{"id":18068,"date":"2026-09-24T18:42:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T18:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/?p=18068"},"modified":"2026-09-24T18:43:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T18:43:40","slug":"sweet-sop-and-sour-sop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/2026\/09\/24\/sweet-sop-and-sour-sop\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Sop and Sour Sop"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\" \"\"Know the Facts<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Sweet Sop and Sour Sop<\/div>\n
they may both belong to the same family, but they are definitely not the same fruit!<\/div>\n
Have you ever bitten into a sweet, creamy sweet sop or enjoyed a refreshing sour sop drink?<\/div>\n
These two tropical favourites are often confused because they are related. But once you know what to look for, telling them apart becomes much easier!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
What is Sweet Sop?<\/div>\n
Sweet sop, also known as sugar apple or custard apple, is the fruit of Annona squamosa.<\/div>\n
It belongs to the Annonaceae family, the same plant family as sour sop.<\/div>\n
Sweet sop is a relatively small tropical fruit tree and is widely grown throughout tropical regions. FAO describes Annona squamosa as indigenous to tropical America and the West Indies and widely cultivated throughout the tropics.<\/div>\n
The fruit has a very distinctive appearance:<\/div>\n
\u25cf green or sometimes reddish-purple skin<\/div>\n
\u25cf rounded, raised segments that look almost like scales<\/div>\n
\u25cf soft, creamy-white flesh<\/div>\n
\u25cf numerous dark seeds<\/div>\n
\u25cf a naturally sweet, custard-like texture<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
And the name really does give away one of its biggest characteristics:<\/div>\n
sweet sop = sweet!<\/div>\n
The flesh has a very sweet, pleasant flavour and is commonly eaten fresh. It can also be used in desserts, ice cream and other preparations.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
What is Sour Sop?<\/div>\n
Sour Sop, commonly written as soursop, is the fruit of Annona muricata.<\/div>\n
It is also known by names such as guan\u00e1bana and graviola.<\/div>\n
Like sweet Sop, it belongs to the Annonaceae family, but it is a different species. FAO identifies soursop as Annona muricata and notes that it is associated with the Antilles and northern South America.<\/div>\n
Soursop fruit is generally:<\/div>\n
\u25cf Green<\/div>\n
\u25cf larger and more elongated than sweet sop<\/div>\n
\u25cf covered with soft, curved\/spiny projections<\/div>\n
\u25cf filled with soft white flesh<\/div>\n
\u25cf contains dark seeds<\/div>\n
\u25cf known for its distinctive sweet-and-sour flavour<\/div>\n
Its pulp is commonly used to make:<\/div>\n
\u25cf Drinks<\/div>\n
\u25cf ice cream<\/div>\n
\u25cf desserts<\/div>\n
\u25cf juices and other refreshments<\/div>\n
So what’s the big difference?<\/div>\n
Sweet Sop Sour Sop<\/div>\n
Annona squamosa Annona muricata<\/div>\n
Also called sugar apple Also called soursop or guan\u00e1bana<\/div>\n
Usually smaller Usually much larger<\/div>\n
Rounded or heart-shaped fruit More elongated fruit<\/div>\n
Distinct, raised segments on the skin Green skin with soft, curved projections<\/div>\n
Very sweet, custard-like flesh Distinctive sweet-and-sour flavour<\/div>\n
Soft, creamy texture Soft, fibrous\/juicy pulp<\/div>\n
Often eaten fresh Often used for drinks, desserts and other preparations<\/div>\n
The easiest way to remember:<\/div>\n
\u25cf sweet sop \u2192 sweet, segmented fruit<\/div>\n
\u25cf sour sop \u2192 larger, green, spiny fruit with a sweet-and-sour flavour<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Here’s a fact that might surprise you!<\/div>\n
They are relatives!<\/div>\n
Sweet Sop and Sour Sop belong to the same plant genus:<\/div>\n
\u2756 Annona<\/div>\n
But they are different species.<\/div>\n
\u2756 Sweet sop = annona squamosa<\/div>\n
\u2756 Sour sop = annona muricata<\/div>\n
The genus also includes other familiar tropical fruits such as Cherimoya, Custard Apple and Atemoya. In fact, Atemoya is a hybrid of Sugar Apple and Cherimoya!<\/div>\n
So the next time you enjoy an atemoya, you are tasting part of the same fascinating botanical family<\/div>\n
.<\/div>\n
Why should we know about these fruits?<\/div>\n
Sweet sop and sour sop are both familiar tropical fruits in the Caribbean and form part of our region’s rich agricultural diversity.<\/div>\n
Understanding the differences between crops helps us appreciate:<\/div>\n
\u25cf plant diversity<\/div>\n
\u25cf local fruit production<\/div>\n
\u25cf food and nutrition<\/div>\n
\u25cf Horticulture<\/div>\n
\u25cf Agricultural opportunities<\/div>\n
And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that the names we use for fruits don’t always tell the whole story.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF\/IFAS), tropical fruit and horticulture resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Know the Facts Sweet Sop and Sour Sop they may both belong to the same family, but they are definitely not the same fruit! Have you ever bitten into a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-notices"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18068"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18072,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18068\/revisions\/18072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agriculture.gov.ag\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}