The green fruit looks like an apple. Tropical fruits. Exotic fruits. Description, names and photos

The countries of Southeast Asia are simply a paradise for lovers of tropical fruits. Dragon fruit, mangosteen, tomarillo, durian, snake fruit, and many other exotic names cease to amaze here and become the norm. Surely in Russia, in large supermarkets, there are many of these fruits, only, firstly, their prices can differ by an order of magnitude, and secondly, in order for them to appear on the shelves in a nice way, they are fairly stuffed with chemicals or sent unripe, which cannot but affect the taste and useful qualities. But in Southeast Asia, at home, many of these fruits cost a penny - for example, a ripe and juicy mango in season can be bought for 5 rubles, and a large (3 kg), sweet papaya for 30 rubles. As for the usual apples and pears, here, on the contrary, they are one of the most expensive fruits. In addition, there are almost no berries here, with the exception of strawberries, which sometimes pleases us. For the sixth month we have been living in Bali, and every day we enjoy a variety of fruit flavors. There are several dozen tropical fruits here, and if you consider that each of them, as a rule, has several varieties, and the taste of each variety is unique and inimitable, it becomes clear how good life is for fruit lovers here. The same fruits that we tried in Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia often differ not only in taste, but also in name and shape. The eyes in the market or in the store run up, it is difficult to choose a particular fruit, so we buy huge boxes that can hardly fit on a bike. We deliberately do not write about prices, since they are different everywhere, depending on the country, seasonality, variety and ability to bargain. So, we begin our acquaintance with tropical exotics.

Snake fruit (snake fruit), the Balinese call it salak

The fruits are round or pear-shaped, tapering to a wedge at the top, covered with a scaly brown peel resembling snake skin, from which the name of the fruit comes. The peel is thin and easily removed, it is enough to cut it or tear it at the edge, and then remove it like an egg shell. The flesh is white or beige in color and consists mainly of three segments. If the fruit is unripe, then due to the high content of tannin it knits the mouth, this is how we first tried it in Malaysia in the spring - we did not like it, and we safely forgot about it. Here in Bali, salak, as one of the most common fruits, quickly became familiar, we tried it again, and, one might say, fell in love. In Bali, 2 varieties are common. One, more elongated, consists of 3 identical segments, has a pleasant refreshing sweet taste, reminiscent of pineapple and banana with a slight nutty flavor. The second, more rounded, with two large segments and a third small pitted, tastes similar to gooseberries and pineapples. Both varieties are quite interesting, we buy different ones with the same success. Salak contains tannin, which removes harmful substances from the body, has astringent, hemostatic and antidiarrheal properties. In the north of Bali, in the forests, we somehow found a wild herring. Unlike the garden one, its peel is prickly in small needles, no more than 1 mm long, and the fruits themselves are smaller in size. They taste sweet, but peeling because of the thorns is not very pleasant, so we fed them to the monkeys, who were not a hindrance to the thorns and they coped with cleaning as quickly as they do with bananas.

Tamarillo (tamarillo)

Tamarillo fruits are egg-shaped, about 5 cm long. The shiny peel is hard and bitter, inedible, and the flesh has a sweet and sour, tomato-currant taste, almost without aroma. The skin color can be orange-red, yellow, or purple-red. The color of the pulp is usually golden-pink, the seeds are thin and round, black, edible. The fruits resemble long-fruited tomatoes, which is why they called it a tomato tree. Tomarillo can be cut into 2 halves and simply squeeze the pulp into your mouth, or peel it with a knife, holding the tail - you get such a flower
Tamarillo contains a large amount of vitamins A, B6, C and E, as well as trace elements - iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. The fruit will be useful for those who suffer from migraines. We fell in love with this fruit because of the berry-currant taste - there are very few berries in Bali, mostly all imported (with the exception of strawberries). Tamarillo makes an excellent sauce when lemon juice, ginger and honey are added to it. The sauce is suitable for both spicy dishes and desserts.

mango

Of the many tropical fruits, mango is still one of our favorites - it seems you can eat it as much as you like and never get bored. In Russia, we sometimes bought them in a store and the concept of different varieties did not exist for us - there are just mangoes and that's it, what was our surprise that, it turns out, there are several dozen species of them. India harvests about 13.5 million tons of mangoes per year (just think about the number!) and is thus the main producer (the most famous variety is mangifera indica 'Alphonso'), China is in second place in terms of productivity (just over 4 million tons) , on the third - Thailand (2.5 million tons), Indonesia 2.1 million tons. Ripe fruits of different varieties taste very different, most often they are sweet and have pleasant aromas of different shades from honey even to ginger.
Arriving in India in early November, we were very surprised not to find mangoes on sale - it turned out that the season begins in April. We flew away at the end of March, and literally in the last week the first crop appeared on sale - these were small red mangoes, very fragrant and sweet, for several days we could not tear ourselves away from them. We really liked the variety of mangoes in Malaysia - from Thai light yellow, with beige flesh inside, to green thick-skinned, unripe in appearance, but with bright orange, sweet flesh. But for real, we overeat mangoes in Bali. In May and June, the choice was not very large, but in August, September and, especially, in October, the variety of varieties and prices do not cease to please us. Our favorite Harumanis are green mangoes with orange, sweet, honey-colored flesh. Mango has a lot of vitamins and fructose, and few acids. Vitamin A has a beneficial effect on the organs of vision, helps with "night blindness" and other eye diseases. Regular consumption of mango improves immunity and protects against colds. Green mango is also rich in vitamin C. Mango fruits are often used in home medicine, for example, in India, mango is used to stop bleeding, to strengthen the heart muscle, and also to improve brain function.

Jackfruit (jackfruit)

Everyone who sees a jackfruit for the first time is very surprised, and there is something - this is the largest fruit in the world that grows on a tree. The length of the fruit is 20-90 cm, the diameter is up to 20 cm, and the fruits weigh up to 35 kg (in the photo, for comparison, there is a tangerine next to it). The thick peel is covered with numerous cone-shaped protrusions-thorns. Young fruits are green, when ripe they become green-yellow or brown-yellow. If the fruit has fallen and is not ripe, it is eaten as a vegetable, in India we have repeatedly tried jackfruit curry. But the fresh one was first tasted in Sri Lanka at the end of April, the season had just begun there. You can find a ripe fruit from May to September; when tapped, it makes a hollow sound (immature fruit is deaf). Inside, the fruit is divided into large lobes, which contain a sweet yellow pulp, consisting of juicy, slippery fibers. Each lobe contains an oblong seed 2-4 cm long, in one fruit there can be up to 500 seeds
The peel and seeds of a ripe fruit have an unpleasant putrefactive odor, while the pulp smells pleasant, there is something in common with a banana and pineapple, but the taste is still specific, for an amateur, we liked it very much. All parts of the plant, including the peel, contain sticky latex, so it is recommended to cut the fruit by lubricating your hands with sunflower oil or wearing rubber gloves :) The fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 months. In supermarkets and markets, jackfruit is sold mainly in a chopped form, since whole fruits, firstly, scare away with their thorns, and secondly, not everyone is ready to master such a giant. Due to its weight, it is not uncommon for a jackfruit to fall from a tree and break. Due to the strong smell, it is easily found by animals, which carry seeds throughout the forest, which contributes to its active spread. Jackfruit fruits are very nutritious, they contain about 40% carbohydrates. In particular, for this reason, and also because of the cheapness and universal availability, jackfruit in India is called "bread for the poor" or breadfruit. The seeds are also nutritious - they contain 38% carbohydrates, they are roasted and eaten like chestnuts. They taste a bit dry, but they go well with salads.

Dragon fruit or dragon fruit (dragon fruit), aka pitahaya or pitahaya

Belongs to the cactus family. Due to its interesting and unusual shape, as well as bright pink color, the fruit cannot go unnoticed. The fruit has a white or red (depending on the variety), creamy flesh and a delicate, slightly perceptible aroma. The pulp is eaten raw, the taste is sweet. It is convenient to eat, cut into 2 halves, scooping out the pulp with a spoon. To some, dragon fruit may seem bland and not very tasty, but if you taste it properly, you will definitely like the fruit (like Mozzarella cheese, for example, which also does not have a very pronounced taste). The fruit grows on cacti and blooms only at night. The flowers are also edible and can also be made into tea. The fruit is low in calories, helps with stomach pain and has a beneficial effect on the quality of vision.

Rambutan (rambutan)

The fruits are round or oval, 3-6 cm in size, grow in clusters up to 30 pieces, sometimes they are sold right on the branch. As they ripen, the fruits change color from green to yellow-orange, and then to red. If you want to get the most pleasure, choose fruits that are bright red in color. Juicy white fruits are covered with a dense skin, strewn with curved, hard yellow-brown hairs, 1-2 cm long. The pulp is gelatinous, white, very fragrant and has a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Inside is an inedible oval seed, up to 1.5 cm long. Raw seeds are poisonous, but if they are fried, they can be eaten. The seed oil is used in the manufacture of soaps and candles. Rambutans contain carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, nicotinic acid and vitamin C. The fruits are eaten mostly fresh, sometimes canned with sugar. Moreover, in Malaysia, these canned fruits are sold on every corner, as a snack, and they also make refreshing drinks. For the first time we got acquainted with rambutans in their homeland - in Malaysia. From Malay rambutan is translated as "hairy". Fruits are very light in weight, so 1 kilogram can contain several dozen of them. By the way, after bananas, which we pretty much hooked on in India (not only because of the taste, but also for reasons of sanitary safety), this is the number 2 fruit that you can easily and safely eat while traveling. A bunch of rambutans can be bought at the market or on the side of the road and eaten right away, which you can’t do with the same papaya or mango, not to mention the fruit, which is eaten with a peel. You just need to tear the peel in the middle and remove the upper half (the hairs are not prickly at all), then send the pulp into your mouth and stay in your hand with the second half of the peel - you don’t even need to wash your hands. In Malaysia, we got just in the season of rambutans (May) and the cost for 1 kg was the same as for 1 kg of mango (about $ 1), but in Bali, they turned out to be 3 times more expensive, although in October they had already fallen in price to $ 1.5 .

Mangosteen (mangostin), aka mangosteen, mangosteen, garcinia, mangkut

The fruit is round, 4-8 cm in diameter, covered with a thick (1 cm) maroon-violet inedible peel, under which there are 5-8 segments of white, very juicy pulp, with large seeds inside each segment. We met mangosteens in Sri Lanka - when we saw them for the first time, we thought that some kind of strange persimmon was here. We were not going to buy them, but the seller stopped us at the last moment, showing a clever trick, opening this fruit in a second. Seeing the juicy pulp, we could not resist the desire and tried it, and then of course we bought it. The taste of the fruit is very pleasant, creamy-sweet and slightly tart. Mangosteen is recommended to be used to fight obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney stones, colds, depression and a huge list of different diseases. In hot weather, this is a great fruit to quench your thirst.

Melodi (melodi), aka pepino, melon pear or sweet cucumber

Fruits are diverse, differ in size, shape, color and taste. Some have an exotic color - bright yellow, others purple, which is reminiscent of eggplant. The flesh of a ripe fruit is light yellow or completely colorless. Melody tastes like a mixture of pear and cucumber with a melon flavor. It can be added to sweet desserts and salads (depending on the variety). Here in Bali, we love to add it to salads - the fruit costs about the same as cucumbers, and the taste is more tender and interesting. Shades of taste, by the way, are different - from sweet and sour to sweet. The melody itself is very juicy, it is 92% water, so it is great for quenching thirst. Vitamin C gives the sourness to the fruit, the fruit is also rich in iron, keratin and a large amount of vitamins A, B1, B2 and PP.

Longan (longan) or dragon's eye

The first name comes from the name of the Vietnamese province of Longan. And the second from the structure of the fruit - if you break the "berry" in half, then a black bone appears, which, against the background of a transparent beige pulp, resembles the eye of a Longan, grows in clusters on evergreen trees, the height of which can reach twenty meters. More than 200 kg of fruits are harvested from each tree during the summer. Outwardly, the fruits are similar to nuts, easy to clean. The color of the inedible outer shell of the fruit is spotty yellowish. Lognan tends to ripen after being removed from the tree. Under the peel hides a transparent juicy pulp - sweet and very fragrant with a musky flavor. Under the pulp is one large bone. Longan is quite rich in vitamins, it contains a lot of vitamin C, B1, B2 and B3, as well as micro and macro elements such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese and, in addition, many bioacids that are useful for the skin. With such richness, the fruit is low in calories. Longan can be eaten fresh, or as a snack with hot and spicy dishes, a drink from it perfectly quenches thirst and improves appetite
For the first time we tried the fruit in Bali - somehow walking around the market with our Balinese friend Budi, we asked him about his favorite fruits and he, without delay, pointed out this rather inconspicuous fruit. Budi comes from Java, and longan is very popular there. The first time we did not really like it, the aroma was not as pronounced as expected. We decided that we simply didn’t taste it, and after a couple of days we bought it again - this time the longan turned out to be very tasty and juicy. Against the background of other exotic, more appetizing-looking fruits, it certainly loses outwardly, but the palette of useful components included in it and the refreshing taste push you to buy again and again. Longan is used in Chinese traditional medicine as a tonic for weakness, fatigue, tachycardia, dizziness, and impaired vision. Also, the pulp of the fruit is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, reduce body temperature during fever, calm with unreasonable excitement, normalize sleep and improve memory, and focus.

Kepundung (kepundung) or Asian gooseberry

In appearance, it is very similar to Longan, but the taste is completely different. The skin is thick but easy to peel. The fruits inside are white-pink, have a viscous jelly structure, there is a stone that is difficult to separate from the pulp - this is one of the reasons why kepundung is easier to use for making syrups and sauces, and not to be consumed fresh. The fruit tastes very pleasant, sweet and sour, refreshing with a light delicate aroma. Kepundung is a well-known source of vitamin C in Asia, making it useful for treating throat and respiratory problems. The fruit is considered sacred among Indian and Tibetan healers, who use the dried fruit to treat a wide range of problems such as indigestion, fever, liver problems, and anemia. Kepundung is good for the prevention and treatment of stress, fever, arthritis.

Tamarind (tamarind) or Indian date, he is asam, asem, sampalok

It is actually a plant in the legume family, but it is sold in the fruit section, and because of its sweet taste, many actually consider it a fruit. A fruit is hidden under the shell - a brown pod-shaped bean, similar, sorry, to a "turd", consisting of a soft pulp and many dense seeds. The pulp can be eaten fresh as a fruit or a sweet for tea. It is also widely used as a spice in both Asian and Latin American cuisines. The pulp of green fruits is sour and is used in the preparation of spicy dishes, but the ripe fruits are sweeter, with a fruity taste, they are used for making desserts, drinks, and snacks. In Latin America, especially in Mexico, this fruit is very popular and is used in all sorts of ways. It was in Mexico that we first got acquainted with its taste - we tried "Tamarindo" sweets - hard candies with seeds, with a characteristic aroma and taste. We did not like sweets, but here, in Bali, we bought fresh tamarind, not even suspecting that we had already tried it before - this time we liked it. Due to its healing properties, the pulp, leaves and bark are used in medicine. In the Philippines, the leaves are traditionally used to make an herbal tea to relieve fever from malaria. And in India, in Ayurveda - for the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract. Tamarind contains a large amount of vitamin C, as well as vitamins A and E. Protects against colds and heart disease. The tamarind is the official tree of Santa Clara in Cuba and is featured on the city's coat of arms.

