Guanabana

Graviola, smetanny apple, an annon prickly – all this different names of the same tropical fruit plant of a guanabana. Perhaps, in our country it is not so well-known, but it is well known on Bermudas and the Bahamas, it is tasted by residents of Caribbean countries, Latin America. And after inhabitants of other continents estimated taste of this exotic fruit, it began to be grown up in India, Sri Lanka, China, Australia and in Southeast Asia.

Guanabana – a plant more than strange. It is enough to imagine the tree height about the two-storeyed house covered with huge fruits to 35 cm in length and weighing up to 7 kg which cover not only branches, but also a trunk much. And the tree blossoms several times a year, exhaling aroma, comparable with a ylang-ylang and vanilla everywhere. What gastronomic and medicinal properties the guanabana has?

Guanabana fruit outside and inside

In the world of exotics appearance is always deceptive – if you saw a green prickly fruit of smetanny apple, then perhaps would even not count it edible. But, nevertheless, fruits of a guanabana have unique taste and unusual outward. By the sizes they can be compared to an average melon, only unlike it smetanny apple is covered with huge soft thorns. Crude fruits of a guanabana possess a saturated green color and firm pulp, but in process of maturing they turn yellow and become so gentle and soft that are damaged when falling. For this reason they are brought together and sell still unripe. Inexperienced tourists taste fruit right after purchase and are disappointed as the crude fruit of a guanabana on taste is not better than some crude pumpkin. However it is worth allowing to it to ripen at the room temperature as it turns yellow and finds the unique taste. To be convinced that the fruit ripened, press on it a finger – if the surface became soft, smetanny apple can be eaten. In general the fruit of a guanabana can be stored 2-3 days in the refrigerator or at the room temperature, its turned yellow peel can turn black as it happens to mature banana, but pulp at the same time loses the flavoring and useful properties not soon. Inside the mature fruit of a guanabana is covered by the pulp on consistences reminding custard, an internal part of a fruit is divided into several tens of segments, each of which contains the sunflower seed similar to persimmon seeds. It is considered poisonous and usually is removed.

Guanabana, according to gourmets, is cut in half and eat with spoons as grapefruit or cut on segments as a water-melon. If you at least taste once ripe smetanny apple, you will not forget its matchless taste. Comments on the guanabena, to be exact about taste of this fruit, differ a little. One compare it to acid lemonade with a wild strawberry shade, others – with pineapple, strawberry and a citrus. Guanabana – a delicacy quite caloric – 100 g of a crude product have energy value in 94 kcal. But at the same time the guanabana, according to reviews, does not do harm to a figure.

Useful properties of a guanabana

This fruit is not accidentally called smetanny apple – the guanabana is so widespread in tropical America, as well as apples in our latitudes and in addition to pleasant taste possesses rich vitamin mineral composition. Fruits of a guanabana contain sincaline, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, PP vitamins. From microelements concentration of zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium is highest.

Like apple of our latitudes, smetanny apple of Latin America well affects work of intestines. Useful properties of a guanabana are noted in improvement of work of a liver, normalization of acidity of a stomach, removal of uric acid. It is considered that despite caloric content, smetanny apple promotes weight reduction, and thanks to the high content of vitamins of group B it can be used at complex therapy of degenerative diseases of a backbone and illnesses of the neurologic nature.

Extract of a guanabana has universal antiseptic property, it can be used as antiviral, antimalarial, antifungal and antiparasitic means. And though stones of a guanabana are considered poisonous, the oil received from them is used as natural protivopedikulezny means. Roots of a plant are applied as soothing and anti-spasmodic means, and tea from leaves possesses somnolent action.

Myths about smetanny apple

Recently actively attribute to guanabana fruits anticarcinogenic properties that causes an unhealthy stir around fruits of this tree. According to some information it is considered that extract of smetanny apple destroys malignant cells of 12 types of cancer, including prostate cancer, a breast, lungs, a pancreas, large intestine. Because among useful properties of a guanabana unexpectedly there was an anticarcinogenic effect, in the domestic pharmaceutical market there were various expensive dietary supplements containing extract of these fruits in the structure. However in instructions to such drugs, nothing is told about anticarcinogenic properties, such biological additives are positioned as a source of flavonoids and vitamins.

Of course, as well as any other product, at a guanabana has contraindications. For example, because of the high content of calcium pulp of smetanny apple is not recommended to pregnant women, abuse of fruits, according to the Latin American scientists, can lead to Parkinson's disease. The seeds of this exotic fruit eaten can cause poisoning and if juice from seeds gets into eyes, it can cause in certain cases a blindness.

However, fruits of a guanabana have one wonderful property for certain - it is gentle sweet taste. The mature pulp of a guanabana separated from stones is used in preparation of the desserts in combination with sugar and cream refreshing and low alcohol drinks, and extract is applied to tea aromatization. Anyway, and it is worth trying this surprising fruit.