Soursop

It is soursop season in the BVI. Soursop is a fruit that I may have heard of, but had certainly never seen or tasted before coming to the BVI. It grows abundantly on Tortola, and this time of year there are giant ones in the grocery stores, and plenty for sale by street vendors. The soursop flesh has a somewhat creamy texture, like a cross between a banana and a pineapple, and tastes fairly bright and citrus-like. Most of my co-workers say they rarely eat the flesh, but love to drink the juice as it's very refreshing.

Caribbean natives also claim soursop juice works as a pleasant health tonic, and there is some medical evidence that both soursop fruit and juice and tea made from soursop leaves, can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. On the other hand, some research has also suggested that the high levels of annonacin in soursop, the same chemical responsible for inhibiting cancer growth, can be responsible for certain types of Parkinson's.

Whether it helps with cancer, or hurts with Parkinson's, soursop fruit and juice is delicious, and can happily be consumed for that reason alone.