Papaya (papaya)

Sweet juicy papaya pieces melt in your mouth. The fruit is exceptionally nutritious, and the most interesting thing is that papaya is not boring at all, we enjoyed eating it very often in India and Sri Lanka, and in Bali it has been our traditional breakfast dish for the sixth month. In India and Bali, papaya is very sweet, we especially like the "California" variety, but in Thailand, as our friends say, it is more watery. In Mexico, we liked it only in combination with yogurt or honey - there it is more customary to eat it a little underripe and even with salt and chili peppers. Papaya is a valuable source of beta-carotene, a third of a medium-sized fruit satisfies the daily requirement of an adult for vitamin C, and also provides the necessary amount of calcium and iron. Papaya fruits not only in appearance, but also in chemical composition are close to melon, contain glucose and fructose, organic acids, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals, so papaya is sometimes called the "melon tree". They say that when roasted on a fire, papaya fruits smell like fresh bread, which gave this plant another interesting name - "breadfruit". Green papaya has contraceptive and abortifacient properties - Asian women who wish to terminate their pregnancy ate the unripe fruit in large quantities. In tropical countries, papaya juice is used for diseases of the spine, as it contains an enzyme that regenerates the connective tissue of the intervertebral discs. Perhaps it is precisely because of the frequent use of papaya that Asians are less prone to diseases of the musculoskeletal system, even despite the tradition of carrying weights on their heads.

Coconut (cocos, coconut)

Although they are often referred to as "coconuts", they are not actually nuts, but drupes - stone fruits (like peaches). The weight of a coconut is 1.5-2.5 kg, its outer shell is green, brown or yellow, depending on the variety, pierced with fibers, and the inner, hard shell is the very “shell” that many are used to seeing on store shelves. In a young coconut, the liquid (coconut water) is clear and tasty, it is these coconuts that are bought as a drink. Gradually, with the appearance of oil droplets inside, secreted by the bark, the liquid turns into a milky emulsion, then thickens and hardens, solidifying on the walls of the shell. In Mexico, we mostly bought already hard, sliced ​​coconuts. When eaten with chocolate, they are very reminiscent of Bounty bars. But coconut water was first tasted in India. There, young coconuts are sold on every corner, and they are very cheap ($0.3 versus $1-1.5 in Bali). They are not sold in fruit stalls, but often just from a cart. Sometimes, right under the tree on the ground, lies a mountain of fresh coconuts and split bones. Sellers deftly, in 2-3 steps, cut off the top and insert the tube - the drink is ready
A young coconut contains about 2 cups of "coconut milk". After the natural container is empty, you can ask to split it into 2 parts and with a spoon made right there by the seller from one cut along the outer layer, scrape out the pulp - a translucent jelly slurry. In Bali, various varieties of both young and hard coconuts are in abundance, and the latter are sold already peeled, which is very convenient. The 1st place in the world in the production of coconuts, and this is about 20,000 thousand tons of fruits per year, is occupied by the Philippines. Indonesia and India are in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. Coconut is a strong aphrodisiac, it normalizes the reproductive system. Milk and pulp of coconut well restore strength and improve eyesight. Coconut oil is generally a versatile product, it is used in cooking, for medical and cosmetic purposes. Strengthens and nourishes hair, as well as moisturizes and softens the skin, smoothing wrinkles; improves the functioning of the digestive system and liver; normalize thyroid function; relaxes muscles and helps with joint problems; increases immunity and resistance to various infections, reduces the adaptability of bacteria to antibiotics. The pulp normalizes the level of cholesterol in the blood; helps with colds, diarrhea, and gallbladder diseases; has antimicrobial, antiviral wound-healing effect; reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and other diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as cancer and degeneration processes. Hard coconuts contain B vitamins and vitamins C and E, as well as various mineral salts. In general, not a fruit, but a whole natural pharmacy.

Pineapple (ananas, pineapple)

The largest pineapple plantations are concentrated in the Hawaiian Islands, which is about 30% of world production. Did you know that pineapples grow on bushes, not on trees? For the first time as they grow, we are in Sri Lanka, and we were very surprised. Pineapple, along with bananas, is one of the most popular fruits in Asia, they are found in every country - of different varieties and sizes. We ate the most delicious pineapples in Sri Lanka - bright, sweet and juicy, with a rich aroma, just a heavenly delight. Our friends from Sri Lanka even brought such pineapples home to Russia as souvenirs. And in India, we liked the way of peeling pineapples on the beaches. In the states of Kerala and Goa, vendors carry fruits for sale in large bowls on their heads, including pineapples. They are turned upside down, deftly peeled with a knife, and literally a minute later they are handed over like an ice cream cone. Pineapple is low in calories, and the high content of potassium salts helps to get rid of excess fluid and even several kilograms of weight. Pineapple dessert improves the digestion of fatty foods and improves metabolism. Due to the complex of biologically active substances, pineapple stimulates digestion and reduces blood viscosity. Pineapple contains vitamins A, B and C, as well as numerous trace elements, including bromelain, which improves the absorption of protein substances by the body.

Passion fruit (marakujya), aka edible passion flower, or edible passionflower, or purple granadilla

For the first time we tried this passion fruit in Bali, and I must say that from the first time it did not make much impression on us, but the second time we tried it - passion fruit is really very tasty and unusual. The color of the fruit, depending on the variety, varies from light yellow to maroon, the jelly-like pulp can be transparent, beige, greenish. Taste shades are also quite different - from sweet and sour to very sweet. We are not yet addicted to a particular variety, we are trying different ones. It is enough to cut the fruit in half, after which the fragrant sweet pulp can be eaten with a spoon. Passion fruit seeds are also edible - they are used to decorate cakes and other confectionery. Sweet and sour passion fruit juice is valued in cooking, and since it also has good tonic properties, it is used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetology. The fruit is very effective in relieving headaches, muscle tension and insomnia.

Guava (guava) or guava

The fruit is usually round, oval or pear-shaped, with a pleasant musky odor. The color of the fruit is very different - yellowish-white, bright yellow, reddish, greenish-white or completely green, the skin is always very thin. Fruits are different in size - from very small to large, depending on the variety. The flesh is white, yellow, pink or bright red, filled with hard seeds. The number of seeds ranges from 112 to 535 (and some fruits contain no seeds at all). Guava gives one main crop, up to 100 kg per tree - and 2-4 additional much smaller ones. The best mature trees give 200-250 kg each. per year. The first time we tried guava in India, they prefer to eat it unripe, green there. It is cut in half and sprinkled with pepper (we abstained from this additive). The taste is unusual, we liked it, but the stomachs of unripe fruits did not really like it. In Bali, we tried another variety of guava, and this time we ate ripe fruit. These fruits are similar in size and color to Asian lemons, and the pale pink tender flesh tastes like strawberries.
Guava is a storehouse of health, it is the only fruit that contains 16 vitamins, minerals, salts and trace elements. An interesting fact: guava contains 5-10 times more vitamin C than orange. Guava fruits are widely used not only in food (jelly, jams, sauces, marmalade, juices), but also in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages. Guava juice has a psychostimulating effect, in ancient times it was added to the drinks of warriors and hunters to give them vigor and strength, and Cuban women fed their lovers with these fruits, they contain aphrodisiacs - substances that strengthen "male strength" and enhance sexual desire. Guava is also used as an air freshener - if the cut fruits are brought into a smoky room, then after 10 minutes the smell of tobacco will disappear.

Yellow watermelon (yellow watermelon)

It looks like an ordinary striped watermelon, only inside it is an unusual, bright yellow color. Such a watermelon was born as a result of crossing a wild watermelon (which is just yellow) with an ordinary one. In addition to the unusual coloring, this watermelon contains very little, compared to red, seeds - sometimes we come across no seeds at all. The first time we tried yellow watermelon in Malaysia and it turned out to be not very sweet, but in Bali we buy them often and always come across sweet ones. Once we bought both red and yellow to compare tastes, and so red turned out to be less sweet, even seemed watery, although if you eat it separately from yellow, it is quite fragrant and sweet
Despite the fact that it is a hybrid, yellow watermelon, like regular watermelon, contains many vitamins and is excellent for regulating the excretory system.

Sapodilla (sapodilla) aka savo, aka chiku, aka akhra

Brown-green egg-shaped fruit, up to 5 cm in size. Smaller fruits look like small potatoes, and those that are larger look like kiwi. The peel is soft and easily peeled with a knife. The flesh is yellow-brown, juicy, very sweet with a caramel-date taste, sometimes even cloyingly sweet if the fruit is ripe. It is better to choose soft fruits, even if they are a little "shrunken", they will definitely be sweeter. We first tried this fruit in India and it immediately became our second favorite (after bananas). In India it is called "chiku", so we are more accustomed to this name. In Bali, it is known as "savo", or "Balinese kiwi". They eat the fruit both raw and cooked - in the form of jams and salads, they are also stewed with lime juice and ginger, put in pies and even make wine based on it. Chicu is rich in vegetable proteins, carbohydrates, iron, potassium and calcium, as well as vitamins A and C. The beneficial properties of chicu are used by cosmetics manufacturers - the fruit has antiseptic and regenerating properties.

Durian (durian)

In Southeast Asia, durian is considered the king of fruits. It is ovoid or round in shape, about 15-30 cm in diameter, weighing from 1 to 8 kg. Durian is covered with pyramidal hard thorns and is somewhat similar to Jackfruit, many tourists, due to inexperience, even confuse them. The fruit is a five-leaved capsule, each of the 5 chambers of the fruit contains one pale yellow seed with pulp, having the consistency of a pudding and an incomparably "delicious" aroma. The smell of a ripe fruit is really peculiar, very corrosive, sweetish-putrefactive. The raw pulp of ripe durian fruits is considered a delicacy, fruits are eaten with the hands, breaking them at the seams and removing the pulp with the seed from the chamber
Its taste is reminiscent of sweet almond cream with the addition of cream cheese, onion sauce, cherry syrup and other products that are difficult to combine. Durian, if it is not overripe, smells only when cut, and the smell does not appear until half an hour after the fruit has been cut. The smell of durian is sometimes described as a mixture of rotten onions, cheese, and turpentine. Because of this, in many countries of Southeast Asia it is forbidden to bring durian into public places and transport, in many hotels of those countries where durian grows, there is even a poster with a crossed-out image of the fruit, especially we saw a lot of such posters in Singapore, there is even a fine for it is supposed to. The composition of durian includes a rich set of minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc, these are vital elements for the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous, immune and other body systems. A decoction of the leaves and roots of durian is used as an antipyretic, and the pulp as an anthelmintic. It is eaten fresh, added to confectionery, as a filling in chocolates, ice cream, drinks, fried as a side dish, or mixed with rice. For the first time we decided to get acquainted with the taste of durian in Malaysia by trying ice cream with this flavor. We did not like it at all, although it hardly had anything in common with the taste of a real fruit - it contained soy milk and a dozen flavors, stabilizers, etc. We have not met anyone indifferent to this fruit - it is either dearly loved or disgusted. Previously, we avoided even talking about trying durian, but recently we nevertheless decided on this feat. Our verdict is that durian has a very rich taste with many shades, we really liked it, so we will definitely buy it in the future.

Carambola (carambola) or star fruit

There are mainly 2 types: sour, usually green and sweet - yellow. The fruits of both varieties are very juicy, and slightly herbaceous. Sour varieties have a pronounced tonic effect, we first tried them in Bali, these varieties are ideal for salads. We met sweet varieties a long time ago, while still traveling around Europe, we especially fell in love with them in the Canary Islands. Juicy pulp most of all resembles a harmonious combination of gooseberries, apples and cucumbers. The sweet varieties are delicious raw, they can also be added to fruit smoothies, or used as an edible decoration for ice cream and cakes - when sliced, the fruit makes pretty stars. Thanks to its juiciness, carambola is ideal for quenching thirst. The mineral and vitamin complex of fruits is represented by calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, beta-carotene and vitamins B1, B2, B5, and C. The aroma of carambola is greatly enhanced if it is slightly boiled in syrup until soft.

Asian lemons (lemon)

Of course, lemons are everywhere, and they can be attributed to tropical fruits with a stretch, but we decided, nevertheless, to write about them, because in appearance they are very different from the usual ones. Asian lemons are small, round, yellow-green or green, which gives them a resemblance to a lime, with which tourists often confuse them. By the way, lemon changes or transforms the taste of familiar fruits very cool. Try, for example, sprinkle papaya with lemon juice and get an unusual taste, papaya will seem even sweeter. We also often use lemons to make lemon-ginger-honey tea. Lemon contains so much vitamin C that even with short-term heating of lemon juice to 100 ° C, the content of vitamin C almost does not decrease, which allows you to add it to tea without losing its beneficial properties (the main thing is not to boil it). Lemon juice is a prophylactic against heart attacks, strokes, and is also capable of killing several dozen viruses.

Chompu (chomfu), jambolan, yamboza or Malay apple, also called wax, rose, mountain or water apple

The fruits are oblong, bell-shaped. Although the fruit is called an apple, it looks more like a small pear 4-8 cm long. The fruit has a pink-red or dark red, sometimes red-green waxy skin, white juicy crispy flesh inside and 1 or 2 inedible brown seeds, although there are fruits and no seed. The ripened fruit has a pleasant, sweet aroma, and the fruit itself is good for quenching thirst. We first tried it in Bali - we bought it several times, and each time the tastes are different, from very sweet to tasteless watery, apparently we have not yet learned how to determine the maturity of the fruit. The ripe fruits of the wax apple are edible not only fresh, but also stewed with cloves and other spices, in cream. Unripe fruits are suitable for making jams, jams and marinades. Also, white and red wine are made from these fruits. The Malay apple contains bioactive substances that lower blood sugar levels, so it is very useful for diabetics. It is also actively used in folk medicine in many tropical countries. For example, a decoction of the bark of the tree is used for bowel disorders, a decoction of the root is used as a diuretic, and the juice from the leaves is used as a facial lotion or bathed with it. The fruit has an antimicrobial effect, is used to regulate blood pressure and in the treatment of colds.

Sirsak, guanabana, prickly annona or soursop

The fruits are heart-shaped or oval, irregular in shape, 15-20 cm long and weighing up to 3 kg. The peel is thin and tough, has small fleshy spines arranged in a mesh pattern, the color is dark green, sometimes with black patches, the ripe fruit turns slightly yellow. The pulp is juicy, fibrous, light cream, similar to custard, divided into segments, has a fragrant unique smell reminiscent of pineapple, the taste is sweet with a slight sourness, nutmeg. The fruit is eaten both fresh and used to make drinks, desserts, fruit salads and ice cream. The fruits are harvested unripe, hard, because if they are allowed to ripen on the tree, they fall and are damaged. At room temperature, they ripen and become soft. In Indonesia, unripe fruits are used as vegetables. We eat it fresh, we tried it for the first time in the Canary Islands, but then they did not appreciate the taste and did not buy it for a long time. And quite recently, when they wanted exotics and bought sirsak, they liked the taste. We simply cut it in half, by analogy with pitaya, and eat the pulp with spoons, but you can cut it into cubes and eat it with a fork, whichever is more convenient for you. Sirsak contains important minerals - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, as well as vitamin C and B vitamins. The fruit is good for intestinal microflora, improves liver function, normalizes stomach acidity, removes uric acid from the body, so it is recommended for people suffering from such diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis and gout. In folk medicine, the bark and leaves are used as an antispasmodic and sedative, they are used for insomnia, coughs, flu, asthenia, asthma and hypertension.

