewhere south of San Blas at a small rickety stand on the side of the road, I sampled the fruit.

I can’t say it was a pleasant experience; it looked quite strange — a big part of my attraction to it — and tasted, well, weird. Besides its green, spiky misshapen appearance, the white flesh inside was kind of slimy and sour. Not exactly delicious.

That was some years ago, and since guanábana (also aptly called soursop) is everywhere in the markets right now, I figured it was time to give it another try.

Well, gee.

What I read online (“primarily sweet, a combination of apple, pineapple, and banana,” and “an underlying thick, creamy texture reminiscent of banana”) and what I experienced were very different things.

To even get to the “flavor,” you have to make your way through the skin, the texture, the seeds and, yes, the sliminess. As one friend said, “guácala!” (gross!)

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