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The Weirdest Fruit, Part V

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Soursop Cheesecake, Ice Cream & Drink

Hi, I'm Yoli, Community Moderator for KCET.org. I like eating and want to learn about locally grown food, fresh ingredients, and interesting cuisines that can be found in Los Angeles. Come with me on this journey, and let's dig in together! If you're new, read parts I, II, III, IV of the Weirdest Fruit Series.

It's always risky to cook for a group of people when using a new recipe for the first time. On first run, you are unable to work out the kinks or adjust the measurements. But that is what I ended up doing last week when I made a soursop cheesecake using a recipe I found online.

When I brought in my cheesecake to KCET's New Media Department I worried about what my co-workers would think. We would all be trying the soursop cheesecake together after lunch--what if it was no good?

Just in case people didn't like the cheesecake, I brought in soursop ice cream and juice I found in El Camaguey in Palms -- which I now see as my one-stop shopping market for anything soursop.

Cans of Goya Soursop Drink
Soursop Ice Cream

Once everything was set up, the soursop tasting began:

The vocals in the video were provided by your very own KCET New Media team--it's a talented bunch. If you recognize the tune--"Mahna Mahna" from Sesame Street--that's because soursop is called guanabana in many Spanish-speaking countries. Somehow, "Mahna Mahna" was replaced with "guana-bana," and the rest was history.

The consensus was that the cheesecake was different. It was a new flavor that our palette had to get used to. Many enjoyed the pineapple-like flavor of the cheesecake, others were reminded of their childhood, a wonderful time when fresh soursop was readily available.

What was left of the Soursop Cheesecake

I liked the cheesecake, but preferred the ice cream, which had a subtle soursop flavor and tasted almost like vanilla.

Now I want to hear from you! What do you think about soursop? Do you want to taste it? Have you had the drink, which is available in a lot of Central American restaurants?

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