Bananas

This is definitely one of the most popular fruits on the planet. It's hard to believe when looking at a pile of identical bananas in Lenta or Auchan, but there are more than 40 different types all over the world. Most varieties, simultaneously on sale, we saw in India (about a dozen). Bananas of different colors, shapes and sizes are sold there, from very small ones with a little finger to giant ones under 30 cm and of course, each of them has its own unique taste. In India, bananas were the number one fruit for us. Firstly, they are incredibly tasty, most of all we fell in love with yellow, finger and red ones, they are very sweet. Secondly, because of the convenience of their cleaning and safety in unsanitary conditions. Thirdly, they are very cheap - $ 0.3-0.5 for a large bundle, weighing 1.5 kg. By the way, red bananas are practically not exported, because they are very soft and tender, they are quite easy to damage during transportation. Ecuadorian bananas, which everyone is used to in Russia, cannot be compared with Asian varieties in terms of sweetness and aroma. Bananas are conditionally divided into two main groups: dessert bananas, which are consumed raw or dried, and plane trees, which require heat treatment. The pulp of dessert varieties is very sweet in taste, contains a large amount of sugars, carbohydrates and a small amount of proteins and fats, so they are often used in sports nutrition. Platanos are green or red-skinned fruits with starchy, tough, often unsweetened flesh that are fried, boiled, or steamed before consumption. Most often in the markets and in cafes they are sold as a snack - banana chips or a dessert "bananas in batter". Bananas contain more vitamin B6 than other fruits, it is this vitamin that is responsible for a good mood, and because of the high phosphorus content, a banana is called a fruit for intelligence. In terms of weight, the banana crop ranks second in the world, ahead of grapes (third place) and behind oranges (first place). India grows the largest number of bananas in the world. Dried bananas - "banana figs", can be stored for a long time. In addition to fruits, young shoots of plants can be eaten, for example, in India, curry is prepared from them. In Bali, we tried to cook curry from young shoots on our own, but apparently we didn’t take into account something - it turned out to be very bitter in taste. By the way, you can buy bananas unripe and they will ripen at home, but you should not store them in the refrigerator, where they quickly turn black. Banana leaves serve as decorative elements in the ceremonies of Buddhist and Hindu cultures. They are also used as plates for traditional South Asian food in India and Sri Lanka. In Kerala we often ate from such a leaf, the Indians believe that the leaf on which dinner is served gives the food a peculiar taste. Fun fact: The world record for eating bananas is 81 bananas per hour! The world's largest collection of bananas, which includes more than 470 varieties and about 100 species, is located in Honduras.

Cocoa (cacao)

This is not about dried cocoa beans, but about the plant itself and its fruits. We first encountered him in Bali, sometimes you can find him in a fruit shop or on coffee plantations. The ripe fruit is bright yellow, large, 15-20 cm, shaped like a lemon, equipped with longitudinal grooves, inside there are many large seeds arranged in several rows and surrounded by white juicy pulp, which you can eat. We wrote more about the cultivation, drying and production of cocoa butter and cocoa powder, which are later used to make chocolate, in the article "Chocolate trees or how cocoa is grown in Bali".

Conclusion

In this article, we told you only about those fruits that we ourselves managed to get to know quite well and taste properly. There are still so many interesting fruits in Asia that we are only looking at or have tried once, but have not yet understood the taste that the fruit topic is not yet closed on this
What fruits do you like? Or maybe you have tried some interesting exotic fruit that we have not written about? Share it in the comments, we'd love to read it!

Traveling abroad means getting to know more than just gorgeous landscapes and culture. Outlandish overseas fruits and unusual berries will help to create a complete taste picture about the location. It is easier to choose from the variety of offers you like with the help of the description.

Avocado

Considered a fruit. The taste is more inclined towards a vegetable, namely pumpkin with hints of an unripe pear with a nutty tinge. Ripeness is determined by the degree of softness. Has a large bone inside. The peel is not edible. Sizes up to 20 centimeters. The soft, oily flesh is eaten raw. Butchering is the removal of the skin and bone. You can try in Vietnam, India, Cuba, Dominican Republic

Aki

Visually similar to a red-yellow or orange pear. Ripe fruits (immature poisonous) are consumed thermally processed, the taste resembles a walnut. Maturity is determined by the openness of the fruit - a ripe one bursts, and the pulp protrudes. It is offered to feast in Brazil, Jamaica, Hawaii.

Ambarella

It has the shape of an oval golden color. Grows in clusters. Rigid rind on the outside, hard prickly bone on the inside. The pulp is sweet, juicy, taste with mango and pineapple notes. Places of growth: India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines.

pineapples

The taste is not comparable to those sold in Russia - juicy, fleshy, sweet and sour fruits with a bright aroma. Sizes from an average apple to the usual for us. You should choose a pineapple of medium hardness - the pulp will definitely be tasty. It will be possible to take a sample in Brazil, China, the Philippines.

Bail (tree apple)

Fruit with hard skin. Only a hammer will help to divide it in half. On sale is often presented cut. Flesh with hairs, yellow, irritating to the throat. It will be possible to see on sale in India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka.

bam-balan

The taste of the fruit resembles borscht with mayonnaise and sour cream. The smell is specific. Cleaning is to free from the crust. They can offer a curiosity on the island of Borneo from the Malaysian side.

banana pink

A miniature species up to 8 centimeters in size with a thick peel. The skin of ripe pink bananas bursts, revealing pulp with many seeds. An unpretentious plant that can be grown even at home. Widespread throughout many warm countries.

crowberry

Berry with a black color and a neutral taste (not sweet and not sour), similar to lingonberries. It looks like a blueberry. It is possible to try it in the countries of the northern hemisphere - Korea, Japan, Canada, the USA, China and even Russia.

Eye of the Dragon

Round brown fruit. The skin and the bone inside are not edible. The consistency is jelly-like, transparent white. The taste is bright, sweet. Big calorie content. Excessive consumption may increase the temperature. You can buy in Thailand, China, Cambodia, Vietnam.

Strawberry Guava (Cattleya)

Fruits are yellow to red. The size reaches a diameter of 4 centimeters. Juicy, sweet strawberry flavored guavas are exotic fruits from India, Africa, Bermuda, and America.

Guanabana (soursop)

Fruit with a mass of 3 to 7 kilograms. The shape is round, oval. The green surface of the soursop is covered with processes in the form of soft bells. Inside is white, soft, with a taste reminiscent of citro with sourness. The ripe fruit is pressed with a finger. You will be able to eat in the Bahamas, in Mexico, Peru, Argentina.

Jaboticaba

Fruits that grow on poles and branches. Grows in clusters. They look like black grapes. The skin is bitter and unfit for consumption. The pulp is like a transparent jelly, sweet, with seeds. Grows in Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Cuba, Peru.

Jackfruit

A large green fruit, weighing up to 34 kilograms. It should be purchased already cut. Yellow slices have the taste of melon and duchesse. Possible allergic reaction and difficulty swallowing. The symptom goes away after a few hours. It grows in Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand.

durian

The king of fruits. It has a specific smell of a mixture of onions, garlic and dirty socks. The pulp is soft, sweet and healthy. You should buy cut slices. A whole durian reaches a large size and is covered with thorns. Due to the smell, you can not eat in public places and transport in transport. You can taste the curiosity in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia.

Imbe (African Mango)

Exotic tree with orange fruits. The size is small - up to 3 centimeters. The taste is bright, rich, sweet and sour. Has a coloring effect. You can try in Africa.

figs

The fruit is pear-shaped and blue-violet in color. Weight varies between 80 grams and 8 centimeters in diameter. The skin can be eaten. The taste is juicy, watery, reminiscent of strawberries with an admixture of blackcurrant. You can eat in the Mediterranean countries, the Crimea and Central Asia.

Spanish lime (Giseps)

It looks like a familiar lime only in shape. It looks light green, the peel is not edible, pleasantly sweet inside with a bone. You can eat by removing the tip of the peel and squeezing. Found in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia.

carambola

Yellow-green star-shaped fruit. It has a smooth skin that is edible. The taste is bright, with hints of a flower, similar to an apple. Inside there are seeds that are edible. You can see it on the shelves of Thailand and Indonesia.

Kiwano

Oblong fruit of bright yellow color. The ripened fruit is covered with yellow-orange horns and bright green inside. The cut looks like a cucumber. The taste is a combination of melon, avocado, banana and cucumber. They eat the pulp, cutting the fruit like a watermelon. You can try in New Zealand, Africa, Chile, Israel.

Kiwi

Looks like a hairy potato on the outside and a gooseberry on the inside. Size up to 80 grams and 7 centimeters. The flesh varies from yellow to green with edible black seeds. Choose soft, smooth fruits. The taste is similar to strawberry. Growing countries: Chile, Italy, Greece, Krasnodar region of Russia.

Coconut

Round, large fruit, reaching 3 kilograms. According to the degree of maturity, it is divided into young and overripe. A young coconut has a tender skin, juicy flesh and milk/juice inside the shell. Overripe coconuts have a hairy surface, a cloudy liquid inside, and a tough inside. The second are found in the countries of importation. Growing countries: Thailand, Vietnam, India.

Kumquat

Exotic fruits of China predominantly. Small citrus fruits 2-4 centimeters long. Inside they have inedible bones. Eaten with skins. The taste is similar to orange, but more sour. You can also try in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Cupuaçu

Melon shaped fruit. Covered with a red-brown hard crust. The inside is white, sweet-sour with seeds. The most delicious is the fruit that left the tree itself. The trees are located in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia.

Kuruba

Fruit in the form of a cucumber on the outside and corn inside. The ripe color of the fruit is bright yellow. Fiery orange flesh inside. The taste is juicy, sweet, with sour notes. Contains a lot of water. Grows in Bolivia, Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina.

Lychee

It is similar in appearance to longan, but has a brighter taste and smell. Ripe lychee has a red skin. Transparent smooth pulp has a sweet taste. Contains inedible bone. Where to eat: China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand.

Longkong

It looks like a longan. Distinguished by a larger size and yellowish skin color. The delicacy inside is similar in shape to garlic. The taste is specific, sweet and sour. The peel is inedible, but useful. You can find it in the markets of Thailand.

magic fruit

Guest from West Africa. Small red fruits reach 2-3 centimeters and grow on trees. They have a bone inside. The magic of the fruit lies in the ability to retain the sweetness of the taste for a long time. Lemons and grapefruits eaten after a treat will also seem sweet.

Mameya (Mammeya)

Similar to apricot in appearance and taste of pulp. Larger in size - up to 20 centimeters in diameter. The skin is light brown. The berry has one to four seeds. The hint of taste goes into mango. Place of offer: Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela.

Mango

A popular large tropical fruit. It is better to cut the fruit with a knife - remove the skin and bone. The color of the fruit changes with the degree of ripeness - from green to orange-red. Taste gathered notes of melon, rose, peach and apricot. Growing countries: Myanmar, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam.

mangosteen

Outwardly, it resembles a persimmon, only the color is dark purple. The skin is thick and inedible. Inside - garlic cloves with a unique sweet-sour taste. Ripe fruit is firm and without dents. Mangosteen peel juice does not wash out. Sample locations: Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand.

passion fruit

Fruits of various colors from yellow to purple. The size is 8 centimeters in diameter. Ripe fruits are covered with a wrinkled skin. The pulp is the same iridescent, depending on the variety, similar to sweet and sour jelly with stones. Is an aphrodisiac. It grows in Vietnam, India, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Marang

Elongated fruit. The peel is covered with thorns, the degree of maturity is determined by their hardness. Inside are white fruits with a stone. The taste varies from sweet ice cream to light marshmallow. Perishable, not subject to transportation. It grows in Australia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Marula

A perishable fruit that can ferment. The effect also affects animals. The fruits are small, yellow, with a stone. Fresh with a slight aroma and not sweet in taste. You can only meet in Africa.

Mafai

Small fruits in yellow, orange and red hues. Grow up to 5 centimeters. Thin skin conceals transparent slices of fresh sweet taste. The bone of the fruit is bitter and tightly attached to the pulp. You can find it in India, China, Thailand, Vietnam.

medlar

Sunny orange small fruit with brown pits. Unripe tastes like persimmon - tart and viscous. Ripe has the aroma and taste of blueberries. Home of the fruit: Egypt, Dominican Republic, Crimea, Abkhazia, southern Russia.

Naranjilla

A fruit shaped like a cherry tomato. The hairy fruit progresses through the stages of maturity from green to bright orange. Taste - strawberry-pineapple with notes of mango. Grows in Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica.

Noina (sugar apple)

A fruit with the size of an average apple and the appearance of a green cone. The internal component is soft, sweet, pleasant to the taste. Butchering is difficult due to uneven inedible skin. The maturity of the fruit is determined by its softness. But do not be zealous - the fruit is fragile and can fall apart when checking. Place of growth - Thailand.

Noni

The fruit is shaped like a convex green potato. The smell of the fruit is specific - spoiled cheese with mold. The taste is not pleasing - bitter. But at home, it is considered very useful and healing. Noni is the basis of the diet of the poor in southeast Asia. You can meet in Australia and Malaysia.

Papaya

Fruit in the form of a cylinder. Color from unripe green to mature yellow-orange. The size reaches 20 centimeters. It is more convenient to buy cut. The taste is a melon-pumpkin mixture. Places of cultivation: Bali, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia.

Pepino

Exotic fruits from Egypt. Large - up to 700 grams. Painted in different shades of yellow with lilac stripes. Inside are seeds that are edible. Ripe fruit should be chosen - it is tender, soft, with a melon note. The peel is removed - it is possible, but unpleasant to eat. You can also try in Peru, Turkey, New Zealand.

Pitaya

Oblong fruit of bright color (pink, burgundy, yellow). The surface is scaly. You can peel like a grapefruit or cut and eat with a spoon. Inside the pulp is transparent, white or reddish, sprinkled with small grains. It grows in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Vietnam.

Platonia

Small brown fruits with a diameter of up to 13 centimeters. Inside they have a few unusable grains. The inside is white with a tropical taste and aroma. It is used as a base for sherbet and jelly. Habitat: Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil.

pomelo

Citrus hybrid of orange and grapefruit. It has a large size, reaching up to 10 kilograms. The peel is thick, fleshy, green. The pulp is in film slices that are bitter. The taste is less juicy than grapefruit. You should choose ripe for a bright citrus smell. You can eat in Tahiti, India, China, Japan.

Rambutan

Fleecy fruit of red-violet color. You can open it by twisting it with both hands in different directions. Inside is transparent, with a bright taste. The raw grains are poisonous. Ripeness directly depends on the brightness of the color of the fruit. They will offer to buy in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Thailand.

Buddha Hand (Citron)

Beautiful on the outside and uninteresting on the inside. The unusual shape of the fruit resembles a hand with many fingers. But 70 percent of the fruit consists of a peel, 30 percent of sour-bitter pulp. It is actively used in culinary crafts. You can admire the curiosity in India, Japan, Vietnam, China.

Sala

Convex brown fruit with small prickly protrusions. It is advisable to clean with a knife. The inside is divided into 3 parts with a bright sweet taste of persimmon pear. Parameters - up to 5 centimeters. Grows in Malaysia, Thailand.

Santol

It has a pear shape of uneven brown color. The rind is inedible and needs to be removed. The pulp is white with a bright mangosteen taste. Seeds have a laxative effect and are used as needed. Grows in Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines.

sapodilla

A small fruit with a thin matte skin. The size of the fetus is 10 centimeters and 200 grams. Taste - milky caramel, causes viscosity in the mouth. Seeds are not recommended. Grows in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Hawaii.

Sugar palm (Cambodian palm)

"Female" trees bear fruit. Fruit pulp is packed far inside, transparent white. Has refreshing properties. It is the basis for Thai sweet ice. Distributed in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines.

Plums Natal

The fruits of this tree are the only part of the bush that does not harm people. Branches and leaves are unfit for consumption and contain poison. The color of the plums is hot pink with a wrinkled texture, and the taste is sweet. Suitable for use in baking as a filling. Homeland - South Africa.

Tamarillo

Berry in the form of an oval with dimensions up to 5 centimeters in diameter. Skin color options: yellow, burgundy, purple. The peel is unhealthy, peeled off with a knife. The taste is currant with notes of tomato. The smell is bright fruity. Located in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile.

Tamarind

Outwardly, it resembles a bean pod with a light brown skin. It is used in the preparation of sweets and sauces for meat. The pulp is dark brown in color with a spicy sweet and sour taste. Has bones. You can try in Sudan, Thailand, Cameroon, Australia, Panama.

feijoa

A green fruit with a ponytail on top. Weight reaches 45 grams, up to 5 centimeters in size. The peel is thin with an ambiguous taste, sour and causes a viscosity in the mouth. It is recommended to peel the fruit from the skin or cut into two halves and eat with a spoon. The color of the pulp varies from cream to burgundy (the latter indicates the spoilage of the product). The taste is fresh, tropical, with strawberry notes. It grows in South America, Georgia, Abkhazia, the Caucasus.

