Green southern fruit. A complete list of delicious exotic fruits and berries with a description

The term "fruit" appeared in 1705 and since then means edible or inedible fruits of trees, shrubs (earlier, all plant fruits were called vegetables). The product is one of the main components of the human diet, since, depending on the variety, it contains many vitamins and microelements. According to rough estimates, there are a little more than 2,000 fruits on the planet.

passion fruit

An ancient tropical crop of the genus Passiflora that produces yellow or dark purple oval fruits (when ripe) growing on vines. Passion fruit is grown for its juice, which is often added to other fruit juices for flavor. Passionfruit fruits are yellow-orange or dark purple fruits, oval in shape and about 6-12 cm in size. Fruits with smooth, shiny skin are preferred, but sweeter with rough, cracked skin.

medlar

tour. musmula
This is a whole genus of plants, which includes almost 30 species. However, there are two main cultivated types of medlar: German and Japanese. The German medlar has been known to mankind for more than 1000 years BC. In the territories of Ancient Babylon, Mesopotamia, it was freely traded, it was taken on ships to the west to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It was from here that the medlar came to European lands. Today, the German medlar grows in the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Crimean Mountains, Transcaucasia, Armenia, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Greece and northern Iran. The tree is quite fastidious and grows well only in dry, sunny places and on slightly acidic soil.

Nectarine

A fruit that is a peach with a smooth skin. Despite the widespread myth, nectarine is obtained by selection or simple mutation of peaches and is not a peach-plum hybrid.
This classic example of a bud mutation occurs when peach trees self-pollinate. Nectarines sometimes appear on peach trees, and peaches on nectarine trees. Nectarines are first mentioned in 1616 in England.

Papaya

A low, slender tree with a thin, branchless trunk 5-10 meters high, crowned with an umbrella of palmately dissected leaves on long petioles. Papaya leaves are large, 50-70 centimeters in diameter. The flowers develop in the axils of the petioles, turning into large fruits, 10-30 cm in diameter and 15-45 cm long. Ripe papaya fruits are soft and have a color from amber to yellow.

Peach

A tree of the Rosaceae family, has a subgenus of almonds. It differs from almonds only in fruits. The leaves are lanceolate with a serrated edge and almost sessile, appearing before the development of the leaves, pink flowers. The fruit is a peach, spherical, with a groove on one side, usually velvety. The peach pit is wrinkly furrowed and punctately dimpled.

pomelo

English pomelo
Citrus fruits of the evergreen tree of the same name. The peel of the fruit is quite thick, and the slices are large, separated by hard white partitions, bitter in taste. The color of a ripe pomelo can vary from light green to yellow-pink. The pink color usually acquires only one side, which during ripening was turned to the sun. The fruit is the champion among citrus fruits. Its diameter can be 30 cm, and its weight can reach 10 kg. The taste of pomelo is very close to grapefruit, but the flesh is not so juicy and when peeled, the inner membranes are more easily separated from the edible part.

Pomeranian

It is also called Chinotto or Bigaradia - it is a woody evergreen plant belonging to the Rut family, a species of the genus Citrus. It is considered a hybrid of pomelo and mandarin. When fresh, the orange is considered inedible, and it is valued mainly because of the zest. The peel is quite easily separated from the fruit, you just need to cut it into 4 parts. The zest of oranges is used to make desserts. It is also often added to ice cream. For such a dessert, you need to take orange zest and juice, cream and sugar. All this must be beaten with a mixer and sent to freeze.

Rambutan

Tropical fruit tree of the Sapindaceae family. Rambutan fruits - small, the size of a hazelnut - grow in clusters of up to 30 pieces and are rounded "balls" with elastic yellow or red skin, covered with fleshy hairs 4-5 cm long. Rambutan pulp covering the bone (edible, but to taste resembling an acorn), is a transparent white gelatinous mass, a pleasant sweet taste.

Article-review of exotic tropical fruits of Asia with photos, names, descriptions and prices in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. We wrote it based on our travel notes. Use on health!

Tropical fruits of the Southeast are a real treasure and a storehouse of health. It's just a sin not to try them all! In addition, exotic fruits sold in Russia (for example, pineapple, mango, bananas or carambola) only remotely resemble real ripe fruits. Read the article about - it is especially relevant for those who are going to this country for the first time.

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List of tropical fruits with photos, names and descriptions

Rambutan (Rambutan, Ngo - Thai, Chôm chôm - Vietnamese)

Funny hairy red balls on the counter are rambutans. Their "hairiness" is of varying degrees: the hairs can be greenish and strong, withered and black, or moderately withered. Practice shows that the latter are the best.

The pulp of rambutans is dense and white translucent, it does not get rid of the stone too well. To get to the pulp, you need to make an incision across and part the halves. The taste is subtle and sweet, similar to green grapes. Unripe rambutans may be slightly sour. Sometimes there are already peeled rambutans in the markets, but they spoil much faster - there is a risk of running into spoiled ones. They are also sold in canned form with sugar syrup.

Season: from May to October.

Rambutans are one of the most inexpensive tropical fruits in Asia. Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 40 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 30 to 150 baht (and about 15 baht for a peeled substrate);
• In Indonesia (in Sumatra) - 10 thousand rupees.

(Photo © jeevs / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Lychee (Litchi, lin-chi - Thai, vải - Vietnamese)

Lychee, otherwise - litchi, or Chinese plum - are remarkable and tasty. Neat red-pink fruits from afar resemble the skin of a reptile - their peel is dotted with small tubercles. To the touch pleasant, elastic, rough. The thin shell is easily separated from the pulp, revealing a translucent white mass with a stone in the center. Lychees are very juicy, with a sweet and sour taste. They are actively used in cooking.

Harvested from April to June. The price per kilogram in Thailand is about 60 baht.

(Photo © su-lin / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Longan (Lam-yaj - Thai, Nhan - Vietnamese)

If you see bunches of small potatoes on the counter, know that this is a longan, or a dragon's eye. The fruits are juicy and sugary-sweet - it is almost impossible to break away from them: longan snaps like seeds, easily and quickly. In Vietnam, you can often see longan shells on the ground. The flesh is transparent white, sometimes with a slight yellowish tint. When cut, the longan resembles a dragon's eye, as there is a round bone inside, hence its name.

Season: May - November.

Prices per kilo:

• in Vietnam - from 30 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 60 baht.

(Photo © Muy Yum / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Longkong (Langsat)

Longkong (langsat) is one of the most delicious exotic fruits in Asia, in our opinion. In appearance - a bunch of small potatoes of beige-yellow color with speckles, but larger than longan. The longkong is cleaned well - you just need to peel off the peel (although your hands will be a little sticky after that). The pulp is in the form of translucent slices, similar in shape to garlic. Its taste is simply amazing - sweet and refreshing, with a barely noticeable sourness, a bit like a pomelo. Beware of biting the bones - they are bitter.

Season: from May to November.

Prices per kg:

• in Thailand - from 100 baht;
• in Indonesia - from 10 thousand rupees.

(Photo © Yeoh Thean Kheng / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Mango (Mango, Ma-Muang - Thai, Xoài - Vietnamese)

The variety of mango species is amazing - from dark green to red. The flavor palette is also impressive. In Vietnam, mangoes are somewhat fibrous, while in Thailand their flesh is more uniform and flavorful. The bone is usually flat and wide.

It is better to choose slightly soft mangoes, hard ones may turn out to be unripe (although there are exceptions), and too soft ones - overripe, they will quickly deteriorate. In Thailand, yellow mangoes (and durians) are eaten with gluten-free rice and coconut milk, a traditional sticky rice dish.

Season: in Thailand in spring, in Vietnam - also in spring and winter.

Prices are different and depend on the variety (per kg):

• in Vietnam - from 25 to 68 thousand dongs;
• in Thailand - from 20 to 150 baht;
• in Indonesia - from 20 thousand rupees;
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits.

(Photo © Philip Roeland / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Noina, or sugar apple (Sugar Apple, Noi-na - Thai, Mẵng cầu - Vietnamese)

Noina is very similar to cherimoya - they are relatives. Noina looks like a light green bumpy apple with segments-scales covered with a light whitish coating. Sugar apple was called for a reason: the ripe fruit is really like sugar, with a creamy flavor. The flesh is white and so soft that noina is cut in half and eaten with a spoon, removing inedible bones. Cherimoya is similar to noina in many ways, but its peel is without scales.

Try to choose as ripe fruits as possible, as unripe noina will be unpleasant - hard and with a coniferous flavor. A ripe sugar apple is soft, the flesh can even shine through between the segments. Don't push it too hard - it can fall apart right in your hands.

Harvest: June - September. The cost of a kilogram of these tropical fruits in Vietnam is from 49,000 dong (in a supermarket), we bought in the market for 30,000.

(Photo © Hanoian / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Guanabana, or soursop (Soursop, Guanabana, Mãng cầu xiêm - Vietnamese)

Another relative of the noina is guanabana. Its flesh is similar to a sugar apple, but not as sweet and with a bright creamy taste. By consistency, it is a bit like dense sour cream or yogurt, for which guanabana was nicknamed soursop. Eat it with a spoon or cut into pieces. The fruits of guanabana are much larger than noina and cherimoya, you can’t confuse them - they sometimes reach 10 or more kilograms. The peel is dark green, with small processes in the form of soft spines.

