Apples familiar and familiar to us from childhood in nature are represented by several species. So, varieties “Golden”, “Simirenko” and many others are widely known. But few people know that in nature there is a so-called sour cream. What is this fruit and where is its birthplace?

Soursop (Sausep): what kind of fruit

Soursop (alternative names: graviola, guanabana, gaunava, sauasep, sausep), like a sugar apple, belongs to the Onona family, also called prickly Annona. The fruit in question is the largest representative of the family of these exotic plants.

Sausep tree can reach a height of 7 - 9 m. The plants are bushy, has low branches.

Where it grows and what guanabana looks like

The most delicious fruits can be tasted, of course, where a sour cream grows, and they are cultivated in the tropical forests of the Philippines, South America and the West Indies. In our country, it is rather difficult to find these fruits ripe and juicy.

Experienced travelers claim that sour cream is rarely found on sale in Russia or in Europe. Most often, fruits are sold in the Philippines. Translated into rubles, their cost is about 100 - 150 rubles. for ... 100 grams!

Externally sour cream apple resembles pineapple. To some, it resembles an unopened lotus flower, and avid travelers, for whom exotic fruits are not new, compare Sausep with another outlandish plant - cherimoya.Inside the ripe guanabana is a white flesh with several black bones.

What taste and smell does Annona prickly have

In taste, this fruit can be compared with an unusual combination of pineapple, mango, banana and apple, flavored with cream. Sausep's taste is very bright, leaving an aftertaste and a pleasant honey smell. Its pulp practically does not contain fat.

There are more than 14 varieties of guanabana. Plants differ not only in shape and appearance, but also in the texture of the pulp, and in taste.

The fruits may be:

  • heart-shaped;
  • angular;
  • elongated;
  • and rounded.

The pulp is found both juicy and dense, and sometimes even dry. But the most common are types of sour cream with delicate saturated pulp.

Sausep's only culinary disadvantage is its too coarse fibrous structure, which can make chewing fruit difficult.

In general, eating it is quite easy. From the fetus you need to peel the skin or simply break it in half. The snow-white pulp is divided into segments, inside which the seeds are located.

The beneficial properties of tropical fruit

Sausep is a fruit that is good for human health. At the same time, not only the pulp is considered healing, but also the leaves and even the roots of the plant (the latter are used in the process of brewing infusions and decoctions).

Exotic apple has the following beneficial properties:

  • It inhibits the growth of cancer cells. In addition, the fetus is consumed in the treatment of breast or skin cancer.
  • Destroys parasites that live in the human digestive tract.
  • It has an antifungal effect.
  • It has a mild diuretic effect.
  • Helps to restore strength after suffering a flu or SARS.
  • Positive effect on the nervous system, helps fight stress and depression.
  • Regulates the level of sugar in the body.
  • Helps fight liver pathologies.
  • Effective in resolving problems with the musculoskeletal system (osteoporosis, rheumatism, arthritis).
  • It normalizes the acidity of the stomach.

Green and black guanabana tea

Tea, brewed on the basis of guanabana, has a completely unusual taste. This fruit goes well with both black and green varieties.

The drink is considered extremely useful, tones the body and enhances its immunity. Guanabana tea compares favorably with regular tea by the possibility of double brewing. From the use of tea leaves the second time the drink becomes only tastier.

For this reason, there are two recipes for brewing tea with suasep:

  • Primary infusion. To prepare, take 1 teaspoon of tea and pour 300 ml of hot water. After two to three minutes, the drink is ready to drink.
  • Secondary welding. Assumes the use of already brewed tea. At the same time, the volume of welding must be increased one and a half times (excluding water). In other words, for one teaspoon of tea leaves you will need not 300, but 200 ml of water. It is best to carry out secondary welding in a thermos.

Is it possible to grow a sour cream at home

From a botanical point of view, the tropical fruit in question is considered a berry.

For germination, seeds of ripe fruits are harvested, they must have a greenish-yellow hue and be soft when pressed.

Those who want to get hold of homemade guanabana should consider several useful recommendations:

  • Germinating seeds is desirable in late winter or early spring. This advice is more than relevant, because guanabana is a deciduous plant and with the onset of cold weather will certainly lose its leaves. If in the winter, the sprouts are very small, they run the risk of freezing and not waking up in the spring.
  • The most suitable temperature range for germinating a sour cream is in the range of 25-30 degrees.
  • Germination soil must always be moist. For this purpose, the pot with the plant should be covered with foil and put in a pan filled with water.When shoots appear, the film must be removed from the pot.
  • Sprouts can be replanted when their length reaches at least 25 cm. To do this, prepare the soil, consisting of sand, loam and peat in the proportions of 1: 2: 2. After transplanting, the sprouts need to be well watered.
  • For living an adult plant, a tub in front of the window or in the sunny area of ​​the room is suitable. In summer it can even be taken out to fresh air.
  • In the last months of autumn or at the beginning of winter, sousep begins to shed its leaves. During this period, watering should be stopped and resumed only with the appearance of young buds.
  • The plant is considered sexually mature and is ready to bear fruit after about 3 years after planting. Since not everyone can find domestic bees for pollination, a person is able to independently assist the plant in the formation of fruits. Pollen is collected in a bag with a special brush. The collected product needs to be temporarily removed in the refrigerator, and in the afternoon use the same tool to spray pollen on the pestle. Subject to careful and methodical actions, the chance to enjoy the homemade fruits of guanabana is very high.

It is interesting:dates

Contraindications and possible harm

There is currently no completely reliable information on the effect of guanabana on the human body. Nevertheless, scientists, having become acquainted with the composition of a sour cream, are inclined to believe that excessive consumption of this fruit can provoke changes in the nervous system until the appearance of hallucinations. The causes of these phenomena lie in a large number of alkaloids contained in the pulp of the fruit. These substances trigger symptoms that resemble Parkinson's disease. In the case of moderate and dosed in the use of housep, such a reaction does not occur.

Soursop is an exotic fruit that fully lives up to its name. Its unique taste resembles apple pulp mixed with cream in combination with other fruits. Finding a sousep is not easy, but if the fetus catches your eye on store shelves, it is definitely worth a try. As a rule, he leaves no one indifferent.

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