Breadfruit

The unripe fruit serves as a source of nutrition for the inhabitants of African countries. It tastes like bread when cooked. Ripe fruits have a pleasant sweetness similar to banana. The size is large, up to 3.5 kilograms. It is recommended to purchase cut. It is possible to take a sample in Southeast Asia.

Chrysophyllum (Star apple)

The fruit is oval-shaped with a skin color to match the flesh - pale green or lilac. The flesh is sticky, sweet, the consistency of jelly with stones like an apple. Cut like a star. It is recommended to use only ripe fruits. Where it grows: India, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia.

Cereus

A relative of the pitaya, rounded and with a smooth surface. Inside is a juicy transparent watery pulp with seeds. The taste is tropical, bright, sweet. Eat, cut in half, with a spoon. The skin is not edible. Grown on plantations in Israel.

Cherimoya

The surface of the green-colored fruit may be with or without tubercles. The pulp is similar in structure to an orange, but includes the tastes of mango, banana, strawberry with notes of ice cream. Contains hard, inedible grains. Habitat: Asian countries, Israel, Algeria, Australia, Spain.

Black Boot (Chocolate Pudding)

A dark green type of persimmon. The flesh takes on an almost black color with brown seeds. The taste of chocolate pudding, sweet and bright. The size reaches 13 centimeters in length. The homeland of the product is Guatemala, Brazil, Southern Mexico.

Chompoo

The shape is similar to bell pepper. The light varies from green to red. White flesh inside. The taste is sweet, watery. Good thirst quencher. It is not subjected to cleaning, it has no seeds. Grows in Sri Lanka, Colombia, India, Thailand.

Jujube

Small fruits up to 6 centimeters. Smooth, green with brown spots. I have a sweet apple taste and a tropical aroma. Delicious fruit - dense, not hard. The skin is edible, the pit is not. It is found in Japan, China, Thailand, the Caucasus.

Accustomed to apples and oranges, tourists can hardly force themselves to bite off a piece of mangosteen, durian or herring. Traveling abroad means getting to know more than just gorgeous landscapes and culture. Outlandish overseas fruits and unusual berries will help to create a complete taste picture about the location. In our article you can get acquainted with the exotic fruits of the world:

Durian (Durian) - an exotic fruit from Thailand

Durian fruits - "a fruit with the taste of heaven and the smell of hell" - are irregular oval in shape, with very sharp thorns. Under the skin - viscous pulp with a unique taste. The “king of fruits” has a strong ammonium smell, so strong that durian is forbidden to be transported on airplanes and carried into hotel rooms, as evidenced by the corresponding posters and signs at the entrance. Thailand's most fragrant and most exotic fruit is very rich in vitamins and nutrients.

A few rules for those who want to taste (by no means try!):

• Do not try to choose the fruit yourself, especially in the off season. Ask the seller about this, let him cut and pack it in a transparent film. Or find already packaged fruit in the supermarket.
• Lightly press down on the pulp. It should not be elastic, but easily slip under your fingers, like butter. Elastic pulp already smells unpleasant.
• It is undesirable to combine with alcohol, since the pulp of durian acts on the body as a stimulant of great power. Thais believe that durian warms the body, and a Thai proverb says that the "heat" of durian can be tempered with the coolness of mangosteen.

Where to try: Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia.

Season: April to September, depending on the region.

Mangosteen

Other names are mangosteen, mangosteen. It is a delicate fruit with thick purple skin and round leaves at the stem. The white flesh resembles a peeled orange and has an indescribable sweet and sour taste. Inside the mangosteen are six or more soft white slices: the more there are, the fewer seeds. To choose the right mangosteen, you need to take the most purple fruits in your hand and gently squeeze: the peel should not be hard, but not very soft either. If the skin breaks unevenly in different places, the fetus is already stale. You can open the fruit by making a hole in the peel with a knife and fingers. Do not try to take the slices with your hands: the pulp is so tender that you just crush it. Handles transportation well.

Where to try: Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica.

Season:

Jackfruit - yellow exotic fruit

Other names are Indian breadfruit, eve. It is a large fruit with thick, spiky, yellow-green skin. The pulp is yellow, sweet, with an unusual smell and taste of a Duchesse pear. The segments are separated from each other and sold in bags. The ripened pulp is eaten fresh, the unripe is cooked. Jackfruit is mixed with other fruits, added to ice cream, coconut milk. The seeds are edible when boiled.

Where to try: Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore.

Season: January to August, depending on the region.

Other names are litchi, Chinese plum. The heart-shaped or round fruit grows in clusters. Under the bright red skin - white transparent pulp, juicy and sweet in taste. In the off-season in Asian countries, these tropical fruits Sold in canned form or in plastic bags.

Where to try: Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Australia, China.

Season: from May to July.

Mango

One of the most popular fruits in all tropical countries. The fruits are large, ovoid, elongated or spherical in shape. The pulp is yellow and orange, juicy, sweet. The smell of mango resembles the aroma of apricot, rose, melon, lemon. Unripe green fruits are also eaten - they are eaten with salt and pepper. It is convenient to peel the fruit with a sharp knife.

Where to try: Philippines, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba.

Season: year-round; peak in Thailand from March to May, in Vietnam in winter and spring, in Indonesia from September to December.

Exotic fruit papaya (Papaya)

Large fruit with yellow-green skin. The cylindrical fruits of exotic fruits reach 20 centimeters in length. Taste is a cross between melon and pumpkin. Ripe papaya has bright orange flesh that is extraordinarily tender and pleasant to eat and aids in digestion. Unripe papaya is added to a spicy Thai salad (som tam), it is fried, and meat is stewed with it.

Where to try: India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bali, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia.

Season: all year round.

Longan

Other names are lam-yai, "dragon's eye". It is a round, brown fruit that looks like a small potato. Very sweet and juicy and high in calories. Easily peelable skin covers a transparent white or pink pulp, close in consistency to jelly. In the core of the fruit is a large black bone. We wrote more about it in a previous article. By the way, longan is good for health, but you should not eat a lot at once: this will lead to an increase in body temperature.

Where to try: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China.

Season: mid-June to mid-September.

Rambutan

Rambutan is one of the most famous tropical fruits, which is characterized by "increased hairiness." Under the red fleecy skin lies a white translucent flesh with a sweet taste. To get to it, you need to "twist" the fruit in the middle. The fruits are eaten fresh or canned with sugar. Raw seeds are poisonous, while roasted seeds are harmless. When choosing, you need to be guided by color: the pinker, the better.

Where to try: Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, partly Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba.

Season: mid-April to mid-October.

Pitaya

Other names are pitahaya, long yang, "dragon fruit", "dragon fruit". This is the fruit of a cactus from the genus Hylocereus (sweet pitaya). Very beautiful in appearance: bright pink, the size of a large apple, slightly elongated. The peel is covered with large scales, the edges are green. If you remove the skin (as in the case of an orange), inside you can see a dense white, red or purple flesh with many small seeds. Good in fruit cocktails in combination with lime.

Where to try: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, partially Japan, USA, Australia, Israel.

Season: all year round.

Carambola (Carambola)

Other names are "tropical stars", starfruit, kamrak. Its yellow or green fruits are similar in size and shape to sweet peppers. On the cut, they have the shape of a star - hence the name. Ripe fruits are juicy, with a slight floral taste, not very sweet. Unripe fruits contain a lot of vitamin C. They are good in salads and smoothies, they do not need to be peeled.

Where to try: Borneo island, Thailand, Indonesia.

Season: all year round.

Pomelo

This fruit has a lot of names - pomelo, pamela, pompelmus, Chinese grapefruit, sheddock, etc. The citrus fruit looks like a huge grapefruit with white, pink or yellow pulp, which, however, is much sweeter. It is widely used in cooking and cosmetology. The smell is the best guide when buying: the stronger it is, the more concentrated, rich and fresh the taste of the pomelo will be.

Where to try: Malaysia, China, Japan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Tahiti, Israel, USA.

Season: all year round.

Guava

Other names are guiava, guava. Round, oblong or pear-shaped fruit (4 to 15 centimeters) with white flesh and yellow hard seeds. Edible from skin to bone. When ripe, the fruit turns yellow, and it is eaten with the peel - to improve digestion and stimulate the heart. Unripe, it is eaten like a green mango, sprinkled with spices and salt.

Where to try: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Tunisia.

Season: all year round.

Sapodilla (Sapodilla)

Other names are sapotilla, tree potato, akhra, chicu. A fruit that looks like a kiwi or a plum. The ripe fruit has a milky-caramel taste. Sapodilla can "knit" a little, like a persimmon. Most often it is used for making desserts and salads. Unripe fruits are used in cosmetology and traditional medicine.

Where to try: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, USA (Hawaii).

Season: from September to December.

Annona - Sugar Apple

A very useful pale green fruit. Under the pronouncedly bumpy marsh-green skin, sweet, fragrant flesh and bean-sized seeds are hidden. Aroma with barely perceptible coniferous notes. Ripe fruits are moderately soft to the touch, unripe - hard, overripe falling apart in the hands. Serves as the basis for Thai ice cream.

Where to try: Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, China.

Season: from June to September.

Chompoo

Other names are rose apple, Malabar plum. It is shaped like a sweet pepper. It comes in both pink and light green. The pulp is white, dense. It is not necessary to clean it, there are no bones. The taste is not particularly distinguished by anything and resembles more slightly sweetened water. But when chilled, these tropical fruits quench their thirst well.

Where to try: India, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Colombia.

Season: all year round.

Aki (Ackee)

Aki, or bligia delicious, is pear-shaped with a red-yellow or orange skin. After full ripening, the fruit bursts, and a creamy pulp with large glossy seeds comes out. These are the most dangerous exotic fruits in the world: unripe (unopened) fruits are highly poisonous due to the high content of toxins. They can only be eaten after special treatment, such as prolonged boiling. Aki tastes like a walnut. In West Africa, soap is made from the skin of the unripe fruit, and the pulp is used to catch fish.

Where to try: USA (Hawaii), Jamaica, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Australia.

Season: January to March and June to August.

Ambarella (Ambarella)

Other names are Cythera apple, yellow plum, Polynesian plum, sweet mombin. Oval fruits of golden color with a thin hard peel are collected in clusters. Inside - crispy, juicy, yellow flesh and hard bone with thorns. It tastes like a cross between pineapple and mango. Ripe fruits are eaten raw, juices, jams, marmalade are prepared from them, unripe fruits are used as a side dish, added to soups.

Where to try: Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Fiji, Australia, Jamaica, Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname.

Season: from July to August.

Bam-balan (Bambangan)

Winner in the nomination "The most native taste". Bam-balan resembles borscht with sour cream or mayonnaise. The fruit is oval in shape, dark in color, the smell is a bit harsh. To get to the pulp, you just need to remove the skin. Fruit is also added to garnishes.

Where to try: Borneo island (Malaysian part).

Salak (Salak)

Other names are lard, herring, rakum, "snake fruit". Round or oblong small fruits grow in clusters. Color - red or brown. The peel is covered with small spines and can be easily removed with a knife. There are three sweet segments inside. The taste is rich, sweet and sour, reminiscent of either persimmon or pear.

Where to try: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia.

Season: all year round.

Bael (Bael)

Other names are tree apple, stone apple, Bengal quince. When ripe, the gray-green fruit turns yellow or brown. The peel is dense, just like a nut, and it is impossible to get to it without a hammer, so the pulp itself is most often sold in the markets. It is yellow, with fleecy seeds, divided into segments. Bail is eaten fresh or dried. It is also used to make tea and sharbat drink. The fruit has an irritating effect on the throat, causing itching, so the first experience of interacting with bail may be unsuccessful.

Where to try: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand.

Season: from November to December.

Also - horned melon, African cucumber, horned cucumber. When ripe, the shell is covered with yellow spikes, and the flesh becomes a rich green color. Oblong fruits are not peeled, but cut like a melon or watermelon. Taste is a mix of banana, melon, cucumber, kiwi and avocado. In other words, it can be added to both sweet and spicy dishes, as well as pickled. Unripe fruits are also edible.

Where to try: Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Israel, USA (California).

Season: all year round.

Magic Fruit (Miracle Fruit)

Other names are wonderful berries, sweetish puteria. The name of the exotic fruit was deservedly deserved. The taste of the fruit itself does not stand out in any way, but for an hour it will seem to a person that everything he eats after is sweet. Taste buds are deceived by a special protein found in magical fruits - miraculin. Sweet foods seem tasteless.

Where to try: West Africa, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Australia, USA (South Florida).

Season: all year round.

Tamarind (Tamarind)

Tamarind, or Indian date, belongs to the legume family, but it is also consumed as a fruit. Curved fruits up to 15 centimeters long with brown skin and sweet and sour pulp. It is used as a spice, is part of the famous Worcestershire sauce and is used to prepare snacks, desserts and various drinks. Sweets are prepared from ripe dried tamarind. As a souvenir, tourists bring home meat sauce and cocktail syrup based on Indian dates.

Where to try: Thailand, Australia, Sudan, Cameroon, Oman, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama.

Season: from October to February.

Marula (Marula)

Fresh marula is found exclusively on the African continent, and all because after ripening, the fruits begin to ferment in a matter of days. It turns out such a low-alcohol drink (you can meet elephants “drunk” from marula). Ripe fruits are yellow in color and look like plums. The flesh is white, with a hard bone. Until the fermentation process begins, it has a pleasant aroma and unsweetened taste.

Where to try: South Africa (Mauritius, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Botswana, etc.)

Season: since March.

Kumquat (Kumquat)

Other names are Japanese orange, fortunella, kinkan, golden apple. The fruits are small, really look like mini-oranges, the crust is very thin. Edible whole, excluding bones. It tastes a little sourer than an orange, smells like a lime.

Where to try: China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Greece (Corfu), USA (Florida).

Season: from May to June, on sale all year round.

We will talk about other exotic fruits in our next article.
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Traveling abroad, especially in warm countries, a Russian tourist comes across completely unknown, hitherto unknown fruits. I, too, often do not even believe my eyes, what wonders of nature can be found on fruit stalls. And so, next time, in order not to bulge my eyes in surprise at the sight of another amazing fruit, I decided to make a list for myself of what you can buy and try in the “foreign countries”.

But I didn’t even suspect how much I would have to print! It turns out that there are so many exotic fruits on our wonderful planet that, most likely, few people will be able to try them all in their lifetime. So now on my list 85 exotic fruits , and this is not just a photo with names, but a description and interesting information. I definitely plan to update it periodically, so if you want to know about all the fruits, check back here from time to time!

In addition to the name and common synonyms, for each fruit there is also a description of its appearance, a photograph, and, if possible, taste qualities are characterized in comparison with tastes known to most people. Since I tried as it turned out) only a small part, then I will talk about the taste of many exotic fruits based on the reviews of the lucky ones who actually ate them, and in many cases I had to look for information on the bourgeois Internet.

I immediately warn connoisseurs of botany that in the article the concepts are given at an everyday, understandable level. That is, there is no need to be indignant that in science the concept of " fruit" is absent, but there is only a general term " fetus". Here, I will refer to “fruits” as tasty treats that grow on trees, shrubs or vines, usually sweet or sweet and sour, which can be bitten several times before it is finally eaten. And we will consider small fruits as a “berry”, which can be eaten in one bite entirely or even eat a handful and do not need to be peeled.

By the way, the article contains not only tropical fruits, because a representative of temperate latitudes can easily turn out to be exotic.