Guanabana is a rare guest on the shelves of markets and shops. Choose a slightly soft soursop - it can easily ripen in the refrigerator for a couple of days (but no more, so don't overdo it). An unripe fruit is hard and almost tasteless, and an overripe one will sour, fermentation processes will begin.

Fruits all year round. Usually the price per kilogram in Vietnam is from 43 thousand dong.

(Photo © tara marie / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Pomelo (Pomelo, Som-o - Thai)

Probably everyone knows what a pomelo looks like and what it tastes like, so we won’t describe it. However, we thought it was sweeter in Asia. When buying, you should choose by sniffing: the stronger the citrus aroma, the better the pomelo will be. Also pay attention to softness.

Season: July - September.

Price per kg:

• in Thailand - from 30 baht;
• in Vietnam - from 40 thousand dong.

Salak (Snake fruit, Sala and Ra-kum - Thai, Salak - Indonesian.)

A notable tropical fruit with a rind resembling snakeskin. It comes with and without thorns. The flesh is beige-yellow or white, sweet-sour in taste, with a wine flavor. Sometimes there is a taste of valerian. Spiny herring should be cleaned with care: cut at the edge with a knife and peel off like a tangerine. Cleans up pretty easily.

Season: June to August.

Prices per kg:

• in Thailand - from 60 baht;
• in Indonesia - from 25 thousand rupees.

(Photo © hl_1001a3 / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Pineapple (Pineapple, Sa-pa-rot - Thai, Khóm (Dứa) - Vietnamese)

Pineapple is an exotic fruit familiar to us since childhood. Only here in Asia it is much tastier than in Russia. Large and small pineapples are sold - these are different varieties. We recommend taking Thai small, palm-sized, with an orange peel - they are the sweetest. It is convenient to buy already peeled or chopped pineapples.

Season: January, April - June.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 20 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - about 15-20 baht (per piece or kilogram - depending on the variety).

Chrysophyllum (Star apple, Caimito, Star apple, Vú sữa - Vietnamese)

We were not particularly impressed with the star apple: its taste seemed pleasant, but not outstanding, besides, the fruits secrete milky juice, which is then hardly washed off hands and lips. Mature chrysophyllums come in green, brown, and various shades of purple. You need to choose soft star apples, as unripe ones are inedible. It is better to eat them with a spoon, cut across and pre-cooled.

Harvested from February to March. The price in Vietnam per kg is from 37 thousand VND.

(Photo © tkxuong / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Mangosteen (Mangosteen, Mong-khut - Thai, Mang cút - Vietnamese)

Mangosteen (mangosteen), like almost all tropical fruits of Asia, looks attractive and arouses the curiosity of tourists. Small dark purple round balls with neat leaves on top, dense to the touch and quite heavy.

The peel of the mangosteen is thick, reminiscent of pomegranate in smell and astringent properties. Behind the thick rind are several slices of fragrant and extremely tender white pulp, similar in shape to garlic. The taste is unforgettable and indescribable! Light, sweet, refreshing. But we did not like the mangosteen wine.

It is important to choose the right fruits: when buying, lightly press the mangosteen - it should be a little soft, sag when pressed. If not, it's most likely corrupted.

When cleaning the mangosteen, be careful not to stain your clothes. In many hotels it is forbidden to eat it. It is better to clean with your hands - just tear off the leaves and press on the center. You can also use a knife - make an incision and open the fruit. If the mangosteen is fresh, it will peel easily.

Season: April - October.

Price per kg:

• in Thailand - from 80 baht;
• in Indonesia - from 15 thousand rupees.

(Photo © olivcris / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Papaya (Papaya, Ma-la-koo - Thai, Đu đủ - Vietnamese)

Papaya is sweet and nutritious, with a flavor reminiscent of carrots and pumpkins. The flesh of the ripe fruit is very soft, fragrant, juicy, orange-red in color, and the skin is bright yellow to orange. Take moderately soft fruits. Green papaya is not sweet - it is added to salads and eaten with pepper and salt.

Season: all year round.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 10 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 40 baht;
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits;
• in Indonesia - from 4 thousand rupees.

(Photo © Crysstala / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Sapodilla (sapodilla, La-mut and Chiku - Thai, Lòng mứt or hồng xiêm - Vietnamese)

Sapodilla is called a tree potato - outwardly it really looks like an oblong potato. But inside - a sugary-sweet pulp of orange-brown color, reminiscent of persimmon varieties "Korolek", only softer. Buy soft brown fruits, as unripe sapodilla has an astringent effect.

Season: all year round.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 21 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 40 baht.

(Photo © GlobalHort Image Library/ Imagetheque / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

Pitahaya (dragon heart, dragon fruit, Geow-mangon - Thai, Thanh long - Vietnamese)

Pitahaya is one of the most recognizable exotic fruits, the photo of which has probably been seen by everyone. The bright pink pitaya belongs to the cactus family and looks unusual: inside is white or beet-colored flesh with small black seeds. She has a barely perceptible sweetish taste - in my opinion, pitahaya is almost bland. Eat with a spoon, cut in half.

Season: May - October.

Price per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 20-23 thousand dongs;
• in Thailand - from 45 baht.

(Photo © John Loo / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Coconut (Coconut, Ma-phrao - Thai, Dừa - Vietnamese)

In Southeast Asia, coconuts are large and light green in color, not brown and hairy, as we have on the shelves. These are young coconuts, and they are drunk. Sellers will carefully cut off the top of the nut with a machete, give you a tube and a spoon - you can scrape off the pleasant jelly-like pulp remaining on the walls of the coconut. We recommend buying chilled coconuts.

Season: all year.

Price per piece (depending on size):

• in Vietnam - from 8-15 thousand dongs;
• in Thailand - 15-20 baht;
• in Malaysia - from 4-5 ringgits.

(Photo © -Gep- / flickr.com / Licensed CC BY-ND 2.0)

Tamarind (Sweet Tamarind, Ma-kham-wan - Thai, Me thái ngọt - Vietnamese)

The sugary-sweet tamarind resembles a date in taste and texture. It looks like a brown pod, under a fragile shell - dark flesh, enveloping hard bones.

Season: December to March.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 62 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 100 baht.

(Photo © Mal.Smith / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Banana (Banana, Kluai - Thai, Chuối - Vietnamese)

There are many types of bananas in Asia. Mostly small, palm-length. The taste is sweet and very different from those sold in Russia. Be sure to try different varieties. For example, in Malaysia there are wonderful triangular bananas. They are red on the outside, but they taste like dried ones.

Season: all year round.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 15 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 30 baht;
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits.

Passionfruit (Passionfruit, Chanh dây - Vietnamese)

This tropical fruit has a different, more sonorous name - Passionfruit, which translates as passion fruit. The taste of passion fruit is not for everyone: too sharp, sweet and sour (but I like it very much). Similar to concentrated multifruit juice.

The peel is dense, comes in many colors, but mostly purple, burgundy, brown and green-brown. Fruits can be smooth or shriveled - just such a passion fruit will be ripe. The pulp is jelly-like, with edible seeds. They eat it with a spoon, cutting it across.

Season: September - December.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 20 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 190 baht.

(Photo © geishaboy500 / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Carambola (Carambola, Star fruit, Ma-fuang - Thai, Khẽ - Vietnamese)

The beautiful yellow-orange fruit is carambola. It tastes sweet and sour, reminiscent of strawberries. Carambola is juicy and refreshing, great to eat in the heat. It is so named because when cross-sectioned, slices are obtained in the form of stars.

Season: October to December.

Prices per kg:

• in Thailand - from 120 baht (and 50 baht for the substrate);
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits.

(Photo © berenicegg / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Chompu (pink apple, waterapple, Chom-phu - Thai, Mân thái đỏ - Vietnamese)

Chompoo are unusually juicy - it seems as if they are made of water. Excellent thirst quencher. The taste is barely noticeable sweetish, very pleasant. The fragrance resembles the smell of a rose, hence the name. Chompus come in red, green, and white.

Season: all year round.

Prices per kg:

• in Thailand - from 200 baht (and 20-70 baht for the substrate);
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits.

(Photo © beautifulcataya / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Jackfruit (Jackfruit, Kha-nun - Thai, Mít - Vietnamese)

Perhaps one of the most memorable and delicious exotic fruits in Asia is the jackfruit. Its fruits are round and very large, so it is sold peeled. The split jackfruit smells sweet, the aroma resembles chewing gum and spreads far. The lobules are bright yellow and smooth. The fruit is very nutritious.

Season: January - May.

Prices for a jackfruit pad:

• in Vietnam - about 25 thousand dong;
• in Thailand - from 20 baht.

(Photo © mimolag / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Guava (Guajava, Farang - Thai, Ổi - Vietnamese)

We don't like guava. It looks like a pear or a green apple, but tastes something in between. In general, the pulp is pleasant, sweetish, white and pink. Choose a softer guava, it is impossible to eat unripe - it is hard, with a coniferous flavor.

