Champolas de Tamarindo y Guanabana (Tamarind & Soursop Juices): A bit of a sour touch from tamarind and the mild delicate taste of soursop. Summer just got interesting!
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One of the things I love the most about our cuisine is the fact that we have a large number of fruits available year-round. And we have figured out how to make juices from nearly all of them.
What's a champola?
Champola, or fruit juice [1] (used specifically for tamarind and soursop juices in the Dominican Rep.) are natural heat busters, and some of the most popular fruit juices in the Dominican Republic. The word "champola" is also used in Costa Rica and El Salvador.
Tamarind
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), a fruit related to beans, grows in a brown, hard pod from a large tree. Tamarind is originally from tropical Africa and has spread to basically wherever it can grow.
In the Dominican Republic, it is used mostly for juice-making and appreciated for its refreshing and nutritional quality. Tamarind is rich in vitamin B1, iron and magnesium. Tamarind is widely considered to help with sleep, and to have a minor laxative effect with excess consumption [2].
Tamarindo is not grown on a large agricultural scale, rather it is obtained from small producers. The tree is valued for its shade and low maintenance.
Soursop (guanábana)
Soursop is the for guanábana in English, also known as graviola, guyabano, catoche and guanaba [3] in parts of Latin America, and is the fruit of the Annona muricata tree. It is one of our "ancient" fruits, it already grew here when the Spaniards arrived on the island. The Dominican name for the fruit itself is of Taino origin.
This meaty, sweet fruit is great whether eaten or in juices. Soursop contains significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2.
About our recipe
We always had a soursop tree in our backyard, and an immense tamarind tree at my aunt's house when I was a child, so these drinks always remind me of my childhood. We had them whenever these fruits were in season.
There's very little variation in the way most Dominicans prepare these juices, so it's not likely that you'll find very different versions, but if you know of any, I'd love to hear it.
Champolas de Tamarindo y Guanabana Recipes (Tamarind & Soursop Juices)
Ingredients
Soursop juice
- 1 large soursop , peeled and seeded
- 1 cup of sugar (you may not use it all)
- Ice
Tamarind juice
- 3 cups of tamarind pulp (seeded, if possible)
- 1 cup of sugar (you may not use it all)
- Ice
Instructions
Soursop juice
- Blend the soursop in 1 1/2 qrt of water. Sieve and get rid of solids.
- Add sugar to taste, add ice and serve.
Tamarind juice
- Soak the tamarind in 1 1/2 qrt of water overnight.
- Using a fork try to mash the tamarind to extract the pulp.
- Sieve and get rid of solids.
- Add sugar to taste, add ice and serve.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Reference
- [1] Carlos Esteban Deive, Diccionario de Dominicanismos. 2nd edition. Sto. Dgo: Ed. Lib. La Trinitaria, 2002.
- [2] Tamarindus Indica. Purdue University
- [3] Annona muricata. Purdue University
Love This Recipes Too Bad I Can Only Get The Frozen Pulp Where I Am!
I'm a huge fan of both tamarind and soursop. We usually blend the soursop with milk and nutmeg. These sound so refreshing!