For ease of navigation through our very voluminous article, use the alphabetical index:

abakashi(Abacaxi) is mainly grown in Brazil. Most readers, looking at a photo of a fruit, will say that it's just a pineapple and it has long been no longer exotic. But don't be in a hurry! Yes, "abakashi" ( a word from the language of the Indian peoples Tupi-Guarani) is one of the varieties of this prickly fruit, but it is called differently for a reason. Strictly speaking, in Portuguese abacaxi" and " ananas”- these are synonyms, but with this, the second word familiar to us, they denote the fruit familiar to us. At the same time, in the markets in Brazil and Portugal, people prefer to buy abacachi, which many consider to be a separate fruit.

Abakashi is rounder, yellower, sweeter, juicier than a regular pineapple ( translated from the words of the Portuguese and Brazilians) and its price is higher. I repeat, this information was taken from the “natives”, that is, from people who know the differences not in theory, but in practice, but for some reason in some articles you will find the opposite statement that abakashi is larger than pineapple and has an elongated shape ...

Like other types of pineapples, abakashi is rich in sucrose, vitamin C, minerals ( potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, manganese, iodine), it contains vitamins of group B and provitamin A.

With your permission, I will not add a simple, familiar pineapple to the article, we will manage with a more exotic abacus.

Avara(Awarra, Tucum, Awara, Wara, Awarra, Tucum, Tucumã-do-Pará). This palm tree is actively cultivated in the north of the South American continent in countries such as Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, Guiana. A tree of medium height (up to 15 meters) is notable for being covered with thorns ( both trunk and leaves) and the fruits grow in bunches.

The oval-shaped fruits are similar in size to a normal chicken egg and range in color from reddish brown to orange ( this one is more typical). The pulp is quite juicy, fragrant, its taste is most often compared with an apricot, although, in fact, there is little pulp in them, since most of it is occupied by a bone.

Of course, the fruit contains both carbohydrates and proteins, but a particularly valuable component is fats, more precisely oils with a high content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids ( for example, Avara is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9). And there is also a lot of vitamin A in Avar ( about three times more than in carrots) and B2.

Actually, as an independent product in its raw form, avara is almost never used. Residents of the region where it is actively grown, prefer to eat steamed fruits as a side dish or make a kind of paste from it, which is used as the basis for other dishes. In addition, oil is extracted from Avars ( more from the seeds than from the pulp), which, due to its composition, has found application not only as ordinary palm oil, but also as a cosmetic product.

Avocado(Avocado, American Perseus, Alligator pear). For many, it is no longer an exotic plant at all, but a very frequent guest of salads, it got on this list simply because it was the first to be remembered for the letter “A”. Avocado comes from Mexico, and nowadays it is grown in almost all countries with a suitable tropical and subtropical climate. There are more than 400 varieties that have their own characteristics, I think that even true avocado connoisseurs will not be able to try everything.

The length of the avocado is up to 20 centimeters, the peel is inedible, the flesh is dense, yellow-green or greenish, with one large bone.

A ripe avocado is slightly oily with a slight nutty flavor. Avocados are the favorite of nutritionists around the world because of their many health benefits. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin E, potassium, which is very useful for the prevention of many cardiovascular diseases and has a positive effect on skin health, and also helps to fight insomnia.

Aguaj(Aguaje, Aguaje, Ita, Buriti, Canangucho) grows in the humid tropics of South America, where it is so incredibly popular that there are fears for the plant's population. The popularity is due to the supposedly special properties of the fruit, thanks to which girls who use it regularly maintain a slender figure without any effort, in addition, it is believed that aguaj is a strong aphrodisiac.

The oval fruits are covered with reddish-brown scales, and underneath are yellow flesh and one large seed. The taste of aguaja is characterized as pleasant, reminiscent of ... carrots. In addition to fresh consumption, juices, jams, ice cream are made from it, and interesting wine is obtained from fermented fruits.

It contains many vitamins A, C, as well as phytohormones that mimic female hormones.

Azimina(Nebraska banana, Mexican banana, Asimina, banana tree, Pawpaw, Pow-Pow) comes from North America, more precisely from the territory of the southern states of the United States. But this amazing, seemingly thermophilic plant is able to withstand severe colds down to -30 Celsius! And thanks to such persistence, one of the ten species - " Azimina three-bladed"- grown by amateur gardeners in our country.

The fruits are collected in inflorescences up to 8 pieces, they have an oblong oval shape and reach up to 15 cm in length and up to 7 cm in diameter. The thin skin of the fruit, as it ripens, changes color from greenish ( unripe) to yellowish and even dark brown. The pulp is juicy, light sweet and very fragrant, often compared with custard. Up to 10 large flat bones are hidden inside. The disadvantage of pawpaws is the poor preservation of the harvested fruits, so they are most often eaten freshly picked or various jams are prepared.

Azimina is rich in amino acids and microelements, sucrose, vitamins A, C. The fruits do an excellent job of normalizing the work of the gastrointestinal tract, strengthen the immune system.

Akebia quintuple (Climbing cucumber). A very exotic plant can be found in Japan, China and Korea.

The length of the oblong fruits is about 8 centimeters, they are fleshy and painted in a purple-violet color. Outwardly, it may seem completely unattractive - an oblong fruit of a purple-lilac color with falling out pulp. But the appearance is deceiving - the taste of the pulp is similar to raspberries with a very pleasant aroma.

Aki(Ackee, Bligiya is delicious). The homeland of this tree is West Africa, it is also currently found in Central and South America, on the islands of the Caribbean.

Reddish pear-shaped fruits up to 10 centimeters in length. The flesh of the ripe fruit is creamy in color and tastes like a walnut with cheese.

Ambarella(Citera's apple, Otaheite-apple, Tahitian quince, Polynesian plum, Yellow plum, Spondias dulcis, Mombin sweet - not to be confused with Mombin purple). The homeland of this tree is the numerous islands of the Pacific Ocean in Polynesia and Melanesia, from where the plant spread west to the tropical regions of America, as well as east to Australia, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, India and a little to Africa; later, ambarella began to be grown on the islands of the Caribbean and brought to the tropical countries of the Atlantic coast of America.

Ambarella fruits are oval ( they resemble a plum in shape, hence the pair of “aliases” of this fruit - the Polynesian plum or the yellow plum), not very large, from six to nine centimeters in length, grow in clusters. The skin is smooth, thin and tough; in unripe fruits it is green, in ripe fruits it thickens and becomes golden yellow, the same color and flesh.

The flesh is fibrous, juicy, crispy, sour, slightly reminiscent of an unripe pineapple in aroma and taste to some people. Be especially careful with bones! They are simply dotted with bent spines, up to 1 centimeter long, so that sometimes they penetrate the pulp of the fruit, and there are from 1 to 5 such "surprises" in each fruit.

Ambarella makes excellent jams, jellies, marmalade and juice, but it is better to eat it raw. You can also use green, then there will be more sourness. In addition to fruits, leaves are eaten - raw ( like a street food) or boiled / stewed with meat / fish, as well as in soups.

Ambarella is rich in proteins and fats, keeps the immune system in good shape, is very useful for the digestive system and even promotes faster healing of wounds.

Araz(Arazza, Arazá, Araçá-boi, Amazonian Pear or Amazonian Pear; in Latin - Eugenia stipitata). At first, this heat-loving tree grew in the forests of the Amazon basin, later the plant began to be actively cultivated in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, as well as in Central America and the Caribbean. This fruit does not tolerate transportation very well, so you will not find it outside the regions of growth.

Fruits in diameter, they can be from 4 to 12 centimeters ( such large ones reach a weight of 750 grams). Their peel is yellow, it is thin and, depending on the variety, can be smooth or slightly velvety. The juicy fragrant yellow pulp is very sour, so arazu is rarely eaten just like that, raw, but is actively used for compotes and jelly. Inside the fruit there are several large elongated "bones".

Due to the huge amount of vitamin C, as well as the high content of trace elements (potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus) and the macronutrient zinc, araza is excellent as a tonic product.

Watermelon cucumber, cucumber watermelon - (Rough melotria, Melothria scabra, Mouse watermelon, Mouse melon, Mexican sour gherkins, Sandita, Cucamelon). A very strange subject on our list ... Decide for yourself what to attribute it to - a fruit or a vegetable. The outer color is very reminiscent of a watermelon, and inside there is an easily recognizable texture of a cucumber, while the size of the fruits growing on a vine is more reminiscent of grapes: only up to 2 - 4 centimeters in length. The homeland of this strange plant is part of America from Mexico to Panama, it is not a hybrid, but an independent plant, known even in pre-Columbian times. It is better known abroad as "Cucamelon", which, as in Russian, is formed by adding two words: cucumber and watermelon, that is, "cucumber + watermelon".

The skin of the fruit is thin, but hard enough, and the pulp is very juicy. The taste is described as more like cucumber with a slight citrus sourness, and those who have tasted "cucumber-watermelon" liked the taste. They can be eaten just like that, but more often they are added to salads, to french fries, various salty dishes, and pickled watermelon cucumbers. In addition, the creeper has edible tubers!

The composition is rich in lycopene ( antioxidant that improves heart function), beta-carotene ( Helps maintain eye health and youthful skin), minerals and vitamins K, E, C and fiber.

Atemoya. This is a hybrid of two plants of the Annon family - cherimoya and noina, and many confuse them. Like her "parents", Atemoya appeared in the tropics of South America.

The fruits are conditionally heart-shaped (up to 10 cm long and up to 9 cm wide). The pulp of the fruit melts in the mouth like cream or ice cream, and the taste is a combination of mango and pineapple. Due to the tenderness of the pulp, atemoya is best eaten with a spoon. Often there is a statement that atemoya is the most delicious of exotic fruits. It must be remembered that her seeds are poisonous!

bail(Bael, Wood apple, Wood apple, Egle marmalade, Stone apple, Quince Bengal, Stone apple, Limonia acidissima, Feronia elephantum, Feronia limonia, Hesperethusa crenulata, Elephant apple, Monkey fruit, Curd fruit). Widely cultivated in Southeast and South Asia.

Ripe brown fruit up to 20 cm in diameter. Ripe pulp - brown mushy, divided into segments by seeds. The peel of the fruit is very hard, without a hard and heavy object at hand, it will not be possible to get to the pulp (therefore, one of the names is “stone apple”). The taste is usually sweetish, astringent, but can also be sour.

Vani(lat. "Mangifera caesia", White mango, Wani, Belunu, Binjai, Yaa-lam, White mango, Bayuno, Mangga wani, sometimes the name Jack is found, that is, Jack, but not to be confused with Jackfruit!) is actively cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei ( these three states divide between themselves the island of Borneo, which is considered the birthplace of Vani), Singapore, Papua New Guinea and the Philippine Islands.

The name, of course, is misleading, because this fruit has only a distant relation to all the familiar mangoes, since they both belong to the same Anakrdiev (Sumach) family, but ordinary mango belongs to the genus Mango of the same name, and Vani belongs to genus "Anacardium" and is a type of cashew! So "White Mango" is just a trick, it's better to use some of the local names, the most common is the Indonesian version of "Vani" ( accent on "and") and the Malay "Binjai".

It is important that the fruits are ripe for consumption, as the juice of unripe fruits can cause skin irritation and serious consequences if ingested. Unripe fruits are green in color and firm to the touch. When ripe, white mango fruits are quite large, they are oval in shape and reach a length of 15 centimeters, and a diameter of 8 cm. The peel is very thin, dark with even darker spots, it is difficult to peel. The flesh is white, juicy, very tender and fibrous in texture, and inside there is one large bone. Ripe fruits are very fragrant, and everyone who has tried it is delighted with the sweet taste of the pulp. The most interesting comparison is with the taste of ice cream ( it's not the same for everybody…).

In addition to being eaten raw, Vani is also consumed by dipping in chili and soy sauce... The local population also makes the base for spicy sambal sauce out of it.

From the sweet taste of this fruit, it is clear that it is rich in various sugars, but in addition, it contains many vitamins (A, B, D, E, and especially a lot of C), essential amino acids, of course, micro and macro elements.

Guava(Psidium, Guayava, Guayaba). Native to South America approximately from the territory of modern Peru), today, in addition to the tropics of America, it is cultivated in Asia, Israel and Africa.

A fully edible fruit can be round, oblong, and pear-shaped. Diameter up to 15 centimeters. The taste of guava does not coincide with the expectation of something exotic - completely inexpressive slightly sweet, while the aroma is pleasant and strong. In countries where guava grows, they often like to use it slightly unripe, as if this helps to cool the body on a hot day. You can also often see how such an unripe guava is eaten, dipped in a mixture of salt and pepper, they say it is very tonic.

In addition to the usual, there are also such varieties: red-fruited (" strawberry guava"") and yellow (" lemon guava"). Red-fruited pulp is juicy, translucent, has a pronounced strawberry flavor. Yellow fruits and inside the same color, have a lemon flavor. The name guava is often found, which is one of the most common varieties of guava in cultivation.

Guanabana(Guanabana, Annana muricata, Soursop, Annona prickly, Graviola, Soursop). A relative of noina, cherimoya, cream apple, so it is easy to confuse them the first time and just like them, Guanabana comes from Latin America, but is now grown in so many countries with a suitable climate.

A ripe, round, irregular heart-shaped fruit can reach 12 kilograms. The bones are large, there are many of them. The fruit looks thorny, but in fact it will not be able to prick you, since the thorns are more fleshy than hard. Ripe pulp is fibrous-creamy white in color with a taste unlike anything else. The aroma may slightly resemble pineapple.

Dacryodes(Safou, Sappho, African pear). This evergreen tree can mainly be found in the north of Nigeria and in the south of Angola, in the Asian region it is cultivated so far only in Malaysia.

Oblong fruits of blue and purple hues ( similar to eggplant). The pale green pulp is very fatty - up to 48% fat, contains a large number of various useful and necessary substances for the body. Those who have tried this fruit say that it has a pleasant delicate taste.

The fruits, which range in color from dark blue to purple, are also known as African pears and are oblong in shape with pale green flesh inside. These fatty fruits have been claimed to end hunger in Africa as 48 percent of the fruit is made up of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and triglycerides. It is estimated that from one hectare planted with Safu trees, 7-8 tons of oil can be obtained, while all parts of the plant can be used.

Jaboticaba (Jabuticaba, Brazilian grape tree). By the name it is clear that this plant comes from South America, but sometimes you can find it in Southeast Asia, if not on the shelves, then at least in the botanical gardens ( I definitely saw it in Singaporean). The tree grows slowly, so there are difficulties with its cultivation.

The way the fruits grow is also interesting: they grow directly on the trunk, and not on the branches of a tree. The fruits are small (up to 4 cm in diameter), dark purple. Under a thin dense skin ( inedible) is a soft jelly-like and very tasty pulp, somewhat similar to grapes, with several seeds.

Jackfruit(Eve, Khanoon, Jackfruit, Nangka, Indian Breadfruit). A relative of the Polynesian breadfruit tree and the Malaysian chempedak.

These are the largest fruits growing on trees. The official jackfruit record is a fruit with a girth of 1 meter 120 centimeters and a weight of approximately 34 kg.

The peel of the jackfruit smells unpleasant, but under it are several slices of very tasty sweet yellow pulp. It is difficult to describe the taste - a certain combination of banana, melon, marshmallow.

durian(Durian). Even if you have never seen this fruit, you have certainly heard it more than once. He became famous all over the world thanks to his amazingly disgusting smell.

But in the world, especially in Southeast Asia, there are a lot of connoisseurs of durian, they even called it the “King of Fruits”. Everyone who has tried durian pulp claims that it is unusually tasty. I believe in my word, but I personally can’t overcome myself and eat at least a small piece.

Yellow watermelon. A hybrid of wild watermelon, the flesh of which has a natural yellow color, and the watermelon familiar to us with red flesh. This was necessary, since it is impossible to eat wild watermelon, and as a result of its crossing, a watermelon that is quite pleasant in taste, similar to the usual one, but with yellow flesh, was obtained. Although the sweetness of yellow watermelon is much inferior to red watermelon and the taste is not so pronounced.

figs(Fig, Fig tree, Fig, Wine berry, Smyrna berry, Ficus carica). I think you have met him more than once on the fruit stalls of your city, and if you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to do it. The skin color of figs can vary from yellow-green to purple. Red flesh with small seeds, juicy and sweet. The undoubted advantage of figs is that nutritionists classify it as one of the products with which you can get rid of excess weight!