Season: all year round.

Prices per kg:

• in Vietnam - from 19 thousand dong;
• in Malaysia - from 4 ringgits.

(Photo © cKol / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0)

Durian (Durian, Too-ree-an - Thai, Sầu riêng - Vietnamese)

The same king of fruits that everyone has heard about. Reviews about durian are contradictory: someone says that they will never eat it, while others are crazy about it. Our first acquaintance with durian turned out to be unsuccessful: a distinct taste of either onion or garlic was mixed with sweetness - not the pleasure that we expected after reading laudatory reviews about the heavenly taste of this exotic fruit. After eating, the garlic flavor lasts for a long time in the mouth. By the way, the smell is not quite nasty, and sometimes even pleasant - apparently, it depends on the variety. We tasted durian the second time, having bought a traditional Thai dish sticky rice with durian and coconut milk. What to say? Don't lie, the taste is truly heavenly! The pulp is very tender, creamy. Remember that it should not be consumed with alcohol.

Season: April - August.

Durian prices in Thailand: from 200 baht per kg (Phuket Town) and from 900 baht per kg in Patong - the difference in price is impressive. It is most profitable to buy sticky rice with durian - from 55 baht per pack. Hearty and tasty. The most delicious durians are the small ones sold in Malaysia.

(Photo © Mohafiz M.H. Photography (www.lensa13.com) / flickr.com / Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Intro Image Source: © Andrea Schaffer / flickr.com / CC BY 2.0.

An integral part of any trip is foreign cuisine, special dishes and unusual tastings. And if you choose this type of tourism as gastronomic, then atypical treats are literally a must. In particular, we are talking about fruits. But not everyone, going somewhere to warm lands, is well aware of exotic tropical fruits and their names. We will try to introduce you to the most interesting desserts of the foreign world.

Guava is the sister of the Ukrainian pear

Very similar to our pear and slightly sour in taste, guava is a tropical fruit native to Mexico, South America, India, and parts of Southeast Asia. Outwardly, it looks like a 10-14 cm oval of yellow-green color. The fruits ripen on small deciduous shrubs.

Eating stale guava is just as dangerous as eating other fruits. At the very least, you're at risk of indigestion. In addition, unripe guava is quite sour and unpleasant, astringent in taste. When these exotic fruits reach the “necessary condition”, they will become tasty and quite healthy.

Guava is recommended for use in case of intoxication, as well as for weight loss and all kinds of minor inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract. And freshly squeezed guava juice and its seeds have a positive effect on the work of the stomach. You can eat the fruit along with the peel, but we recommend that diabetics be careful with this, as it increases the level of glucose in the body.

Dragon eye - a fruit with an abundance of vitamins

Such an exotic name was given to an unusual-looking and slightly melon-like fruit. In everyday life, the dragon's eye is called longan, which grows in Thailand on tall 10-meter trees. Lush crowns of trees hide round yellow fruits in their thick. If you remove the peel from them, you will see white flesh inside. It is extremely useful due to the high content of trace elements. In particular, we are talking about organic acids, protein, calcium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, iron and much more.

Due to the original sweetish taste, the fruit is extremely popular among locals and tourists. It is either peeled and eaten raw or cooked as part of rice dishes. Served with stewed cereal and coconut milk. Also, local craftsmen make sauces from longan, and even ice cream. No negative properties of the fruit were noticed, but we still do not recommend overeating the dragon's eye.

Carambola is a star in your plate

Carambola is an extremely popular and well-known fruit not only in Asian countries, but also in Ukraine. Due to its unusual appearance, carambola is used as an element of decor for haute cuisine dishes. The size of the fruit is a large goose egg, the color is yellow, and in the context of carambola it resembles an asterisk.

You can eat both the pulp and the peel. This fruit is useful both raw and fried. It can taste both slightly sour and sweet. Tourists cannot agree on what carambola tastes like, what it looks like. It reminds someone of a plum, someone of a grape, someone of an apple. But everyone unanimously says that the fruit is extremely tasty. The fruit contains sodium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins of groups B and C. Carambola is either served raw or deep-fried, and can also be boiled in sweet syrup.

Eggplant or mangosteen?

This fruit has several names - mangkut, garcinia, mangosteen and, of course, mangosteen. It grows in South Asia, in Vietnam, Thailand, India. This berry looks like a rounded purple-burgundy eggplant. It weighs up to 200 grams, and when cut it looks like white pulp. The inner part of the fruit is soft, melting and zephyr-like. Very sweet in taste, mangosteen is a fruit that serves as the basis for various jams, desserts, nectars, syrups and juices. Also, the popularity of the fruit is based on the versatility of flavors - culinary experts note echoes of peach, pineapple and lychee in garcinia.

The peel is also popular, which is used in traditional medicine. But we strongly do not recommend eating fruit during pregnancy and breastfeeding. And also in case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver.

Sugar apple noina

Another name for the fruit is sugar apple, which is really very sweet. However, the taste is more reminiscent of a late apricot, which does not make this treat less popular and tasty. Noina grows in the tropical zone, and is used from roots to fruits. Decoctions and tinctures from leaves, roots and bark help with fever and even dysentery.

When choosing noina on the market, be careful, it is important to buy exactly ripe fruit, otherwise you risk poisoning. Noina should be greenish, heavy in feel and soft to the touch. And, of course, the fruit should smell very good and tasty. When eating the fruit, do not eat the seeds - they are useful only in the field of cosmetology and exclusively in the form of oil.

This prickly cone may not be noticed on the branch, but it is very popular with Asian gourmets. Another name for this tropical delicacy is soursop. It has a sweet and sour taste and contains many useful elements. Researchers massively claim that sirsak is able to treat cancer. In Chinese medicine, dried fruit powders are added to medicines and tablets.

European scientists in the course of research have found that the fetus actually stops the spread of the disease and reduces the activity of cancer cells. Sirsak cannot fully replace chemotherapy, but it can help prevent the disease. But, despite the pleasant taste and useful properties, do not overdo it with tasting. Excess fruit can lead to intoxication and even hallucinations.

chocolate chicu

Chiku fruit has a second name - sepodilla. It looks like beige or brownish balls, inside - orange pulp and large black oblong bones. Chica is eaten raw, separated from the bitter skin and hard seeds. The fruit has a caramel flavor, and some varieties have coffee and chocolate flavors.

The texture of the chiku is soft and should be quite large. Before use, sepodilla is recommended to be cooled, cut in half or into slices. The pulp can be eaten with a spoon, or just bite off the peel like a watermelon or melon.

Pitahaya - dragon fruit

Unusual, beautiful, bright, called the heart of the dragon, the fruit is widely known to the public. But few people know what it tastes like. Pitahaya looks different depending on the variety. White has pink skin and white flesh, red has pink skin and red flesh, yellow has yellow skin and white flesh respectively. All of them are popular in their own way and unusual in taste, as well as extremely useful. In particular, due to the high content of fiber and antioxidants. Pitahaya is also recommended for diabetics, as the fruit lowers the level of sugar in your blood.

Desserts and juices are prepared from the fruit, and the pulp is added to salads and light dishes. It can be eaten raw by cutting it in half and eating the pulp with a spoon. The peel is beautiful, but not edible. Often "bowls" of fruit peel are used as decoration.

Of the side effects, only an allergic reaction is observed, as well as indigestion when overeating.

exotic fruit lychee

This is a Chinese plum that grows in clusters and has a pinkish-reddish color. The fruits are covered with a peel with convex pimples, inside - soft light pulp and a small bone. The taste of lychee is similar to grapes, in texture - to hardened jelly.

You can eat these fruits, they are tasty and memorable. When choosing a plum, be sure to feel the berries themselves, they should not be too soft or darkened. If the lychee is maroon in color, then this means that it has been on sale for a long time and is no longer particularly fresh. Alternatively, you can try dried lychee. Syrups are made from it, jelly is rolled up and even added to ice cream.

The abundance of potassium, magnesium and vitamins of group C helps to strengthen the cardiovascular system. And also Chinese doctors recommend lychee for those who suffer from high cholesterol levels.

Cucumber melon kiwano

Horned melon occupies one of the leading steps in the list of the most beautiful tropical fruits. Yellow-green prickly peel, as well as green flesh, similar in texture to citrus fruits. This fruit definitely deserves a place both on your plate and on the Instagram feed.

Another variant of the name kivano is horned or Antillean cucumber. It grows in New Zealand, central Africa and California. To taste, the melon has a cucumber-banana-melon flavor, with a slight kiwi flavor. Agree, this is certainly an unforgettable combination!

Do not overdo it with tasting and at the same time remember that, within reasonable limits, the melon enriches the body with vitamins B and C. Cut it in half and eat the pulp right along with the seeds.

Ripe black sapote

Unusual in appearance, but original in taste, the fruit is extremely popular in Central America and Mexico. The size of the ripe fruit reaches ten centimeters in diameter. Inside - sticky, slightly viscous pulp, as well as several large seeds. Sapota's main feature is its chocolate flavor. Really chocolatey!

