Huntsville gazette., 1888-08-04
PECULIAR FRUITS.
The Guanavana, Sour Sop, and the
Nancy de San Domingo.

The Guanavana, Sour Sop, and the
Nancy de San Domingo.
| With the mango and Nancy zapote
we are already becoming familiar, but
the sapadillo, the guanavana and the
Nancy de San Domingo were stran-
gers to US until the other day. Tho
two last named fruits will certainly
take the premium for grotesque ap-
pearance and oddity of flavor.
The guanavana, or sour sop (AnOna
muricata), is a huge, soft, almost
shapeless fruit, sometimes formed like
q thick curved horn, of dirty green
ish-brown color, with rough skin
that bears a striking resemblance to
an alligator's hide. 1t is quite soft
when ripe, and easily cut open. Words
fail to describe the musky, rich odor
that rises from the sour sop when it is
opened. Many people can not endure
it, but perhaps that is because it is so
utterly foreign to any thing they ever
saw before, and they are naturally
suspicious of it any way. The flavor
is something like that Of mandrake,
and May pop thrown in, together
with little musk. 1t is decidedly
original and interesting fruit, and is
sure to make enemies or friends at first
sight. Each seed, of which there are
a hundred or more, is incased in a
white cOttony flap or pulp, and in or
der to eat it you must pull out each
separate flap, which is about an inch
long, and suck the juice, and then
throw away the fibrous envelope
around the seed. But it is not de-
signed to be eaten, but drank. That
is, the pulp is made into a beverage by
adding ice-water and sugar to it in "a
pitcher, as one would make lemonade.
One good-sized guanavana will
make enough drink for dozen
men, and it is said to be
a sure preventive against sunstroke
and overheating. A great many peo-
pie who tested the flavor were enthu-
siastic over it, while others were dis
| gusted at the strange creamy odor Of
! the fruit in it. The guanavana tree is
1
| that it is doubtful if it will ever sue
| ceed here, mild as our winters are.
Even a crisp, cold wind will sometimes
wither the leaves, although it may be
| several degrees above the freezing
| point. Many of the seeds have al
| ready been planted here, however, and
| they will be given trial.
| Another fruit which is almost an en-
| tire stranger here is the Nancy de
San Domingo Like the guanavana,
its appearance is greatly against it,
and it resembles nothing so much as a
great big, round, sun-burned sweet
potato. But peel off the thick outer
| skin, and the feshy Orange-colored
pulp comes to view, Rrd you catch a
| faint, fruity odOr of pineapples and
peaches. The great, woody seed takes
up so much space that there is not
much meat about this fruit. The flesh
| resembles that of a pumpkin, but the
flavor ~ an odd mixture Of pineapples,
| peaches, russell apples and sweet pota-
toes. The rest is all Nancy, and it is
not bad eating at all The Cubans
say it must be soaked for some time
in salt water before eating. The
| Nancy de San Domingo must not be
confounded with the Nancy zapote,
which is soft and sirupy in its consist
ency. The mameys will grow in South
Florida with protection, and are no
tenderer than guavas or mango trees.
| FLORIDA Times Union.