Kaimito(Abiu) - do not confuse with another Kaimito ( Chrysophyllum or Star apple). Originally from the upper reaches of the Amazon River, it is cultivated in Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Trinidad.

The fruits are round or oval with a smooth bright yellow skin. White translucent creamy flesh is very sweet. The aroma is vaguely reminiscent of caramel with cream. It is recommended that you wet your lips before eating fresh Kaimito, otherwise they may stick together due to the latex in the pulp.

Kaimito fruits contain a lot of phosphorus, calcium, iron, amino acids, vitamins A, C, PP and various useful organic substances.

Kanistel(Canistel, Tiesa, Egg fruit, Yellow sapote). The region of origin is southern Mexico and Central America, in addition, it is also grown in the Antilles and the Bahamas, and can often be found in Southeast Asia.

The fruits can be up to 7.5 cm wide and up to 12.5 long, their shape is very diverse, there are spherical, oval, ovoid, twisted. The color of the peel of ripe fruits is yellowish-orange. The pulp is mealy, yellow with 1-4 large seeds. It's funny that the flavor of the pulp is similar to fried pies, but the taste is very sweet due to the high content of sugars.

Kanistel is rich in delicate fiber, nicotinic acid, carotene, amino acids, calcium, phosphorus.

carambola(Starfruit, Kamrak, Ma Phuak, Carambola, Star-fruit). "Tropical star" or "Star of the tropics" this fruit is called simply because in the context it looks like a star. The fruit is edible as a whole, and if the taste of its juicy pulp does not seem bright enough to you, then the aroma is unlikely to leave you indifferent.

Kasturi(Kasturi, Kalimantan Mango, Mangga Cuban, Pelipisa, Mangifera casturi). Endemic plant of the island of Borneo ( kalimantan).

Without going into biological details, we can say that this is a wild mango. However, the orange fibrous flesh of kasturi has a more pronounced taste and milder flavor compared to ordinary mangoes, although not as sweet as mangoes.

Kiwano(Kiwano Melon, Horned Melon, African Cucumber, Antilles Cucumber, Horned Cucumber, Anguria). Native to Africa, and most widely grown in Central America, New Zealand, Israel.

This is a vine with oblong fruits that are yellow, orange or red. The flesh is green, it really looks like a cucumber. The taste is described as a mixture of cucumber, banana and melon. The dense peel is not peeled off, the fruit is simply cut into slices and eaten like a melon or watermelon.

Kiwano is rich in vitamins (A, groups B and C), macronutrients (sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium), it also contains many trace elements (iron, copper, zinc and manganese).

cocoon(Nightshade nightshade) grows in South America in mountainous regions.

Oval or spherical fruits (up to 4 cm long and up to 6 cm wide) resemble tomatoes, have three fruit color options; yellow, orange and red. The pulp is jelly-like yellow in color with many small seeds. Some say it tastes like lemon and tomato, while others say it tastes like cherry.

Cocoon fruits are rich in B vitamins, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and citric acid.

Coconut I don’t even know if it’s worth mentioning it here, because even though it is an exotic plant for the inhabitants of Russia, even children know what it is. In regions of growth ( all over the tropics) Coconuts are consumed in their entirety, from eating the pulp and juice, to making crafts from the shell using the rind as fuel. Down south, coconuts are sold green on the outside, but inside they have soft translucent flesh and delicious coconut water ( or "milk"). In our stores, they are already in a different stage of ripening - with a fibrous peel on the outside and a thick layer of pulp inside with a little liquid.

Coconut Marine (Coco de mer, Double walnut, Seychelles walnut) grows exclusively in the Seychelles, and only on two.

In shape, it is very different from an ordinary coconut and most of all looks like ... a woman's buttocks. The fruits are very large, on average about 18 kilograms, specimens over 25 kg are often found. And even 40 kg.! Each harvested coconut is numbered and a certificate is issued upon purchase. In terms of taste, it is clearly inferior to ordinary coconuts, but if possible, you should definitely try it.

candy tree (Hovénia dúlcis, Sweet Govenia, is known abroad as the Japanese raisin tree or oriental raisin tree, that is, the Japanese raisin tree or Oriental raisin tree). Historically grown in Japan, East China, Korea and up to 2000 meters in the Himalayas. Due to its beautiful spreading crown, it was brought to some countries as an ornamental plant, as a result, for example, in Brazil, it is considered one of the most common "invaders" of subtropical forests.

The fruits of the candy tree are small, like large peas, and the plant is not valued at all by them, but by what the fruits are held on. The fleshy stalk, although it looks very strange, is actually very fragrant and sweet, it is suitable for eating raw. But more often the stalks of the candy tree are dried, then they become like raisins - both in taste and in appearance ( hence the western name "Japanese raisin tree"). The extract from seeds, twigs and young leaves is used as a substitute for honey, goes to the production of local wine and for sweets.

Of the useful substances, it is worth noting the high content of potassium, antioxidants, vitamins, protein and saccharides ( sucrose, fructose, glucose). In China, candy tree extract has been used for hundreds of years to combat hangover symptoms. And so, scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles isolated the active substance from this extract, which they called dihydromyricetin (DHM). It allows you to sober up very quickly and even reduces cravings for alcohol! Already now there are preparations. The main component of which is dihydromyricetin, in fact, this is the way to create a “sobriety pill”, which not only relieves the symptoms of intoxication, but also helps to overcome alcohol addiction. This is such a wonderful candy tree!

cream apple (Annona reticulata, Buddha's head, Bull's heart, Cream apple) confusion can arise here, since the name "cream apple" is often applied to the related plant "cherimoya". Originally from areas of Central America and the Antilles group, now it can often be found in Southeast Asia.

Fruits (from 8 to 16 cm) are similar in shape to the heart ( hence one of the names), the outside may be yellow or brown with a reddish tinge. Inside is a sweet white, almost creamy pulp that melts in your mouth and inedible seeds. There is no consensus on what the smell is like, but it is certainly pleasant.

Kumquat(Kumquat, Fortunella, Kinkan, Japanese oranges). The homeland of the kumquat is China, but at present it is grown everywhere where the climate is suitable for other citrus fruits.

This representative of citrus fruits has long been a rarity on the shelves of supermarkets, however, many still have not dared to try it, but in vain. Small oblong fruits (up to four centimeters long and up to two and a half wide) look like small oranges, but their taste is still different. The main feature of kumkavat is that it is eaten directly with the peel, it is very thin; only the bones are inedible.

Lychee(Litchi, Chinese plum, Litchi). Originally from southern China, it is now actively grown in many countries with a subtropical climate. One of the most popular fruits in Southeast Asia.

The fruits are round (up to 4 cm in diameter) with a reddish tuberous skin, with sweet, juicy jelly-like pulp and one seed. Many confuse it with Longan, they are really similar both in shape and in the consistency of the pulp, and in taste, but in lychee it is more pronounced.

Contains a lot of carbohydrates, pectins, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, a very high content of vitamin PP.

Longan(Lam-yai, Longyan, Dragon's Eye but also sometimes called a completely different fruit "pitahaya") a close relative of the above-described lychee, also comes from China, and is currently cultivated throughout Southeast Asia.

Round small fruits with a brownish peel inside have a juicy sweet translucent pulp and one inedible bone. The pulp is very fragrant and, in addition to sweetness, has a peculiar, recognizable shade.

Longkong(Langsat, Lonkon, Dooku, Lonngkong, Langsat) originally from Malaysia, and now grown in most countries of Southeast Asia, India, Hawaii.

Round fruits (up to 5 cm in diameter) are covered with a brownish peel and in appearance they can be confused with Longan, but inside Longkong has not a whole, but segmented pulp, resembling garlic in shape. But the taste, of course, is not at all garlic, but a pleasant sweet and sour. A variety called Langsat can have a slightly bitter taste.

Lukuma(Pouteria lucuma) is originally from South America, where it is currently grown and also in Mexico and Hawaii.

Oval fruits (up to 10 cm in length) are covered with a thin brownish-green skin with a reddish tint, and the yellow flesh is sweet and has up to 5 seeds. Lukuma belongs to the Sapotov family, among which there are many very tasty and unusual fruits, which you will also learn about from our article ( for example, until recently, I myself did not know that one of my favorite fruits "Sapodilla, it turns out, is also sapot).

Lulo(Naranjilla or Naranjilla, Kito nightshade, lat. Solanum quitoense) comes from the foothills of the Andes, that is, from South America, and is currently cultivated there, as well as in Central America and the Antilles.

Yellow-orange round fruits (up to 6 cm in diameter) most of all resemble tomatoes, but are covered with white hairs. The taste of the pulp is sweet and sour, very interesting, they say that it looks like a mixture of pineapple, strawberries and passion fruit. They are eaten both raw and in the form of juices and desserts. A very useful fruit - tones, cleanses the blood, even helps restore hair and nails.

magic fruit (Wonderful Berries, Sweetish Puteria, Miracle fruit) This member of the vast Sapotaceae family grows in West Africa.

Small red oblong fruits (up to 3 cm long) do not have an unusual taste in themselves, but nevertheless, they are very unusual. The protein contained in the magical fruit turns off the taste buds that perceive bitter and sour taste, and after eating it, absolutely everything that you eat within an hour will seem sweet to you.

As an independent dish, the magic fruit, of course, is not considered, but it is great for gastronomic experiments so that you can surprise a person with the unusual taste of the most ordinary dishes.

Mammea americana (American apricot, Antillean apricot, Mammea americana) originated from countries in the American tropics and is now cultivated throughout the world in areas with suitable climates.

Round fruits (up to 20 cm in diameter) with orange pulp and one seed taste like an apricot, hence the second name.

Mame(Mamey-sapote, Mamey, Mamey-sapote, Marmalade fruit, Puteria, Pouteria sapota). A native of the southern regions of Mexico, it is also grown in the tropical zone of the Americas and Southeast Asia.

The fruits can be spherical or oblong, often very large (up to 20 cm long and weighing up to 3 kg.), covered with a thick reddish-brown skin. The color of the pulp can be pink, reddish, orange or gray, in its consistency it looks like marmalade ( which is reflected in the title), and the taste reminds someone of caramel, someone finds creamy shades. The fruit usually contains one large seed.

The fruits of the marmalade fruit are rich in vitamins A, C, carbohydrates, vegetable proteins, as well as iron, calcium and potassium.

Mango(Mango) is one of my favorite fruits, and many people around the world consider mango the most delicious fruit. On the one hand, of course, it is difficult to call it exotic, because you can buy it in any large supermarket in Russia, but anyone who has tried mangoes in the places where they grow will say that store-bought fruit is absolutely not the same as fresh. Mango comes from India, and now it is grown literally all over the world, where there are suitable conditions. And in each country, mango will have its own flavor notes!

The classic color of a ripe mango is yellow, but among the 35 mass-produced varieties there are other colors, such as purple, green or black. Therefore, when buying a green mango, you need to clarify, maybe this is such a variety and the fruit is already ripe.

In addition to the amazing aroma and rich, easily recognizable taste, mango has very useful properties, for example, it has a very good effect on the organs of vision and perfectly strengthens the immune system.

mangosteen(Mangosteen, Mangosteen, Mangosteen, Garcinia, Mankut) the birthplace of this plant is Southeast Asia, from where it spread further around the planet, up to Africa and Latin America.

Round fruits (up to 7.5 cm in diameter) are covered with a thick dark purple peel, and the pulp is segmented ( like garlic) into lobules with seeds. The taste is sweetish, with a slight sourness, many people like it ( But I still couldn't get into them...). Unfortunately, diseased fruits often come across, which outwardly you can’t distinguish from healthy ones until you peel them, such pulp will not be white, but creamy and unpleasant in taste ( we often met).

passion fruit(Passion fruit, Passion fruit, Passion fruit, Edible passion flower, Edible Passionflower, Granadilla purple) is native to South America, and is currently grown in many countries with a tropical climate.

Round fruits (up to 8 cm in diameter) can have a different color - yellow, purple, pink, red. In general, the taste is more sour than sweet, especially yellow ( Personally, they look a lot like sea buckthorn to me.), therefore, in its pure form, the fruit is an amateur, as a rule, they use passion fruit juice mixed with others. The pits are small and edible, but they can cause drowsiness.

And passionfruit got its other name "Passion Fruit" because of its alleged aphrodisiac properties, although there were no serious studies on this topic.

Marula(Marula, Sclerocarya birrea) - except in Africa, in the south and west of the continent, you will not find this tree. It is almost impossible to buy fruits outside the black continent, since ripe fruits very quickly begin to ferment inside, so that you can easily get a slight intoxication from eating overripe fruits.

The oblong fruits are covered with a thin yellow peel, and under it - the pulp is white, juicy, tart and one stone. Despite the tartness of taste, marula is quite an edible fruit, but more often it is used to make various desserts and the branded African liqueur Amarula. And from the peel, a drink is brewed that resembles tea, but with an unusual taste.

The fruits appear twice a year, in March-April and September-October. Due to the rich composition with a large amount of vitamins ( especially rich in vitamin C) and minerals, marula is very good for a general strengthening effect on the body, it perfectly removes salts of heavy metals and metabolic products. Marula is also suitable for the prevention and treatment of diseases of such body systems as cardiovascular, nervous and urogenital.

Mathis(South American Sapote, Matisa, South American Sapote) - there is very little information about this fruit, since it is not at all distributed beyond its region of origin, that is, beyond the tropical zone of South America.

The fruits are round, ovoid or oval, large (up to 15 cm long and up to 8 cm wide) with a thick velvety greenish-brown skin. The flesh is orange-yellow, soft, juicy, sweet with a pleasant aroma and 2 to 5 large seeds.

Mafai(Burmese grape, Mafai, Baccaurea ramiflora, Baccaurea sapida) grows in most South Asian countries, but most of all in Malaysia and India.

It has nothing to do with grapes, except for the second name, it has, well, wine is also made from mafai. Round fruits (from 2.5 to 4 cm in diameter) with a peel of various colors, depending on the variety, from yellowish-cream, red to purple. White pulp, slightly gelatinous in consistency, tastes sweet and sour, refreshes well, each fruit has one inedible bone. By the way, the taste of fruits with different skin colors may differ slightly, so if you, for example, tried yellow mafai and were not impressed, then you might like red more.

Mafai does not tolerate long-term transportation very well, ripe fruits are not stored for more than 5 days. Burmese grapes are full of useful elements, especially a lot of vitamin C and iron, so it is very useful for anemia and as a general tonic.

Mombin purple (Mexican plum, Spondius Purpurea, Spondias purpurea, jocote, Hog Plum, Makok, Amra, Sirigela, Siriguela, Ciriguela, Ciruela). Mombin is native to tropical America from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean, and was later naturalized in Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

One of the names for purple mombin is " Ciruela”, sometimes used in Latin America, is literally translated from Spanish as “plum”, and, in fact, is also used to refer to an ordinary plum. And the Spaniards themselves use a different name for mombin - “ jocote". So look, do not be surprised at the possible confusion with this cunningly conspiratorial fruit! In general, in addition to those listed by me, it has a bunch of local names, the listing of which would really take one more paragraph ...

The fruits are oval, oblong, up to 5 cm long, with a thin skin that can be red, yellow, purple or orange ( the last option looks very much like a kumquat ...). The yellow pulp has a fibrous structure; it is fragrant, juicy, and tastes sweet and sour. Inside is one large bone with grooves.

Contains a lot of B vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper.

Monstera(Monstera delicacy, Monstera attractive, Monstera delicious, Monstera, lat. Monstera deliciosa) comes from Central America, and is also cultivated in India and Australia for its delicious fruits.