The peel of the fruit has a green color, while inside the flesh is black-brown. This fruit is rich in vitamin C and calcium, and it is also very suitable for those who are on a diet, as it contains almost zero fat content.

prickly snake fruit

Another black and strange fruit that protects itself from unwanted hands. The fact is that the fruit is tasty and soft inside, from the outside it is covered with snake skin - a prickly brown-black peel. This is exactly what he is, an unusual herring or snake fruit.

Be careful when peeling the fruit. On small scales it is possible to cut yourself. But the pulp itself contains calcium, phosphorus, iron and beta-carotene.
But do not eat too much herring, despite the pleasant pineapple taste, if you overeat, it can cause an allergic reaction and poisoning.

Jaboticaba tree fruit

This fruit grows directly on the tree, even on the bark. Its main habitat is Brazil. It is here that the fruit is used as an ingredient in desserts, as well as raw materials for liqueurs and wine. Jaboticaba also helps with asthma, dysentery and disorders.

The peculiarity of these black fruits is that they spoil quickly enough. You need to eat the fruit within two to three days after it was plucked. That is why in shops and restaurants in Brazil you can mainly find jamoticaba jams, preserves and syrups.

chocolate creeper

This is truly a waste-free fruit that is used to the fullest. Chocolate liana or the more scientific name akebia is eaten literally all. Pear-shaped fruit is cut in half or a small incision is made. The white, slightly pearly flesh is scooped out with a spoon and served with the seeds as a dessert. And the purple peel is stuffed with meat or seafood, and then baked and served on the table. Even dried fruit leaves are served as a tea or condiment.

The taste of chocolate liana is similar to raspberries, but the smell of chocolate remains here. Fruit tree flowers also smell of chocolate. Therefore, it is worth taking a walk near the akebia tree during the flowering period to enjoy the aromas.

finger lime

This fruit reminds many people of rolls with red caviar. But in fact, this is lime caviar, which tastes absolutely identical to ordinary lime. Tourists are attracted by the appearance.
The oval dark fruits inside contain reddish and pinkish caviar balls filled with juice. It is the caviar itself that is used in the preparation of desserts and fish and meat dishes. The fruit is remarkable in that it contains many useful, tonic and regenerating enzymes.

But be careful, because overeating can cause allergies. Also, finger lime is not recommended for use by those who suffer from ulcers, pancreatitis, gastritis, colitis and other intestinal diseases.

Melotria rough

The peculiarity of melotria is that it looks like small watermelons. But it tastes more like a sour cucumber with a lemon aftertaste. It grows on climbing shrubs and is a good prevention of cancer.

The skin of the fruit is hard, and the flesh really resembles a cucumber. It is important not to let the melotria oversing, fresh and timely picked fruits are very tasty and healthy. You can also pickle or pickle melotria like a regular cucumber. It is pickled that it is most often served in Asian restaurants.

It is recommended to consume this fruit a little every day, as it is useful in losing weight and is perfect for diabetics. But be careful those who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system and intestinal tract.

Musical biriba

The fruit looks like a yellow, slightly blackening ball. The peel has scales, while inside the pulp is white, the bones are small and black. The taste of biriba resembles lemon meringue, and it is harvested in the early stages, without waiting for full ripening. She is already ripening in boxes and on the shelves.

Biriba is mostly grown and sold in South America. The main indicator of maturity is a yellow, beginning to blacken peel. If overripe, the flesh will be inedible and bitter.

Ripe fruit is eaten raw, and sometimes juices, syrups and even wine are made from it. Dried fruits are used to make musical instruments!

Miraculous Berries

These berries are similar to barboris, they are red and quite large. They are called miraculous due to the unusual effect on taste buds. After tasting the berries, any food you eat will seem sweet to you. All this is due to the content of glycol-protein. It reduces the sensitivity of receptors responsible for all tastes except sweet. The effect of sweetness lasts up to two hours.

Don't overeat, of course. But some bizarre, miraculously useful and medical properties have not been found. Along with this, miracle berries are good for those who are currently on a diet, it will reduce the sugar intake in your diet.

Tamarillo or tomato?

Despite the fact that tamarillo is a fruit, it is similar in appearance and taste to a tomato. It has a red-orange color of the skin, and a red-burgundy color of the flesh. The bush itself, on which tamarillo grows, also looks like a tomato bush that has surpassed its dimensions.

Depending on the type, the fruit has a different taste and is used in different variations. Red is the most widely distributed and has orange sweet flesh, used as decoration and additions to main dishes. Yellow is sweeter and smaller in size, orange is less sweet and the most juicy of all representatives.

The skin of the fruit is not eaten, it is too hard and bland. The pulp, on the other hand, has a juicy texture of sweet taste, contains vitamins A, B and C. It is also low in sugar, so the fruit is suitable for diabetics. Peeling a tamarillo will not be easy, it is recommended to put it in boiling water for a few seconds or just cut it and eat it with a spoon.

Tropical fruits are an incredible variety of flavors, shapes and appearances. It is always very interesting to discover new and amazing dishes. But we recommend not only choosing the rarest fruits, but also making sure that you are tasting in the right and proven place.

Round red fruit, up to 4 cm in diameter. Wonderful, delicious fruit. It has one bone in the middle. Similar to Longon in shape, texture and stone, but with a richer taste and aroma. Very juicy, sweet, sometimes sour. The peel is easily separated from the white-transparent pulp.

Unfortunately, fresh Lychee can not be consumed all year round: the Lychee harvest season begins in May and lasts until the end of July. During the rest of the year it is almost impossible to find it.

During the off-season in Asia, canned lychees can be purchased in jars or plastic bags in their own juice or coconut milk.

Ripe fruits keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can freeze and store in the freezer for up to 3 months peeled fruits.

Lychee contains many proteins, pectins, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. A very high content of nicotinic acid - vitamin PP, which actively prevents the development of atherosclerosis. The wide prevalence of Lychee in the countries of Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand) is the reason for the low level of atherosclerosis in this region.

Rambutan (Rambutan, Ngo, "hairy fruit from Thailand").

Round fruits of red color, up to 5 cm in diameter, covered with soft processes like thorns. The pulp covering the stone is a transparent white elastic mass, with a pleasant sweet taste, sometimes with a sour tint. The stone is quite tightly connected to the pulp, and is edible.

Contains carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, nicotinic acid and vitamin C. Fruits have a short shelf life - up to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Harvest season: May to October.

It is cleaned by cutting the peel with a knife, or without using a knife, as if twisting the fruit in the middle.

Rambutan is eaten fresh, cooked jams and jellies, canned.

Mangosteen (Mangosteen, mangosteen, mangosteen, garcinia, mankut).

The fruit is about the size of a small dark purple apple. Beneath the thick, inedible skin is the edible pulp in the form of garlic cloves. The pulp is sweet with sourness, very tasty, not like anything else. Generally pitted, although some fruits have small, soft pits that can be eaten.

Sometimes there are sick fruits of Mangosteen, with a dark creamy, sticky and unpleasant-tasting pulp. Such fruits cannot be identified until you peel them.

The harvest season is from April to September.

Natural biologically active substances contained in mangosteen reduce inflammatory reactions: swelling, soreness, redness, high temperature.

Dragon's eye (pitahaya, pitaya, moon yang, dragon fruit, pitaya).

These are the fruits of a cactus. The dragon's eye is the Russian version of the name of this fruit. The international name is Dragon Fruit or Pitahaya.

Rather large, oblong fruits (palm-sized) red, pink or yellow on the outside. Inside the pulp is white or red, dotted with small black seeds. The pulp is very tender, juicy, slightly sweet, with an unexpressed taste. It is convenient to eat with a spoon, scooping out the pulp from the fruit cut in half.

The dragon's eye is useful for stomach pain, diabetes or other endocrine disease.

Harvest seasons are all year round.

Durian

King of fruits. The fruits are very large: up to 8 kilograms.

A fruit famous all over the world for its smell. Almost everyone has heard of it, some have smelled it, and very few have tasted it. Its smell is reminiscent of the smell of onions, garlic and worn socks. With this fruit, because of its smell, it is even forbidden to enter hotels, transport and other public places. To remind you of the ban in Thailand, for example, they hang out signs with a crossed-out image of a fruit.

The sweet pulp of the fruit has a very delicate texture, and does not at all correspond to an unpleasant odor. You should try this fruit, if only for the reason that many have heard about it, but few dare to try it. But in vain. The taste is very pleasant, and the fruit itself is considered the most valuable fruit in Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia). It is very high in calories and healthy. Durian also has a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac.

Sold cut (into slices) and packed in polyethylene. In supermarkets, you can find very interesting sweets with the taste and smell of Durian.

Sala (salak, rakum, snake fruit, snake fruit, sala)

Oblong or round fruits of small size (about 5 cm long) red (Rakum) or brown (Salak) in color, covered with dense small spines.

Fruit with a very unusual, bright sweet-sour taste. Someone reminds a persimmon, someone a pear. It is worth trying at least once, and then how you like it ...

You should be careful when peeling the fruit: the spines are very dense and dig into the skin. It's better to use a knife.

