Much to my surprise, my article about 10 Wonderful Exotic Fruits was and still highly appreciated by readers. Many even suggested that I come up with a follow-up article featuring other exotic fruits. So you out there, who love exotic fruits, here’s Wonderful Exotic Fruits Part 2.
Cactus Pear
The edible fruit of Prickly pear (Opuntia stricta), is about 2 to 4 inches long resembling an avocado fruit. The skin is thick and rough and varies in color from red, orange or yellow. The fruit’s flesh is sweet and juicy which maybe yellow to dark red in color. Also, Prickly pears seed are crunchy. See to it that the small spines on the outer skin is properly peeled before consuming one. This fruit is extremely popular in Mexico.
Langsat
The langsat (Lansium domesticum) is a native fruit in western Malaysia and is also widespread on the island of Luzon in the Philippines where it is called lansones. The fruit borne in clusters (2-30 fruits), is found in branches in a single stem. The fruit is egg-shaped, about 2-4 cm in diameter with translucent pulp covered with thin, yellowish skin. Langsat fruits are usually eaten fresh and has an acidic taste, but riper ones are sweeter. The juicy pulp contains sucrose, glucose, and fructose.
Sugar Apple
A very popular fruit in Thailand, sugar apple (Annona squamosa) is a small, slightly heart-shaped, knobby fruit about 6–10 cm in diameter and weighs about 100–230 g. The fruit flesh is white, sweet, creamy, delicious and juicy with blackish-brown seeds scattered through the fruit flesh. Sugar apple has a sweet-smelling fragrance and taste like custard. Atis as it is called in the Philippines tastes much better when served nice and cold. But be sure not to swallow the seeds for they are poisonous.It is also known as custard apple.
Salak
The Salak (Salacca zalacca) or snake fruit is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. The fruit has tough, reddish-brown, scaly skin and grows in clusters. Though tough, the skin is thin and can easily be peeled by just pinching the fruit’s tip. Inside are three garlic-looking lobes, with each lobe having a dark brown seed. The taste? Salak fruits are sweet and crunchy though having and acidic taste (like a cross between a pineapple and an apple.
Chico
The Chico (Manilkara zapota) is native to Yucatan peninsula and Mexico. The plant was introduced in the Philippines during the Spanish colonization. Chico fruit resembles a potato, yellow to brown in color but takes a reddish-brown color when ripens. The fruit is ellipsoid in shape, about 2 – 4 inches in diameter. The seeds are black, hard and shiny about 2-5 of them in each fruit. Chico is best to be eaten when firm-soft or ripe. The taste is sweet and pleasant with a striking similarity to caramel. Chico fruit is rich in iron, calcium, and phosphorus.
Jackfruit
The Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is the world’s largest tree-borne fruit and a very popular throughout southeast Asia. The fruit can measure up to 90 cm long, 50 cm in diameter and can weigh up to 36 kg. The outer skin is green and turns yellow when ripe. Inside are large, starchy, fleshy and fibrous yellow bulb enclosing a smooth, oval, light-brown seed. At the most, each fruit contains up to 500 seeds. Jackfruit is eaten raw that taste like a tart banana. The fruit is very sticky, so it is best to oil your hands and knife first before cutting the fruit. The fruit is called langka in the Philippines.
Sweet Tamarind
The Sweet Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is one of the popular fruits in Thailand. The fruit or the pod is about 12 to 15 cm long with a hard, brown shell, It becomes brown or reddish-brown in color and spiral in shape as it mature. The ripe fruit has a fleshy, sticky, acidulous pulp enclosing a row of bean-like seeds. Also, the shells are brittle and can easily be crack. The fruit is normally eaten raw and has sweet and sour taste. Sweet tamarind is rich in sugar, vitamin B, acid and calcium. Sampalok is the Tagalog term for tamarind.
Rose Apple
The Rose Apple (Syzygium samarangense), is native to Southeast Asia. A wonderful exotic fruit, it smells and tastes like a rose. The bell-shaped fruit is about 4-5 cm long with shiny, thin, smooth, pale-yellow skin. When ripe, the flesh is crisp, crunchy and varies in color (light pink, purple, red). The Rose apple, makopa in Tagalog, has a delicious fresh flavor and is best eaten fresh.
Pineberry
Introduced to the UK market in 2009, Pineberry looks like an Albino strawberry but taste like a pineapple. It is a strawberry cultivar of a wild variety native in South America. Grown in glasshouses, it measures about 15 to 23 mm. When ripe, pineberry is sweet and juicy; almost completely white, but with red seeds.
Eggfruit
The Egg fruit (Canistel), is native to some South East Asian countries. The fruit is egg-shaped, about the size of an apple with an edible, sweet yellowish pulp. Young fruits are green and shiny, while ripe ones are yellowish to orange in color. The fruit has a large seed. Once ripe, eggfruit can be eaten with or without peeling the skin. It is rich in proteins, vitamin A, vitamin C and a good source of carotene. Egg fruits are can be turned into delicious milk shake. In the Philippines, it is called tiesa.
Yangmei
The Yangmei (Myrica rubra) is a subtropical tree native to East Asia particularly China. The edible sphere-shaped fruit has a knobby surface, weigh about 10-15 g and is about 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. The skin color vary from crimson to deep, brilliant red. Inside, the flesh is lighter in color and at core is a large seed. Yangmei or waxberry has a sweet and very tart taste. The fruit is eaten fresh and is a good source of vitamin C.
Tamarillo
Native to South America, Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum), is a small shrub that bears edible, egg-shaped fruit. The fruit held in clusters is about 2 – 8 centimeters long. The skin is tough and may vary in color; blood red, purple, golden yellow, or amber. Flesh color ranges from orange, orange to yellow, orange-red or cream-yellow. The flesh is flavorful but has a tart taste. How to eat a tamarillo? Simply cut the fruit in halves and scooped the flesh but be sure not to eat the skin.
Hope you enjoy reading this one and watch out for Wonderful Exotic Fruits Part 3. Also, for those who missed 10 Wonderful Exotic Fruits! here is the article link
Now I know that our "atis" is called sugar apple! I remember climbing the neighbors' rose apple tree when me and my cousins are younger (it's called "tambis" in Bicol)
ReplyDeleteOh my! I absolutely love chico! This post made me decide to go to Farmer's Market in Araneta Center to get these fruits - chico, atis, langka, lansones! I was intrigued by the pineberry. I hope I could find some.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I missed the lansones, tambis and the sampaloc :-) My mouth is very sour now Papaleng ad it is hard to swallow lol :-) Philippines is indeed blessed with delicious and rare fruits that only can be found in my native country.
ReplyDeletereally? the Salak, pineberry and cactus pear is new to me...hope to try it someday..lansones is my fave..at sino ang may ayaw naman ng lansones? parang wala. hehee
ReplyDeleteI miss Chico and sugar apple. I haven't eaten them in more than a decade. The sweet tamarind is a mainstay in my fridge, as I get my supply regularly from the Asian supermarket. Imported siya from Thailand and they come in boxes. Jackfruit is devoured here in my household of 2. I'm glad I can get them here :-)
ReplyDelete