By the way, many Russian housewives grow monstera at home as an ornamental plant, but the fruits from flowers are obtained only in suitable climatic conditions. The fruits themselves are similar to corn, they are long, up to 30 cm, and wide, up to 8.5 cm, under a thick peel they hide juicy, fragrant pulp, which tastes like a combination of banana and pineapple.

Medlar Japanese (Lokva, Japanese Eriobothria, Shesek, Nispero, Nispero) - originally from Japan and China, this plant once spread quite widely in the Caucasus, and in former times the fruits of the medlar were quite familiar, but over time for some reason they were forgotten.

Orange-yellow round fruits up to 5 cm in diameter with juicy pulp and one large stone. To taste, someone resembles a pear with a cherry, someone an apple with an apricot, but always sweet with sourness. I first tried Medlar in Hong Kong, and before that I didn’t even know about its existence; really a very pleasant fruit, it seemed to me that its taste is absolutely independent, easily recognizable. Many useful properties, especially for people suffering from hypertension, arrhythmia, dropsy, heart failure.

noina(perhaps the most common name in Asia is sugar apple, Annona scaly, Sugar-apple, Sweetsop, Noi-na). It really resembles an apple in shape and size, but it has an original appearance with peculiar “scales”. This bumpy green fruit is very widely cultivated in countries with a tropical climate - from South America to Polynesia. ( Many often confuse it with the Guanabana fruit, they are really similar, as they are "close relatives", but they are not the same thing! Also, guanabanu is often called "sugar apple", but again, by mistake.)

Under the bumpy peel is sweet pulp, the taste is very pleasant and hard inedible bones (up to 60 pieces). A ripe fruit should be soft when pressed, its flesh will be really tasty, tender and can be safely eaten with a spoon. If you come across an unripe specimen ( hard to the touch), then it’s better to just let it lie down for a couple of days and ripen.

And the benefits of noina lies in the rich content of vitamin C, various amino acids and calcium.

Noni(Noni, Morinda citrifolia, Morinda citrus, Large Moringa, Indian mulberry, Useful tree, Cheese fruit, Nonu, Nono). The homeland of this plant is South Asia, and due to its unpretentious care and soil quality, it is currently actively grown in most countries with a suitable tropical climate.

The oval fruits, to some extent, resemble potatoes in their shape, only green and with pimples, and inside there are many small seeds.

You will definitely not forget this fruit if you try it, but you are unlikely to be delighted with the pungent smell of moldy cheese and bitter taste. That is, noni is definitely not popular with tourists ... But the population of countries where it is grown actively eats it, often as the main daily product, which is rich in vitamins and minerals, but has a very low calorie content.

Prickly pear(Indian fig, Indian fig, Indian fig, sabr, prickly pear, sabr). Cactus! The real one, only not so decorative that it might grow in your home, but a large tree-like plant. The main place of growth ( remember westerns) – America ( both continents). Do not be embarrassed that some variants of the name contain the adjective "Indian", if you remember the school history course, you understand that it has only an indirect relation to India ( Columbus sailed to open the way to India, hence the confusion).

They eat, of course, not thorns, but fruits ( though they are also spiky...) small sizes (up to 10 cm), which can be of different shades ( green, red or yellow). Their flesh is sweet and sour they say it looks like a persimmon), it is eaten with a spoon, but to get to it, you must first soak the fruit for 20 minutes in cold water, then remove the small spines and cut the peel.

Of course, this is one of the most exotic fruits that not every tourist will be able to try.

pineberry(Pineberry, Strawberry pineapple). It is a hybrid of the South American Chilean strawberry and the South American Virginia strawberry.

Pineberry berries are small, from 15 to 23 mm., Have a light color, from white to orange, and taste and aroma like a pineapple, for which it got its name.

It is almost impossible to find it on sale in Russia, since pineberry is extremely barren, it is highly susceptible to rot in rainy weather and does not tolerate transportation well. Pineberry is grown in relatively large quantities in greenhouses in Europe.

pandanus(Pandan, Screw palm, Wild pineapple). Some of the readers are probably very familiar with this plant, as some of its species are ornamental house plants.

The round fruits are pineapple-like in shape and are orange-red in color when ripe. The fruits of only some types of pandanus are conditionally edible. That is, you can chew the juicy pulp and enjoy a taste similar to pineapple, but then you have to spit it out ( although nowhere did I find information about any complications in case of eating it ...). Basically, juice and essential oil are made from pandanus to flavor various dishes or even soap.

Papaya(Papaya, Melon tree, Breadfruit). It comes from Central and South America, and nowadays it is cultivated in almost all tropical countries. Do not confuse it with other "Breadfruit" ( Jackfruit and Breadfruit Artocarpus altilis), there is nothing in common between these plants, just if you bake papaya on fire, it will start to smell like bread.

The fruits grow directly on the tree trunk, they are large, have an elongated shape and can reach a length of 45 cm and a diameter of 30 cm. The color of unripe fruits is green, and ripe fruits are yellow-orange. The taste of a ripe papaya is not some super exotic and memorable, but still very pleasant, something really resembles a melon.

Unripe fruits are also used for food for a wide variety of dishes. And papaya is also used to make preparations for the treatment of osteochondrosis and improve digestion. A very useful plant, but the abundance of milky juice in all its parts makes you be careful, as this juice can cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Pepino(Melon Pear, Sweet Cucumber, Solanum muricatum) This shrub is native to South America where it is predominantly grown, also cultivated in New Zealand.

Quite large rounded fruits weighing up to 700 gr. They can vary significantly in shape and color, mostly shades of yellow, sometimes with purple or violet streaks. The pulp is very juicy, yellowish in color, sweet and sour taste resembles a melon, and the aroma is something between melon, pumpkin and cucumber. The small seeds in the axils of the pulp are edible. Pepino is used as a dessert, added to salads, sauces, it can be preserved or made into jam. Unripe fruits are used as regular vegetables.

Pepino is very saturated with vitamins A, B1, B2, C, PP, as well as iron, potassium and pectin. Ripe can be stored in the refrigerator for several months, and unripe ones are also stored for a long time and at the same time ripen.

Pitanga(Eugenia brasiliensis, Grumichama, Brazilian cherry, Southern cherry, Surinam cherry) with one of the names it is clear that the birthplace of this plant is South America, in addition, it is cultivated in the Philippines and African French Guinea.

From the second name it is also clear that the taste of pitanga is most similar to cherries, sometimes with a slight bitterness; its red flesh is very juicy with one stone. Rounded fruits can be various shades of red and even black. But their main feature, immediately evident - they are ribbed.

You can use it like an ordinary cherry - from eating it raw, to juices, mousses, jams, etc. Pitanga contains a lot of vitamins A and C, phosphorus, calcium, anthocyanins, antioxidants and carotene.

Pitahaya(Pitaya, Long yang, Dragon fruit, Dragon fruit, sometimes the Dragon's Eye). Only when I began to prepare this article did I find out that pitahaya is a cactus. It comes from America, but is now grown everywhere in regions with a suitable climate, especially in Southeast Asia.

Large oblong fruits are easy to recognize, as they look very peculiar. The color of the skin can be red, pinkish or yellow, and the color of the flesh is white or red.

The pulp is juicy, with many small edible seeds, it tastes a little sweet, but nothing outstanding, it can hardly be called exotic and memorable. Despite the inexpressive taste. For some reason, the fruit is quite popular and is grown on huge plantations all year round.

Pitahaya has a high content of phosphorus, iron, calcium, vitamins B, C, E. This fruit will be useful for diabetes or stomach pains.

Platonia is wonderful (Platonia insignis, Bacuri, Bacury, Pacuri, Pakuri, Pakouri, Packoeri, Pakoeri, Maniballi, Bacurizeiro). This tall (up to 25 meters) tree comes from South America and it is very difficult to try it somewhere other than in the countries of this region (Brazil, Guyana, Colombia, Paraguay).

Spherical or oval fruits in diameter can be up to 12 cm. Thick yellow-brown peel hides fragrant white pulp and several large seeds. Sweet and sour pulp is eaten both fresh and in the form of desserts, marmalade, jelly. Platonium fruits contain a lot of iron, phosphorus and vitamin C.

Pluot(Plumcote, Aprium) - a hybrid of plum and apricot, with a predominance of plum characteristics, obtained in California.

It is similar in shape to both plum and apricot, but the skin is still smooth and elastic like that of a plum; the color depends on the variety, it can be from green to burgundy. The pulp is juicy and slightly reminiscent of an apricot, but much sweeter, the color is closer to purple.

Pluot is used in the same way as its "parents" - even just eat, even jam or compote, or dessert, even wine is made from it.

Rich in potassium, vitamin C, glucose, great for colds, as it has antipyretic properties and the ability to strengthen the immune system.

pomelo(Pomela, Pamela, Pomelo, Pummelo, Pumelo, Som-o, Pompelmus, Sheddok, Citrus maxima, Citrus grandis, Chinese grapefruit, Jaybong, Jeruk, Limo, Lusho, Dzhembura, Sai-sekh, Banten, Zebon, Robeb tenga). The birthplace of this citrus fruit is Southeast Asia, it is currently grown in many countries, it is quite a frequent product in our supermarkets, but many have not yet tried it, so for them it is definitely still exotic.

The fruits are spherical, large, sometimes even very, right up to 10 kilograms; The color can be green or yellow. Under the thick skin, the pulp, like most citrus fruits, is divided into segments, it is not as juicy as that of "relatives" such as orange or grapefruit, but tasty, sweet-sour, refreshing.

If you see this fruit in the nearest store, but have not yet bought it, then in vain, know that pomelo is a very healthy citrus, a dietary fruit, it contains trace elements, vitamins B1, B2, B5, C, beta-carotene. Pomelo is perfect for strengthening immunity and preventing colds.

Cancers(Salacca wallichiana) is the closest relative of the Snake Fruit (Salacca zalacca), which is discussed below. They are often confused, but the fruits of Rakama ( accent on the second "a"), as opposed to Rakuma ( Snake fruit, description and photo just below in the text) are more elongated, colored red and have a more pronounced taste. But otherwise, everything is the same - scales and spines on the peel, and one growing region in Southeast Asia.

Rambutan(Rambutan, Ngo, "hairy fruit"). The funny appearance of rambutan is immediately remembered. Red round fruits (up to 5 cm in diameter) are really “hairy”, it is even named so from the Indonesian word “Rambut”, that is, “hair”. In addition to red, rambutan can be yellow or reddish-orange.

These fruit trees are cultivated throughout the countries of Southeast Asia ( especially rambutan is popular in Thailand), as well as in Africa, Australia, Caribbean countries.

The peel is soft, very easy to remove by hand, and under it is a very juicy translucent pulp, fragrant and sweet, often with a slight pleasant sourness. The color of the gelatinous pulp can be red or white.

It is better to eat a raw stone, as it can be poisonous, and it does not have a very good taste, but roasted seeds can be safely eaten. Rambutan is also used to make jams, jellies, and you can often buy it in canned form in our stores.

Rambutan fruits contain protein, carbohydrates, phosphorus, iron, calcium, nicotinic acid, vitamins C, B1 and B2.

rose apple (Syzygium yambose, Malabar plum, Chompoo, Chmphū̀, Rose apple, Chom-poo). It is actively grown in the region of its origin - in the countries of Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand.

Chompa does not look like an apple at all, but rather looks like a pear or a bell. Fruit color may be red often), pale pink or light green. The peel is thin, juicy pulp inside and a few small seeds, so the chompa can be eaten whole ( Don't forget to thoroughly wash all fruits!).

The taste of crispy pulp cannot be called expressive and memorable, which is why the fruit is not very popular with tourists. Remotely, the aroma and taste of chompoo resembles a rose (but, for example, I didn’t catch it at all), but, in my opinion, Rose Apple is more like an apple. So do not expect extravaganza of flavors from chompoo, but with its help you can perfectly quench your thirst.

rum berry (lat. Myrciaria floribunda, Rumberry, Guavaberry) - often found naturally in Central and South America, the Caribbean, also grown in the USA (Florida and Hawaii) and the Philippines.

Berries yellow-orange to dark red and almost black, very small, half the size of a cherry ( from 8 to 16 millimeters). The pulp is fragrant, sweet or sweet and sour, translucent, but there is very little of it, since a round bone takes up a lot of space inside.

Berries can be eaten just like that, but more often they are used to make jams, drinks, as a rule, alcoholic ones, for example " Guavaberry liqueu r", made from rum and is a popular Christmas drink among the inhabitants of the Caribbean.

Contains a lot of iron, vitamin C, amino acids, pectins, organic acids, flavonoids.

Buddha hand(Fingers of the Buddha, Citron finger). This strange fruit with its very unusual shape immediately attracts attention. But you don’t need to buy it for testing, you are unlikely to be happy that it almost entirely consists of a dense peel, like a lemon, and a small amount of inedible pulp.

Despite this, the Hand of the Buddha is on all fruit counters in Southeast Asia, as it is used in cooking, for flavoring pastries, jam, drinks, and candied fruits are made from it.

Salak(Salak, Salakka, Rakum, Snake fruit, Snake fruit, Salacca zalacca). A very popular fruit in Southeast Asia.

Teardrop-shaped fruits (up to 4 cm in diameter) are covered with a brown scaly peel, which really resembles snake skin to many. The peel is removed relatively easily, but it is covered with sharp small spines that easily dig into the skin of the hands, so you need to clean it carefully, preferably with a knife.

Under the prickly peel is a beige pulp, which is segmented into several fragments, and several inedible seeds.
You will remember this fruit not only for its unusual appearance, but also for its bright sweet and sour taste, in shades of which persimmon is felt to someone, pear to someone, pineapple or banana with a nutty flavor to someone, that is, you must definitely try, cannot be explained in words.

Salak contains calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, so that its regular use has a positive effect on the condition of hair and nails, improves vision, and also has a good effect on the activity of the gastrointestinal tract and brain activity.

Santol(Katon, Sandoricum koetjape, Santol, Compem rich, Kraton, Krathon, Graton, Tong, Donka, Wild mangosteen, False mangosteen). It is actively grown in the countries of Southeast Asia.

Spherical fruits (up to 7.5 cm in diameter) are covered with a thick velvety peel, which can be yellowish or reddish-brown. The white flesh is segmented into several slices, with one bone in each. The sweet or sour-sweet taste of santol is reminiscent of the more common mangosteen, giving it one of its names. Bones should not be eaten, as they lead to intestinal disorders.

Santol contains many vitamins, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, thanks to this composition, it has general strengthening properties, is useful for weakened immunity, diseases of the cardiovascular system, strengthens bones and teeth.

sapodilla(Hot tree, Tree potato, Oil tree, Achra, Sapodilla, Prang khaa, La-mut, Naseberry, Chiku) originally from Mexico, is now grown almost everywhere in the tropical countries of America and Asia.

Mostly oval, sometimes round fruits (up to 10 cm long) are covered with a thin skin of brown shades from light to dark, ripe fruits should be dark and soft. The pulp is very tender, juicy, brown in color, sometimes with a pink tinge. It tastes like caramel, one of my favorite fruits. There are about a dozen bones inside the fruit, each has a hook, so you need to be careful not to accidentally swallow them, otherwise they can catch in the throat with this hook ( but the bones are very easily separated from the pulp and I had no problems with them).

It is a pity that such a delicious fruit can be stored for no more than 3 days, because of this it can only be tasted in the regions of cultivation or the countries closest to them ( Russia, as you understand, does not belong to them).

Sapodilla contains potassium, a lot of vitamin C, calcium, iron, healthy carbohydrates, and, of course, fiber.

Sapote white (White Sapote, White sapote, Matasano, Edible Casimiroa, Casimiroa edulis, Mexican apple, Mexican apple). To the representatives of the Sapotov family described above ( sapodilla, lucuma) is irrelevant, as it belongs to another family - Rutaceae. A plant native to the central regions of Mexico, cultivated in Central and South America, on some islands of the Caribbean and neighboring Bahamas, in India, New Zealand, the Mediterranean.