The season is from April to June.

Carambola (Starfruit, Kamrak, Ma Phyak, Carambola, Star-fruit).

"Star of the tropics" - in the context of the shape we represent an asterisk.

Fruit with an edible peel, eaten whole (there are small seeds inside). The main advantage is a pleasant smell and juiciness. The taste is not particularly distinguished by anything - slightly sweet or sweet and sour, somewhat reminiscent of the taste of an apple. Sufficiently juicy fruit and perfectly quenches thirst.

Sold all year round.

People with severe kidney failures are not recommended to consume Carambola.

Longan (Lam-yai, Dragon's Eye).

Small fruits, similar to small potatoes, covered with a thin inedible skin and one inedible bone inside.

The pulp of Longan is very juicy, has a sweet, very aromatic, taste with a peculiar touch.

The season is from July to September.

Longkong (Longan, Longcon, Langsat, Lonngkong, Langsat).

Longkong fruits, like Longan, are similar to small potatoes, but are slightly larger in size and have a yellowish tint. It is possible to distinguish Longan if you peel the fruit from the peel: peeled, it looks like garlic.

They have an interesting sweet and sour taste. Fruits Rich in calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates and vitamin C. The burnt skin of the Longkong gives off a fragrant smell that is not only pleasant, but also beneficial, as it serves as an excellent repellant.

Fresh fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4-5 days. The skin of a ripe fruit should be dense, without cracks, otherwise the fruit will quickly deteriorate.

The season is from April to June.

Sometimes a variety is also sold - Langsat, which looks no different, but has a slightly bitter taste.

Jackfruit (Eve, Khanoon, Jackfruit, Nangka, Indian Breadfruit).

Jackfruit fruits are the largest fruits growing on trees: their weight reaches 34 kg. Inside the fruit are several large sweet yellow slices of edible pulp. These slices are sold already peeled, because you yourself cannot cope with this giant.

The pulp has a sugary-sweet taste, reminiscent of melon and marshmallow. It is very nutritious: it contains about 40% carbohydrates (starch) - more than in bread.

The season is from January to August.

You can take the risk of bringing such a monster home as a whole, it is stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. But it is better to buy chopped and packed slices of pulp.

Important! Some people have an unhealthy reaction in the throat after eating Jackfruit - spasms, it becomes difficult to swallow. Everything usually passes in an hour or two. Maybe it's an allergic reaction. Be careful.

Pineapple (Pineapple).

Pineapple fruits do not need special comments.

It should only be noted that Pineapples bought in Asia and Pineapples bought in Russia are completely different things. Pineapples in Russia are a pathetic imitation of real Pineapples that you can taste in their homeland.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the Thai Pineapple - it is considered the most delicious in the world. You should definitely try it and be sure to bring it home with you to pamper your loved ones. For consumption on the spot, it is better to buy already peeled.

Pineapple season - all year round

Mango (Mango).

According to some estimates, Mango is considered the most delicious fruit in the world.

Mango is quite widely known and sold in Russia. However, the taste and aroma of Mango in its homeland is very different from what is sold in our stores. In Asia, its fruits are much more fragrant, juicier, and the taste is more intense. And indeed, when you eat fresh, ripe mango grown, for example, in Thailand, it seems that there is nothing tastier.

The fruit is covered with an inedible peel that does not separate from the pulp: it must be cut into a thin layer with a knife. Inside the fruit there is a rather large, flat bone, from which the pulp also does not calve, and it must be separated from the stone with a knife, or simply eaten.

The color of the Mango varies from green to yellow (sometimes to yellow-orange or red) depending on the degree of maturity. For consumption on the spot, it is better to buy the most ripe - yellow or orange fruits. Without a refrigerator, such fruits can be stored for up to 5 days, in a refrigerator for up to 30 days, unless of course they were stored somewhere else before.

If you want to bring several fruits home, then you can buy fruits of medium maturity, greenish in color. They are well preserved and ripen on the road or already at home.

Noina (Sugar apple, Annona scaly, sugar-apple, sweetsop, noi-na).

Another unusual fruit that has no analogues and does not look like any of the fruits we are used to. The fruits of Noina are the size of a large apple, green, bumpy.

Inside the fruit is very palatable, sweet fragrant pulp and many hard seeds the size of beans. The unripe fruit is firm in texture and not at all tasty, similar to a pumpkin. Therefore, having bought an unripe fruit on the market and having tasted it, many tourists refuse to eat it further, immediately disliking it. But if you let it lie down for a day or two, it ripens and becomes very tasty.

The peel is inedible, it is very inconvenient to peel due to the bumpy skin. If the fruit is ripe, then the pulp can be eaten with a spoon, after cutting the fruit in half. The most mature or slightly overripe fruits literally fall apart in the hands.

To choose a ripe tasty noina, you first need to focus on its softness (soft fruits are more mature), but you need to be careful, because if you press a little harder on a ripe fruit, it will simply fall apart in your hands on the counter.

The fruit is rich in vitamin C, amino acids and calcium.

The season is from June to September.

Sweet Tamarind (Sweet Tamarind, Indian date).

Tamarind is considered a spice of the legume family, but is also used as an ordinary fruit. Fruits up to 15 centimeters long have an irregular curved shape. There is also a variety of Tamarind - green Tamarind.

Under the hard brown peel, resembling a shell, there is a brown pulp, sweet and sour with a tart taste. Be careful - inside Tamarind there are large hard bones.

By soaking tamarind in water and grinding through a sieve, juice is obtained. Sweets are made from ripe dried tamarind. You can buy in the store and bring home a wonderful tamarind sauce for meat and sweet tamarind syrup (for making cocktails.

This fruit is rich in vitamin A, organic acids and complex sugars. Tamarind is also used as a laxative.

The season is from October to February.

American Mammea (Mammea americana).

This fruit, also known as the American apricot and Antillean apricot, is native to South America, although it can now be found in almost all tropical countries.

This fruit, which is actually a berry, is quite large, growing up to 20 centimeters in diameter. Inside there is one large or several (up to four) smaller bones. The pulp is very tasty and fragrant, and, in accordance with its second name, tastes and smells like apricot and mango.

The ripening season is different depending on the region, but mainly from May to August.

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola).

Cherimoya is also known as Cream Apple and Ice Cream Tree. In some countries, the fruit is generally known under completely different names: in Brazil - Graviola, in Mexico - Roox, in Guatemala - Pac or Tzumux, in El Salvador - Anona poshte, in Belize - Tukib, in Haiti - Cachiman la Chine, in the Philippines - Atis , on Cook Island - Sasalapa. The homeland of the fruit is South America, but it can be found in the countries of Asia and South Africa, which are warm all year round, also in Australia, Spain, Israel, Portugal, Italy, Egypt, Libya and Algeria. However, in these countries the fruit is rare. It is most common on the American continent.

It is rather difficult to recognize the fruit of Cherimoyya at the first inexperienced glance, since there are several types of it with different surfaces (lumpy, smooth or mixed). One of the tuberculate varieties, including Noina (see above), which is widespread in the countries of Southeast Asia. The size of the fruit is 10-20 centimeters in diameter, and the shape of the cut fruit resembles a heart. The pulp resembles an orange in texture and is usually eaten with a spoon, very tasty and tastes like banana and passion fruit, papaya and pineapple, and strawberries with cream at once. The pulp contains very hard pits the size of a pea, so be careful, otherwise you may be left without a tooth. It is usually sold a little underripe and firm and must lie down (2-3 days) before getting its real amazing taste and texture.

The ripening season is usually from February to April.

Noni (Noni, Morinda citrifolia).

This fruit is also known as Big Moringa, Indian Mulberry, Healthy Tree, Cheese Fruit, Nonu, Nono. The homeland of the fruit is Southeast Asia, but now it grows in all tropical countries.

The Noni fruit resembles a large potato in shape and size. Noni cannot be called very tasty and fragrant, and, apparently, that is why tourists very rarely come across it. Ripe fruits have an unpleasant smell (reminiscent of the smell of moldy cheese) and a bitter taste, but are considered very useful. In some regions, noni is a staple food for the poor. It is usually consumed with salt. Noni juice is also popular.

Noni bears fruit all year round. But you can find it not in every fruit market, but, as a rule, in the markets for local residents.

Marula (Marula, Sclerocarya birrea).

This fruit grows exclusively on the African continent. And it is not easy to find it fresh for sale in other regions. The thing is that after ripening, the fruits almost immediately begin to ferment inside, turning into a low-alcohol drink. This property of marula is enjoyed not only by the inhabitants of Africa, but also by animals. After eating marula fruits that have fallen to the ground, they are often "drunk".

Ripe Marula fruits are yellow in color. The size of the fruit is about 4 cm in diameter, and inside is white pulp and a hard stone. Marula does not have an outstanding taste, but its flesh is very juicy and has a pleasant aroma until it starts to ferment. The pulp also contains a huge amount of vitamin C.

The harvest season of Marula takes place in March-April.

Wonderful Platonia (Platonia insignis)

Platonia grows only in the countries of South America. It is impossible to find it in the countries of Southeast Asia.

