Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-08-03
NO.. 81.
PECULIAR FRUIT.

Inc 6uansvana, or Sour Sophie Nancy de
San Domingo.
Recently the people of Orlando hsvs
been regaling with some of the stranys
tropical fruits of the West Indies, saws a
Florida paper.
With the mango and nancy zspote we
are already becoming familiar, but the
sapldlllo, the guanavan, and the nancy
de San Domingo were strangers 80 rs
untll the other day. The two last named
fruits will certainly take the premium
r"r SroteSque appearance and oddity OF
flavor.
lhe guanavans, or sour SOP IApons
muricata), is huge. soft, shapeIess fruit,
sometimes forrued like thiuk curved
horn, of dirty greenish- brown color,
With a rough skin that bears a strikir =
resemblance TO an alligator's hide. Ii Is
quite soft when ripe, and easily cut open
words fail to describe the musSy, rich
ooor that rises from the sour SOP when IT
Is opened. Many peoIte can not endure
It, but perhaps that is because it Is so
utterly foreign TO anything they ever
saw before, and they are naturally sus-
iciouS of II an W Y. The flavor Is some.
thing Ike that of q mandrake, or Nav
appie, with dash of paw-
paw and May sop" thrown In,
Logether with little musk.
1t is decidedly original and
interesting fruit, and is sure
10 make enemies or friends at first si,yht.
Each seed, of which there are a hundred or
more, Is incased i'll a white cottory hap
or pulp, and in order to eat it Won must
pull out each separate flap, which is about
an Inch long, and suck tho iuice, and
then throw away the ibrous envelope
around the seed. Blu. it is not designed
to be eaten, but drank. Thatls, the pplp is
made into a beverage by adding ice
water and sugar to it in Z pitcher, as one
would make lemonade. One good sized
guanavana will MAKE enough drink for n
dozen men, and It is said to be sure
preventive against sunsuoke and over
heating. a great many people who test,
ed the flavor were enthusiastic over ii,
while others were disgusted Mt the
strange, creamy odO- of the fruit in it
Ihe guanavana tree Is so purely tropical
ana tender fruit that it Is doubtful if il.
Will ever succeed here, mild as our winters
are. Even crisp, cold wind will some
time wlther the leaves, although it may
be several degrees above the freezing
point. Many of the seeds have already
been planted here, however, and they will
be given trial.
Another fruit which IS almost an entire
stranger here is the Nancy de San
Domingo. Like the guanavana. its ap-
pearance Is greatly against it, aud it re.
sembles nothing so much as great big.
round, sun-burued sweet potato. But
peel off the thick outer skin, and the fieshy
orange-colored pulp comes to view, and
you catch faint, truity odor of pine
apples and peaches. The great, woody
seed takes up 50 much space that there is
not much meat about this fruit. The
flesh resembles that of pumpkin, but
the flavor is an odd mixture of pineap
pies, peaches, russell apples, and sweet
potatoes. The rest is all Nancy, and it
Is not bad eating at all. The Cubans
say 1t must be soaked for some time in
salt water before eating. The Nancy de
San Domingo must not be confounded
with the mamey zapote, which is soft and
slruPy in its consistency. The mameys
Will grow in south Florida with protec
ton, end are no tenderer than guavas or
mango trees.