Round fruits (up to 12 cm in diameter) with a thin smooth yellowish or green skin, and creamy white flesh. It tastes like vanilla cream or pudding. Bones (up to 6 pieces) should not be eaten, as it is believed that they are poisonous and have narcotic properties.

Sapote green (Green Sapote, Red faisan, Achradelpha viridis and Calocarpum viride). Originally from Central America, the territory of Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala. It is also grown in Australia and Polynesia.

Oval-shaped fruits (up to 12.5 cm in length and up to 7.5 cm in diameter) are covered with a smooth thin skin of olive or yellow-green color, may be speckled with red-brown. The flesh adheres tightly to the peel, it is red-brown in color, very tender, sweet and juicy. Each fruit has 1 or 2 dark brown seeds.

Sapote black (Black Sapote, Diospyros digyna, Chocolate Pudding Fruit, Chocolate Persimmon, Black Persimmon, Chocolate Persimmon, Black Apple, Barbacoa). Not to the Sapotovs ( sapodilla, lucuma), nor to the Rutovs ( White sapote) has nothing to do, despite the name, since it belongs to a completely different family - Ebony, and the closest known relative of the black sapote is persimmon. The region of origin is Central America and the southern regions of Mexico, in addition, it is grown on islands such as Mauritius, Hawaii, the Philippines, the Antilles and Brazil.

Spherical fruits (up to 12.5 cm in diameter) in the mature state become dirty green on the outside, and their flesh is black ( hence the name). The pulp is jelly-like, glossy, even unpleasant in appearance, but very tasty, tender, sweet and reminiscent of chocolate pudding. It is eaten simply fresh, and is actively used as an ingredient for confectionery and cocktails. The pulp contains up to 10 flat bones, which are easily separated from it.

TamarindSweet (Sweet Tamarind, Indian date, Asam, Sampalok, Chintapandu). The homeland of this tree of the legume family is East Africa, nowadays it is cultivated everywhere in tropical countries.

The fruits are long, up to 20 cm, as it should be legumes, they look like beans ( or peas), they are light brown on the outside, and the flesh ( more precisely, pericarp or pericarp) dark brown. The fruits are very sweet, tart, but you need to be careful, because unlike the legumes we are used to, tamarind has hard large bones hidden in the pulp.

It is also used fresh, but finds much greater use in cooking in the form of spices and sauces.

Sweet tamarind contains a lot of vitamin A, C, B vitamins, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, rich in carbohydrates, organic acids and protein.

Tamarillo(Tamarillo, Tomato tree, Cyphomandra beetroot, Cyphomandra betacea). Homeland are the countries of the western coast of South America; grown in almost all countries of South America, as well as in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti and New Zealand.

Oval-shaped fruits (up to 10 cm in length, up to 5 cm in diameter) really resemble tomatoes, covered with a smooth, dense peel that tastes bitter. The color can be yellow, orange-red, sometimes purple. The flesh is golden-reddish, with many small seeds, it tastes sour-sweet-salty, similar to a tomato with a touch of passion fruit or currant. It is usually eaten with a spoon, simply by cutting the fruit in half.

Contains little fat and carbohydrates; rich in potassium, A, B6, C, thiamine, riboflavin.

Umari(Umari, Guacure, Yure, Teechi) native to Brazilian Amazon regions; grown in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

The fruits are oval (from 5 to 10 cm long and 4 to 8 cm in diameter), covered with a thin smooth peel of yellow, red, black or green. You can eat with the peel, and the pulp layer is only 2-5 mm., It is yellow, oily, sweet, with a strong characteristic pleasant taste and aroma. Inside the fruit is one hard big bone, they are fried and eaten. Umari is consumed simply like a normal fruit, and also due to its fatty, buttery texture, literally like butter is spread on cassava bread.

Umari contains fats, carbohydrates, proteins, zinc, calcium and vitamin A.

feijoa(Feijoa, Pineapple Guava, Akka Sellova, Akka Feijoa, Feijoa Sellova). Originally from South America, it is now grown everywhere in regions with a suitable subtropical climate (including Russia).

Small oval-shaped fruits (up to 5 cm long and up to 4 cm in diameter) are covered with either a smooth yellow-green peel or a bumpy dark green one, it tastes sour, so it is better to eat without it. The flesh color of a ripe berry is white or cream, it is juicy, jelly-like and divided into several sections and contains several edible seeds. The sweet and sour taste is reminiscent of a mixture of strawberries, pineapple and kiwi.

Feijoa contains a lot of sugars, organic acids, iodine, vitamin C.

Physalis(Physalis, sometimes called Emerald Berry or Earth Cranberry, Peruvian Gooseberry, Bubblegum, Pesya Cherry, Marunka, Strawberry Tomato) - you have probably seen it many times, it is very often used to decorate confectionery, although it is also found simply on sale. It looks like a small tomato, and its main feature is an openwork, airy “box”, which is obtained from dried physalis flowers.

Orange small fruits are juicy, sweet with a slight sourness, depending on the specific variety ( and there are a lot of them) different shades may be present in taste and aroma, for example, strawberries in Strawberry physalis.

It has a fairly high content of vitamins A, C, group B, tannin, polyphenols, glucose; fiber, antioxidants, fruit and organic acids, tannins.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Breadfruit, Pana). The same name is sometimes used for Jackfruit and Papaya, so don't get confused! New Guinea is considered to be the homeland, from where this plant spread to the islands of Oceania and to the countries of Southeast Asia. The very productive Breadfruit is a staple food in some countries.

The fruits are very large, round-oval (up to 30 cm in diameter and weighing up to 4 kg.) Covered with a rough peel, which is green in an unripe form, and in a ripe fruit it is yellow-brown. The wild variety of breadfruit contains many seeds in the fruit, while the cultivated variety does not have seeds.

Unripe flesh is white, fibrous, starchy, while ripe flesh becomes soft and changes color to cream or yellow. The ripe fruit is sweetish, but in general, their taste is not very attractive, more like a potato and a banana. Unripe fruits are used as vegetables, and when they are cooked, you can just feel the bready taste.

Breadfruit is very nutritious, it contains ( in dried form) 4% protein, 14% sugars, 75-80% carbohydrates ( mostly starch) and contain virtually no fat.

Chrysophyllum (Star apple, Star apple, Cainito, Star apple, Milkfruit, Caimito) NOT TO BE CONFUSED with Caimito ( or Abiu). Originally from Central America, today it is cultivated in the tropics of South America, India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and Tanzania.

Spherical or oval fruits (up to 10 cm in diameter) are covered with a smooth inedible green or purple-brown peel, depending on the variety. The flesh can be white to purple in color and is juicy, jelly-like, sweet and very sticky with milky juice. The fruit contains up to 8 shiny dark brown inedible seeds. If the fruit is cut across, then the cut pattern will look like a star. The ripe fruits are wrinkled and soft and can be refrigerated for up to three weeks, making a great gift to friends and family from your tropical vacation.

Contains a lot of phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin C, amino acids and protein; has a low glucose content.

Chempedak(Artocarpus champeden, Chempedak or Cempedak). Originally from Malaysia, where it is mainly grown, it is also cultivated in neighboring Brunei, Thailand, Indonesia. A relative of the Marang, Breadfruit and Jackfruit.

The fruits are elongated, large (up to 45 cm long and up to 15 cm wide) covered with a yellow-brown rough peel, they smell pleasant. The peel can be easily removed by hand, but it is worth remembering that due to the released latex, it is very sticky. The pulp is divided into segments, it is dark yellow in color, juicy, sweet and tender, with round stones ( they are also eaten). The taste of Chempedak is similar to its relative - Jackfruit.

Chempedak contains B vitamins, vitamin C, carotene, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, that is, a very useful fruit, in particular for strengthening immunity, bones and teeth, and is also very good as a general tonic product.

Cherimoya(Annona cherimola, Cream apple, Ice cream tree, Graviola, Tzumux, Anona poshte, Atis, Sasalapa and a whole bunch of other possible names...). Originally from the foothills of the South American Andes, it is actively grown in regions with suitable subtropical climates around the planet.

Cherimoya has many close relatives, so it is sometimes easy to get confused, for example, the Cream Apple is also called Annona reticulum, in addition there is Annona prickly ( Guanabana or Soursop), Annona scaly ( Noina or Sugar Apple).

The fruit has a heart-shaped shape (up to 20 cm long and up to 10 cm wide), covered with a green peel with characteristic irregularities. The flesh is white, fibrous-creamy in texture, with a pleasant aroma and complex taste from a mixture of passion fruit, banana, pineapple, strawberries and cream. The bones are very hard and small, so cherimoya must be eaten carefully.

Cherimoya has a lot of useful things: proteins and carbohydrates, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, calcium, iron, phosphorus, organic acids.

Jujube(Jujube real, Unabi, Chinese date, Breast berry, Chapyzhnik, Jujuba, Jujube). Cultivated in Southeast and Central Asia, Japan, Australia, the European Mediterranean, the Caucasus.

The fruits are ovoid or round, although in fact they are very different in shape. The smooth, thin, shiny skin also has a variety of colors, which can be green, yellowish, dark red, brown, and combinations thereof. The pulp is dense, white, sweet juicy ( looks like an apple), eaten with the peel; one bone inside.

Yuyuba is rich in vitamins C, B, A, beta-carotene, amino acids, microelements, proteins, sugars and many more useful substances, the names of which are difficult to pronounce.

Yangmei(Mountain peach, Yangmei, Chinese strawberry or Chinese strawberry tree, Red waxwort). Originally from China, where it has been mainly grown for more than two thousand years, but is also found in neighboring countries.

Fruits - "rough" balls (up to 2.5 cm in diameter) can be painted in various shades from reddish to purple or violet. The pulp is tender and juicy, red in color with one large seed. Yangmei's taste is sweet and tart, even pungent, with hints of cherries, blackberries and strawberries.

Yangmei is rich in antioxidants, B vitamins, ascorbic acid.

How many exotic fruits have you tried? And about which of those listed in the article did you learn for the first time?

Fruits imported from hot countries have long ceased to be considered exotic. In the supermarket you can buy products from anywhere in the world. Once seemingly miraculous, bananas have become the same as apples or pears. However, there are also exotic fruits on store shelves, photos with names of which are difficult to find even on the Internet. There are those that are well known, but you can buy them only in countries with a tropical climate.

The most unusual fruits in the world

1. Passion fruit. This is not the rarest exotic fruit. He came to Europe from South America. Due to its unusual taste, passion fruit is used in the production of confectionery. The juice of this fruit is often used in the manufacture of cocktails, including alcoholic ones.

   

2. Salak. Salak got its second name "snake fruit" because its dark brown peel resembles the skin of a reptile. The peeled fruit looks like garlic. Its flesh has a light brown color and a sweet specific taste. Salad is not easy to clean. This requires special skill to avoid cuts to the hands.

   

3. Atemoya. The most exotic fruits of the world are often hidden under an inconspicuous shell, without attracting much attention. Atemoya refers precisely to such inconspicuous fruits. To taste, the fruit resembles a cream made from pineapple and mango.
4. Durian. Not everyone dares to try it. The fact is that this fruit has such a disgusting smell that it is forbidden to bring it into public places. A person who has managed to overcome disgust may be surprised at how excellent this green, unpleasant-smelling exotic fruit tastes.
5. Pitaya. The second name is "dragon fruit". It grows in many countries of the world, but Mexico is considered its homeland.
6. Buddha hand. The bright yellow fruit is often used to make perfumes. In China, the Buddha Hand is considered a talisman. She is kept in the house as a talisman.

   

7. Akebia five. The fruit of inedible lilac color is otherwise called "climbing cucumber". Most often, fruits can be found in China, Japan and Korea. The pulp of akebia tastes like raspberries. In addition, the "cucumber" has many useful properties.

   

8. Rambutan. The red exotic fruit is well protected by a dense skin with soft needles. Despite its menacing appearance, rambutan is easy to peel. Its pulp tastes like grapes and has a jelly-like texture. It is no coincidence that the fruits of rambutan are used to make jelly. The seeds of this fruit are roasted and also eaten.
9. Pandanus. Its second name is wild pineapple. Pandanus is found in the Malaysian islands. This red, pineapple-like exotic fruit is used to make paint.
10. Kiwano. The fruit can be found not only in exotic countries, but also in Europe. Under the bright yellow shell with spikes hides a light green flesh, similar to cucumber. Kiwano has a melon smell. The taste of the fruit resembles a mixture of kiwi, lemon and banana.

Exotic fruits of Thailand

If you dream of trying as many exotic fruits as possible, go to Thailand.

It is not always easy for foreign tourists to navigate the Thai market, since not every foreigner knows how to eat this or that fruit. Even pineapples and bananas, which are well known to Europeans, it is important to be able to choose the right one. For example, some pineapple varieties remain green after reaching maturity. Tourists believe that they are dealing with unripe fruits. The most delicious pineapples are brought from Chiang Rai. They can be recognized by their miniature size. However, finding such fruits is quite difficult, since they are not sold everywhere. Bananas at the Thai bazaar are also presented in a large assortment: large, small, green, yellow, with a stone, etc. The locals know hundreds of recipes for preparing this fruit. Bananas are dried, fried, boiled, seasoned with spices.

1. Guava is a fruit that looks like an apple. Inside light bones and loose pulp. Tourists who decide to try a green exotic fruit will be disappointed. Guava is practically tasteless. Thais eat it with sugar or spices. In order not to experience disappointment, you should only buy fruits soaked in sugar syrup.

   

2. The jackfruit is one of the largest fruits in the world. They sell it peeled, since without special skills it is impossible to clean the fruit on your own. Jackfruit tastes like marshmallow. The bones taken out of the fruit are sold separately, baked or boiled.

   

3. Graceful carambola fruits are shaped like a starfish. In Thailand, they are widely used in salads, drinks and sauces. You can determine the maturity by taste. It should be sweetish (not cloying). The immature fruit is usually sour.
4. Among the most popular exotic fruits of abundant Thailand is called mango. In this country you can find a huge number of varieties of the fruit well known to Europeans. Depending on the variety, the color can be from light green to bright red. The taste also varies. Mango is highly valued as a source of vitamins. It is used in the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as diseases of the cardiovascular system. The fruit is also recommended for those who suffer from diseases of the oral cavity.
5. The dirty green pomelo fruit is not considered exotic on European shelves. Despite the external unattractiveness, it has a pleasant taste. To try this fruit cooked in Thai style, it is not necessary to go abroad. It is enough to mix sugar, red pepper and salt in equal proportions. Eat the pomelo by dipping the slices in this mixture.
6. The pink apple is of considerable interest to tourists. This fruit got its name due to a misunderstanding, since the fruit has nothing to do with real apples. The shape of the fruit is similar to a bell. Their color can hardly be called pink. Rather, it is a pale red. The smell of the fruit is reminiscent of the scent of roses. The skin of the fruit is thin and easy to peel. The pulp is loose, mainly used for making desserts.
7. Huge brown beans are actually exotic and very tasty fruits of Thailand. These are tamarinds. This species has a sweet and sour tart taste. Thais eat tamarinds raw, as most of the fruit is edible. In addition, a refreshing drink can be made from fruits. They also make sauces. But for this it is necessary to choose a special, sour variety of the fruit.

   

You can buy unusual fruits in Thailand not only in the market. Not every tourist wants to spend their time visiting a noisy bazaar. You can buy the treasured jackfruit or guava right on the beach. Teenagers with huge baskets walk along the coast and buy fruits and drinks made from them. However, it should be borne in mind that everything on the beach will cost much more than on the market. Fruits are also sold in special tents in the city. Going to mysterious Thailand, do not forget to carefully consider exotic fruits sold there in a book or on the Internet, photos with names will be an excellent guide to the Thai market.