Platonia fruits are up to 12 centimeters in size, with a large thick peel. Under the peel is a white tender pulp with a sweet and sour taste and several large seeds.

Kumquat (Kumquat)

Kumquats are also known as Fortunella, Kinkan, Japanese oranges. This is a citrus plant. It grows in southern China, but is also widely distributed in other tropical countries. Kumquat fruits can also be found on the shelves of our stores, but the taste is not at all what you can try at home in the freshest form.

Kumquat fruits are small (from 2 to 4 centimeters), similar to small oblong oranges or tangerines. Outside covered with a very thin edible peel, inside and in structure and taste almost the same as an orange, maybe a little more sour and bitter. Eaten whole (except bones).

The ripening season is from May to June, you can buy all year round.

Guava (Guajava)

Guava (Guajava), Guava or Guava is found in almost all tropical and subtropical countries. Despite the fact that the fruit is considered exotic, you should not expect an exotic taste from it: a rather mediocre, slightly sweet taste reminiscent of a pear. It may be worth trying once, but you are unlikely to become a fan of it. Another thing is the aroma: it is quite pleasant and very strong. In addition, the fruit is very useful, rich in vitamin C and perfectly raises the overall tone of the body and improves health.

Fruits come in various sizes (from 4 to 15 centimeters), round, oblong and pear-shaped. Skin, pits and pulp, all edible.

In Asia, a green, slightly unripe Guava is liked to be consumed by dipping pieces of the fruit in a mixture of salt and pepper. From the outside it may seem unusual, but if you try it, the taste turns out to be quite interesting and tonic.

Passion Fruit/Passion Fruit

This exotic fruit is also called Passion Fruit, Passiflora (Passiflora), Edible Passion Flower, Granadilla. Homeland is South America, but can be found in most tropical countries, including the countries of Southeast Asia. Passion Fruit got its second name because it is credited with the properties of a strong aphrodisiac.

Passion fruit fruits have a smooth, slightly elongated rounded shape, reaching 8 centimeters in diameter. Ripe fruits have a very bright juicy color and are yellow, purple, pink or red. The yellow fruits are less sweet than the others. The pulp also comes in a variety of colors. Under the inedible peel is a jelly-like sweet and sour pulp with stones. You can’t call it especially tasty, juices, jellies, etc. made from it are much tastier.

When used, it is most convenient to cut the fruit in half and eat the pulp with a spoon. The bones in the pulp are also edible, but they cause drowsiness, so it is better not to abuse them. Passion fruit juice, by the way, also has a calming effect and causes drowsiness. The most ripe and delicious fruits are those whose skin is not perfectly smooth, but covered with "wrinkles" or small "dents" (these are the most ripe fruits).

The ripening season is from May to August. Stored in the refrigerator Passion Fruit can be one week.

Avocado

Avocados are also called Perseus americana and Alligator pear. Avocado is considered to be a fruit. It may be scientifically true, but it tastes more like a vegetable.

Avocado fruits are pear-shaped, up to 20 centimeters long. Covered with a tasteless and inedible peel. Inside there is a dense pulp like a pear and one large bone. The flesh tastes like an unripe pear or pumpkin and is nothing special. But if the avocado is well ripened, its flesh becomes softer, more buttery, and more palatable.

Avocados are more commonly used for cooking than for eating raw. So do not chase to be sure to try this fruit. But dishes prepared with Avocado can greatly diversify the festive table. On the Internet you can find many recipes for avocado dishes, including salads, soups, main courses, but on vacation you are unlikely to need all this, so you don’t have to look too much at Avocado.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, breadfruit, pana)

Don't confuse breadfruit with jackfruit. The jackfruit, although known as the Indian breadfruit, is actually a completely different fruit.

Breadfruit can be found in all tropical regions, but mainly in the countries of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Due to the very high yield of Breadfruit, its fruits are in some countries the main product of kicking, like our potatoes, for example.

Breadfruit fruits are rounded, very large, can reach 30 centimeters in diameter and four kilograms of weight. In its raw form, like a fruit, ripe fruits are consumed, and unripe fruits are used as vegetables in cooking. It is better to buy ripe fruits on vacation, and even better already cut into portions, because. you can hardly cut and eat the whole fruit. When ripe, the flesh becomes soft and slightly sweet, reminiscent of banana and potato. Not to say that the taste is outstanding, and therefore breadfruit is not often found in tourist fruit markets. The taste of bread can only be felt when preparing an unripe fruit.

Breadfruit ripening season, 9 months a year. You can buy fresh fruits all year round.

Jabuticaba (Jabuticaba)

Jaboticaba (Jaboticaba) is also known as the Brazilian grape tree. You can meet it mainly in the countries of South America, but sometimes it is also found in the countries of Southeast Asia.

This is a very interesting, tasty and rare exotic fruit. If you can find it and try it, consider yourself lucky. The fact is that the Jaboticaba tree grows very slowly, which is why it is practically not cultivated.

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 peel (inedible) is a soft jelly-like and very tasty pulp with several seeds.

The tree bears fruit almost all year round.

Kiwano/Horned Melon

Kiwano Melon is also known as Horned Melon, African Cucumber, Antilles Cucumber, Horned Cucumber, Anguria. Kiwano really looks like a big cucumber in a section. Although it is a fruit, another question. The fact is that the fruits of Kiwano grow on a vine. It is cultivated mainly in Africa, New Zealand, on the American continent.

Kiwano fruits are oblong, up to 12 centimeters in length. The color is yellow, orange and red depending on the degree of ripening. Under a dense peel, the flesh is green, the taste is somewhat reminiscent of cucumber, banana and melon. The fruit is not peeled, but cut into slices or halves (like a regular melon), and then the pulp is eaten. In raw form, both unripe and unripe fruits are consumed. The unripe fruits can be eaten with the pits as they are soft. Also used with salt.

Magic fruit (Miracle fruit)

The magical fruit grows in West Africa. It does not have an outstanding exotic taste, but it is known and interesting in that after you eat it, for about an hour, all foods will seem sweet to you. The fact is that the Magic Fruit contains a certain protein that blocks for some time the taste buds on the tongue, which are responsible for the sour taste. Therefore, you can eat a lemon, and it will taste sweet to you. True, only fresh plucked fruits have this property, and during storage they quickly lose it. So don't be surprised if the trick doesn't work on purchased fruit.

The fruit grow on small trees or shrubs, have a rounded oblong shape, 2-3 centimeters long, red in color, with a hard bone inside.

The magical fruit bears fruit almost all year round.

Bael (Bael, wood apple, wood apple)

Also known under other names: Aegle marmelos, stone apple (stone apple), limonia acidissima, feronia elephantum, feronia limonia, hesperethusa crenulata, elephant apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit. It is very widespread in the countries of Southeast Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand).

This fruit grows on a tree and reaches 5-20 cm in diameter. The fruit is grey-green (immature) to yellow or brown (ripe) with a very dense, rough rind resembling a walnut shell. The flesh of the unripe fruit is orange, divided into segments with white seeds. In a ripe fruit, the pulp is mushy, brown, sticky, and can taste sour or sweet.

Bail fruits are not so easy to find in fruit markets in their entirety. And even if you meet him, you yourself will not cope with him. The fact is that its peel is hard as a stone, and it is impossible to get to the pulp without a hammer or hatchet.

If you can’t try it fresh (which, in general, you shouldn’t worry about), you can buy a tea from the fruits of Bail, called Matoom (Matoom tea). It consists of dried orange-brown circles, divided into several segments. It is believed that it is very effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal, colds, bronchial and asthmatic diseases. It is also used in cooking (tea, drinks, jams, jams, salads) and cosmetology (soap, aromatic oil).

The ripening season is from November to December.

Buddha hand

The Buddha Hand is a variety of Citron. It is also called Buddha Fingers and Finger Citron.

We decided to mention this very exotic fruit so that you do not try it during your vacation in a tropical paradise. This fruit is not one that you will enjoy the taste of. Undoubtedly, the fruit is very interesting and useful, and when you see it, you will most likely have a desire to try it. But don't rush. It is widely used in cooking, but you are unlikely to eat it. The fruit of the Hand of the Buddha is composed almost entirely of a rind (the pulp is inedible), which is similar to the rind of a lemon in taste (bitter and sour taste) and violet in smell.

The shape of the fruit is very interesting and looks like a palm with a large number of fingers, reaching a length of 40 centimeters. You can buy it only in order to bring it home with you as a souvenir, and already at home cook various dishes with citrus flavor from it (compote, jelly, candied fruit).

Banana (Banana, Musa)

Well, in general, everyone already knows about bananas. We accidentally mentioned banana so you can vote for them if they are your favorite. By the way, it is worth mentioning that bananas in exotic countries taste much better than those sold at home, so be sure to try bananas on vacation, maybe you will like them even more than before.

Papaya (Papaya, Melon tree, Breadfruit)

Papaya is native to South America but is now found in almost all tropical countries. Papaya fruits grow on trees, have a cylindrical oblong shape up to 20 centimeters in length.

