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Jamaican Mountain Sop
The Delicious Jamaican Fruit
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by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer
Soursop is a fruit loved by many, whether when eaten or made into a refreshing drink. But have you ever heard of its not so popular but almost identical in appearance, sister fruit the Mountain Sap? If not, here is all you need to know.
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What is Jamaican Mountain Sop?
Mountain soursop, also known as wild custard apple, is a tropical fruit tree that belongs to the Annonaceae family, which also includes the cherimoya (A. cherimola), soursop (A. muricata), and paw paw (Asimina triloba).
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela, the Amazon, and Caribbean islands are all home to mountain soursop.
Popular common names of the plant are Mountain Soursop, Wild Custard Apple, Wild Soursop, mountain sop and Fairchild’s Annona.
The genus name stems from the Latin word Annona, which means aliment, food, with reference to the fruits' alimentary use, among other things, from the local name. The name of the species derives from the Latin word montanus, which means mountain, and has a clear meaning, even though the plant grows predominantly at low altitudes.
The Fruit
Fruits are nearly spherical or broad-ovoid in shape, measuring approximately 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length and 7–13 cm in width. It has a dark-green skin with many small, fleshy spines and dark brown hairs. When ripe, the fruits transform from green to yellow and become very soft, falling to the ground.
The yellow, fibrous flesh of the fruit is aromatic, sour to bitter, and contains many light-brown, rectangular plump seeds that are about 18 mm long.
Because the fruits are seen to be inferior to those of the soursop, it is rarely farmed for commercial purposes. Mountain soursop fruit is edible, although many people find it bland, despite the fact that some types produce higher-quality fruit.
Its flesh is bitter or sour, although it generally resembles the conventional soursop, also known as the guanabana. Mountain soursop trees begin bearing fruit two to three years after planting and continue to do so for the next two to three years.
What is Mountain Soursop Good For?
Uses and Benefits of Mountain Soursop
- The leaves can be used to make tea which is recommended to be consumed in the evening before retiring because it has a relaxing and sedative effect that encourages sleep.
- Fever and headaches are also treated with the leaves.
- Intestinal parasites, coughs (including asthma and bronchitis), inflammation, diabetes, and hypertension have all been treated with fruit, seeds, bark, leaves, and roots, among other things.
- Antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperglycemic activities have been discovered in extracts.
- It's also been used to treat depression.
- For pregnant women, an infusion of the leaves has pain-relieving properties.
- Compounds found mostly in the bark and leaves of the mountain soursop plant have been shown to kill cancer cells.
- Fevers and head pain can be relieved using the plant’s leaves.
- Jamaican culture also believes that this fruit when made in a drink helps with men’s stamina and vitality.
Watch Video! Jamaican Mountain Sop
Rastaman Eric was very willing to show us around his backyard garden. He shared all he knew about the mountain sop - health benefits, the uses and even the recipe which includes another delicious fruit, Guava.
Culinary Uses
- The yellow, aromatic pulp can be eaten raw in desserts, although it's most commonly used to make juice.
- Its taste is inferior to that of soursop, it can even be a bit slimy.
- When completely ripe, they are eaten fresh as a dessert or blended with ice cream or milk to form a drink.
- When the seeds are still soft, immature fruits are collected and used as a vegetable in soups and other dishes.
Jamaican Mountain Soursop Juice Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ripe Mountain Sop/Soursop
- 1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 tsp grated Nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp fresh Lime Juice
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
- 5 cups of Water
PROCEDURE
- Peel the mountain sop by hand; put the flesh in a large mixing bowl and remove all the seeds
- Put the fruit into a blender; add 3 cups of water and puree
- Pour puree into the mixing bowl and add 2 to 3 more cups of water. This may not give you a smooth blend. You can have it just like that if you don’t mind, or run it through a strainer a few times.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, nutmeg, lime juice and vanilla and stir to blend
This is a really thick drink, as a matter of fact, it gets thicker the longer it sits. Set to chill, which might take a while or serve with ice.
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Return to Jamaican Drink Recipes from Jamaican Mountain Sop
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References & Sources For Jamaican Mountain Sop
- Facts about Mountain Soursop, https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/mountain-soursop/
- Jamaican Soursop Juice Drink Recipe, https://cooklikeajamaican.com/soursop-juice-drink-recipe/
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