Many who have tried Papaya say that it is more of a vegetable than a fruit. But that's because they ate unripe papaya. Unripe Papaya is really very widely used in cooking, salads are made from it (be sure to try the spicy Thai Papaya salad called Som Tam), meat is stewed with it and simply fried.

But ripe papaya in its raw form is really very tasty and sweet. In texture, it resembles a dense melon, and in taste it is something between a pumpkin and a melon. On sale there are both whole green fruits (not yet ripe, for cooking), and yellow-orange (ripe, ready to eat raw). It is not worth buying the whole fruit, it is better to buy ready-to-eat, peeled and cut into slices Papaya.

You can meet Papaya in tropical countries all year round.

Coconut (coconut, cocos, coco)

Coconut and coconut are quite often used as identical words. However, the name "coconut" in this case is not correct, because. coconut, in its structure, is classified as a stone fruit, such as apricot or plum.

Coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm, which grows throughout the tropics. Belongs to the category of fruits.

It is a large rounded (up to 30 cm in diameter) fruit, weighing up to 3 kg. Koros has conditionally two degrees of maturation. A young coconut has a smooth, light green or green-yellow outer layer, under which is a hard pit, which in turn is a clear (coconut water) or white emulsion (coconut milk), with a small jelly-like layer of coconut flesh on the walls of the shell. The liquid inside with a slightly sweet taste quenches thirst well, the pulp can also be eaten by scraping it off the walls with a spoon.

Another degree of maturation (or over-ripening) that we see in our stores is the following: on the outside, a fibrous and rough layer, under which there is a hard brown shell, and under it a thick layer of white pulp and a slightly cloudy liquid. This liquid, as a rule, is not tasty, and the pulp is dry and tasteless.

When opening a coconut, you need to be careful, one universal kitchen knife is not enough here, you will need more “heavy artillery”. But fortunately, if you buy coconut in tourist areas, you will not have to worry about opening it: it will be opened in front of you, and, most likely, they will also give you a drinking straw and a spoon to “scrape” the pulp. Chilled coconut is best.

Tourists love a special coconut cocktail very much: you need to drink a little juice from a coconut, and add 30-100 grams of cognac, rum or whiskey there.

Coconut contains vitamins A, B, C, proteins, sugar, carbohydrates, organic acids; minerals - sodium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus.

The ripening season is all year round.

Sapodilla or sapote tree or tree potato (Manilkara achras, M. zapota, or Achras zapota), sapodilla, prang khaa, la-mut, naseberry, chiku)

Sapodilla is an oval or round fruit up to 10 cm and weighing 100-150 g. It looks very much like a plum. The skin is matte and thin, has a color from light to dark brown.

The ripe fruit has a sweet flavor with a slight caramel flavor. In structure, the pulp resembles persimmon - soft and juicy, and just like persimmon, it can “knit” a little, only much less. Inside are several large black bones with a hook at the end (you need to be careful when using). As a rule, it is not recommended to store fruit for more than 3 days, because. it quickly deteriorates and sours. Therefore, Sapodilla is practically not found on the shelves of our stores. Unripe fruit is also not recommended, because. it has a very bad taste. It is worth choosing ripe fruits based on their color (those that are yellower or brown are more ripe, green ones should not be chosen at all) and softness. Hard fruits are completely immature, a mature fruit gives in to pressure a little, and an overripe one is squeezed very easily.

Sapodilla grows in countries with a tropical climate, in particular in America, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

Most often Sapodilla is used in desserts, salads and drinks. Unripe fruits are used for diarrhea, burns, and also in cosmetology.

Contains vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, carbohydrates.

The ripening season is from September to December.

pomelo

Pomelo or pomelo or pamela (Pomelo pummelo, pumelo, som-o, pompelmus, sheddok, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis, Chinese grapefruit, dzheybong, jeruk, limo, lusho, jambura, sai-sekh, banten, zebon, robeb ​​tenga)

Pomelo belongs to citrus fruits and is considered the largest among this family. It is often compared to grapefruit. As a rule, the fruit has a rounded shape, can reach up to 20 cm in diameter and weigh up to 10 kg!!! The color, depending on the variety, can be from green to yellow-green. The peel is very thick, inside there is a light pulp: from white to pale yellow or pink. The pulp is divided into slices separated by film partitions. Each lobule has large fibers and may contain small white pits. The taste of Pomelo is sweet with sourness, it can be slightly bitter. Compared, for example, with the same grapefruit, the pulp of Pomelo is more dry.

Pomelo grows in the countries of Southeast Asia (Malaysia, China, Japan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia), on about. Tahiti, Israel, USA. In Russia, it can be purchased at any supermarket, so it is not so exotic for the inhabitants of Russia.

It is worth choosing Pomelo, focusing, first of all, on a pronounced aromatic citrus smell and soft peel. Before use, you need to peel it from a thick peel, making several cuts (to make it easier and more convenient to clean), then divide it into separate slices, which are also freed from partitions (they are very hard). Store at room temperature for up to a month, cleaned - in the refrigerator, no more than 3 days.

Use this fruit in cooking, in cosmetology. In some countries, it is consumed with salt, chili pepper and sugar, dipping peeled slices into this mixture.

Pomelo contains vitamins A, B, C, trace elements, fiber, essential oils.

Ripening season: all year round.

Fig (fig, fig, fig, fig, smyrna berry, Ficus carica)

Fig fruits can be round, pear-shaped or flattened with one "eye". On average, a ripe fruit weighs about 80 g, up to 8 cm in diameter. It is covered with a thin smooth skin from yellow-green to dark blue or purple on top. Under the skin is a layer of white peel. Inside the pulp is very sweet and juicy with small seeds, jelly-like consistency, reminiscent of strawberries in taste. In color - the flesh is from pink to bright red. Unripe fruits are inedible and contain milky juice.

It grows in Central Asia, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in the Mediterranean countries.

You need to choose ripe figs with a dense skin, without spots, slightly soft. It is recommended to store it for no more than 3 days in the refrigerator, because. it quickly deteriorates and is not transportable. You can eat with the peel, cut into slices or in half, scraping the pulp with a spoon. Most often, figs can be found on store shelves only in dried form. Dried fruits are pre-soaked in water before use, after such a “soaking” you can drink water (useful substances pass there).

Figs are dried, marinated, jam is cooked. In dried form, it is more nutritious and high-calorie than in fresh form.

Figs contain a lot of potassium, iron, vitamins B, PP, C, carotene, minerals and organic acids.

Harvest season: August to November.

Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa), Chinese actinidia (Actinidia chinensis), Kiwi, Chinese gooseberry, Chinese grape)

Kiwi fruit is a berry. It has small fruits of a round or oval shape, covered on the outside with a fleecy thin brown skin. The mass of the fruit can reach up to 80 g, the diameter is up to 7 cm. Under the skin is juicy pulp, depending on the variety, it can be from green to yellow. In the very middle of the fruit, the flesh is white, surrounded by many small black seeds. The seeds are edible and taste sour. Kiwi pulp, in general, is sweet with a slight sourness, reminiscent of a mixture of gooseberries, apples, pineapples.

Kiwi is grown in countries with a subtropical climate (Italy, New Zealand, Chile, Greece). There are also small plantations in Russia (Krasnodar Territory). You can buy everywhere at any time of the year.

You need to choose even fruits, without dents and other damage to the skin, their ripeness is determined by the softness of the fruit. If the fruits are hard and hard, then they will ripen at home without any problems, for which they need to be placed in a bag with apples for one or two days. Kiwi can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days, in the refrigerator - up to two weeks, after putting it in a bag or plastic container.

There are two ways to eat kiwi: peel and cut into slices or cut in half and eat away the pulp with a spoon.

Kiwi contains a large amount of vitamins B and C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium.

Various desserts, fruit salads are made from it, served with meat, fish, seafood, drinks are prepared (syrups, liqueurs, wine, cocktails). Used in cosmetology.

Chrysophyllum or Star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito), star apple, cainito, caimito, (caimito, star apple), milky fruit (milky fruit)

The fruits of the Star apple are round or oval, up to 10 cm in diameter. The peel is thin, smooth, green to purple or brown, depending on the variety. Under the peel is a layer of peel of the same color as the peel itself. The flesh is white to purple, juicy, sweet, sticky, jelly-like, with an apple flavor. Inside there are up to 10 solid brown bones, up to 2 cm long. In cross section, the pulp resembles a star. Unripe fruits are knit and inedible. The milky juice that remains even in ripe fruits is very sticky, as a result, lips can stick together a little when eating the fruit.

It grows in countries with a tropical climate: in South America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, West Africa.

Ripe fruits should be selected for slightly wrinkled peel and softness when pressed, no damage. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. The fruits tolerate transportation well. Before use, the fruit must be cooled and peeled and peeled (they are bitter). You can eat, either by cutting in half and picking out the pulp with a spoon, or by cutting into slices, like a watermelon, the bones are inedible.

Used in the preparation of desserts.

Star apple is rich in vitamin C and trace elements. Very nutritious.

Harvest season: February to March.

Guanabana

Guanabana is a close relative of Noina and Cherimoya, and they can really be confused with an inexperienced eye in appearance and even in taste. Their main difference is in the peel: in Guanabana, the surface of the peel is clearly similar to rare low spines or villi, although in fact these processes are soft and not prickly at all. The fruit is round, irregularly elongated, quite large, can reach a weight of 12 kilograms, although usually there are fruits weighing no more than 3 kilograms on sale.

The homeland of Guanabana is tropical America, but today it can be found in almost all tropical regions, including the countries of Southeast Asia. You can not find this fruit in every fruit market, but if you find it, be sure to try it.

The flesh of the fruit is white, soft creamy in texture and slightly fibrous. The taste is sweet and slightly sour, unlike any other fruit. Inside there are a large number of hard bones the size and shape of a large bean.

In an unripe fruit, the flesh is hard and tasteless, like a pumpkin. Moreover, the fruits are often sold unripe (they ripen within a few days), which is why tourists, having bought it and tried it, do not immediately fall in love with it. But it is enough to let her lie down for a couple of days, as she acquires her own unique taste. To select a ripe fruit, you need to press a little on it, the peel should sag slightly. Hard dense fruits are unripe.

Guanabana can be eaten by cutting the fruit in half and scraping out the pulp with a spoon, or cut into slices and consumed like a watermelon. Peeling a ripe fruit will not work.

Guanabana is a perishable product and should be stored in the refrigerator. If you want to bring home, choose firm unripe fruits, they ripen quite well within 2-3 days, but then deteriorate.

The ripening season of Guanabana is all year round.

Tamarillo (Tomato tree, Cyphomandra beetroot, Cyphomandra betacea)

Tamarillo is an oval-shaped berry, reaching a length of 5 to 10 cm, with a diameter of up to 5 cm. The color of the fruit varies from yellow to dark red and even purple. It looks and tastes very similar to tomatoes, which is why its second name is Tomato tree, but still it is a fruit. Its skin is hard, smooth and bitter. It is very reminiscent of a tomato with a currant flavor, but has a slightly pronounced fruity smell. The flesh may be yellow or orange. As a rule, it has two sections inside with light or dark small seeds (depending on the color of the peel of the fruit itself, the lighter the color, the lighter the seeds).

It grows in the countries of South America (Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, etc.), some countries of Central America, Jamaica, Haiti, New Zealand.

You need to choose even and smooth fruits, without external damage, slightly soft. In this case, you should be aware that the fruits of yellow and orange are sweeter, and the fruits with a darker color become more sour as they ripen. Ripe fruits are not stored for long (in the cold for no longer than 7 days), unripe ones are able to ripen at room temperature. Poorly tolerate transportation.

They eat tamarillo, having previously peeled it (it is inedible), and slightly capturing a layer of pulp, or cutting it in half and scooping out the pulp with a spoon.

It is widely used in cooking, using it in dishes both as a vegetable and as a fruit.

Tamarillo is rich in vitamins (A, group B, C, E) and trace elements.

The ripening season is all year round.

Feijoa (Feijoa, Pineapple Guava, Acca Sellowiana)

Feijoa is a small oval-shaped berry, 3 to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm in diameter. The weight of an average fruit is from 15 to 50 g. "tail". The skin is thin dense, can be smooth or slightly bumpy, wrinkled. The flesh under the skin, depending on the degree of maturity, is from white or cream to brownish (in the latter case, the berry is said to be spoiled). Inside the pulp is divided into sections, in the center of which there are several light edible seeds. The consistency of a ripe feijoa is light and jelly-like. The taste of the berry is juicy, sweet and sour, reminiscent of a mixture of strawberries with pineapple or strawberries with kiwi (people have different tastes).

It grows in countries with a subtropical climate: in South America (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay) in the Caucasus and southern Russia (Krasnodar Territory), Abkhazia, Georgia, Crimea and Central Asia.

You can eat as a whole fruit with a peel, however, this is not for everyone, because. feijoa skin tastes sour and astringent. In most cases, feijoa is cut in half and the flesh is scraped out with a spoon, or you can peel the skin with a knife and eat the peeled fruit.

For immediate consumption, you need to choose soft (ripe) fruits. If you have to transport, then hard (unripe) feijoa fruits are perfect for this, and will ripen on the road. Ripe berries should be stored no more than 3-4 days.

Feijoa contains a large amount of iodine, acids, vitamin C.

It is used in cooking: preparing jams and jellies, salads and drinks.

The ripening season is October-November.

Pepino (Melon Pear, Sweet Cucumber (Solanum muricatum)

This rather large berry grows up to 700 g in weight. The fruits can be different in shape and oblong, pear-shaped, and round. In color, mostly pale to bright yellow, sometimes with purple patches or stripes. Ripe fruit is very juicy and sweet, reminiscent of melon in taste, but unripe can be a little sour. The peel is thin, dense, smooth. The pulp is yellow, inside there are sinuses with small light seeds (edible). Before eating, it is customary to peel the fruit (it is edible, but unpleasant in taste)

It is cultivated in large numbers in South America (Peru, Chile), New Zealand.

You need to choose ripe fruits for a rich yellow color with a slightly pronounced fruity aroma and a little soft. A feature of Pepino is that ripe fruits can be stored for several months in the refrigerator, unripe ones are able to ripen and also be stored for a long time.

Contains vitamins (A, B, C, PP), keratin, iron, potassium, pectin.

Used in cooking, along with vegetables, especially unripe Pepino fruits.

The ripening season is all year round.

Santol or Cato (Sandoricum koetjape, santol, kraton, krathon, graton, tong, donka, wild mangosteen, false mangosteen)

Santol grows in the countries of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines).

The fruit of Santola has a rounded shape from 8 to 15 cm in diameter with a long stalk. Depending on the variety, it can be from yellowish to brown in color, the peel is slightly velvety on top. Fruit color is usually uneven with pigmentation over the entire surface. Under a rather thick peel, a whitish opaque pulp is hidden, similar to "garlic" cloves, up to 5 pieces. Inside each slice is a large brownish bone (it is not recommended to eat it unnecessarily, because it has a laxative effect). The pulp is juicy in taste, ranging from sour to sweet and sour, slightly reminiscent of mangosteen. As a rule, the fruits of yellowish varieties are sweeter.

Before use, you need to peel the fruit (it is inedible), after cutting it across into two halves, with a knife or peel it with your hands, and then remove the slices of pulp and free them from the seeds. The pulp does not separate well from the stone, so it is customary to suck it. Sometimes Santol is eaten with salt and pepper.

Santol fruits contain a large amount of iron, magnesium, fluorine.

Used in cooking (desserts, alcohol) and cosmetology (masks, scrubs).

The ripening season is from May to June.

Jujube or jujube (Zizyphus jujuba) (unabi, Chinese date, chest berry, jujube, jujube)

The fruit of the shrub is ovoid or rounded in length from 2 to 6 cm, depending on the variety. Outside, the fruit is smooth, shiny, from green or yellowish to dark red, even brown. Sometimes the color of jujube can be uneven over the entire surface, as if spotty. The skin is thin and almost inseparable from the fruit. Inside the pulp is white dense, very juicy and sweet, reminiscent of an apple. In the middle there is, as a rule, one oblong bone. The aroma of jujube is slightly fruity.

It grows in countries with a temperate climate to subtropical, in particular Thailand, China, India, Japan, Central Asia, the Mediterranean, southern Russia, the Caucasus.

You need to choose dense fruits, but not very hard (they can be unsweetened), dark red or brown. Eat with the peel. Fresh fruits do not store well, so it is recommended to dry them.

Yuyuba is a useful and even medicinal product. It is used both fresh and dried. Rich in vitamins A, B, especially vitamin C, sugars, acids, trace elements.

Widely used in cooking (drinks, wine, jams, preserves, etc.), medicine (has a calming, anesthetic, tonic effect), cosmetology.

The ripening season is from August to October.

Burmese grape or Mafai (Mafai, Baccaurea ramiflora, Baccaurea sapida)

Mafai fruits taste very similar and outwardly similar to Longan fruits. They are from yellow to red with a diameter of up to 5 cm. The peel is thin, soft, smooth. Inside from 2 to 4 cloves, outwardly resembling garlic. The pulp is juicy, white, sweet and sour with a refreshing effect. Inside each lobule is a bone that does not separate from the pulp, the stone tastes bitter. Because of this, it is not very convenient to eat the fruit, since almost all the pulp remains “stuck” to the bone, and it cannot be separated in any way. This fruit has no characteristic aroma. In general, it cannot be said that this fruit is worth “hunting” in order to definitely try it.

The peel of Mafai is well cleaned (about the pulp mentioned above), it is best stored in the refrigerator.

You can meet this fruit in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, China, Cambodia. Occurs very rarely.

The ripening season is from May to August.

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 transparent beige pulp, resembles the eye of Longan, grows in clusters on evergreen trees, whose height 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 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, rather than 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 by 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 to make 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 what is most interesting, papaya is not boring at all, we have been happy to eat 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 melons, 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 locomotor system, even despite the tradition of wearing heavy things 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 fruits 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. in a 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-winged 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 work 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 ripe 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 content of phosphorus, 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 have often eaten 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, similar in shape to 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!