Exotic fruits: TOP-40 fruits with names and descriptions, their tastes
When visiting distant countries for the first time, many tourists encounter an abundance of exotic fruits, the names of which they have not even heard. To understand such fruits and taste, it is worth studying their characteristics. Below is the TOP 40 fruits of exotic fruits with names and descriptions. This will help to get acquainted with the places of their growth, taste characteristics and rules of use.
Durian
This fruit has an irregular oval shape and is covered with sharp thorns. Under the skin is a viscous pulp that has a unique taste.Durian is called the "king of fruits" . At the same time, it has a pronounced ammonia smell. It is so intense that it is forbidden to take the fetus on board an aircraft and bring it into hotel rooms. This is indicated by the announcements near the entrance. At the same time, this fruit contains many vitamins and nutrients.
People who want to try durian should stick to the following rules:
- Don't try to pick a fruit yourself. It is especially dangerous to do this out of season. It is best to contact the seller for help. He will cut the fruit and wrap it in a transparent film. You can also buy a cut fruit in the store.
- Press a little on the flesh. It is important that it is not elastic, but easily slipped under the fingers. The consistency of the fruit should resemble butter. Elastic pulp has an unpleasant odor.
- It is undesirable to use durian with alcoholic beverages. Its pulp has a pronounced stimulating effect on the body. The people of Thailand believe that durian has a warming effect on the body.
Mangosteen
This plant comes from Southeast Asia. At the same time, it is actively grown in the tropical part of Africa, Colombia, and Central America. Mangosteen is mostly consumed fresh. However, sometimes its pulp is canned.
This fruit is characterized by large sizes. In diameter, it reaches 7.5 centimeters. The fruits may be maroon or purple. The outer shell is quite dense and includes many coloring components. You cannot eat it. Inside is a juicy sweet pulp with a slight sourness. It is divided by seeds into 4-8 parts.
Jackfruit
These fruits are the largest. India and Bangladesh are considered their homeland. Also, these plants are found in almost all countries of Southeast Asia. The length of the jackfruit reaches 20-90 centimeters, and weighs 34 kilograms.
If you knock on a ripe fruit, you can hear a sound like a ripe watermelon. Inside the jackfruit are large slices that contain sweet pulp with a pronounced aroma. However, in addition to the pronounced pineapple and banana notes, there are subtle shades of acetone in the smell of the fruit.
Ripe tropical fruits are very satisfying. They include up to 40% carbohydrates. In addition, this fruit contains a lot of sulfur, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin A. The seeds are also tasty and nutritious. They are usually roasted like chestnuts. Ripe jackfruit is consumed fresh. Greenish fruits can be boiled and fried like vegetables.
Avocado
This fruit is pear-shaped and reaches a length of 20 centimeters. On top of the avocado is covered with a tasteless and inedible peel, which is best peeled off with a knife. Inside there is a dense pulp and one large bone.The taste of an avocado resembles an unripe pear or pumpkin. In well-ripened fruits, the pulp becomes softer and more oily. Its palatability improves noticeably.
Avocado is more often used for cooking various dishes than for fresh consumption. Therefore, you can not chase after tasting this fruit. At the same time, dishes with its addition will help to perfectly diversify the festive table. There are many avocado recipes online. Among them there are soups, salads, main courses. However, on vacation, this is most likely not required.
Dragon Eye
This fruit is the fruit of a cactus. It is also called dragon fruit or pitahaya. The fruits are quite large and elongated. Outside, they can have a pink, yellow or red tint. Inside is white or red pulp, which includes many small black seeds.
Pulp of pitahaya is very tender and juicy. It has a slightly sweet, but not very pronounced taste. The fruit is easy to eat with a spoon. To do this, you need to cut it in half. Fruits with red and white flesh belong to different varieties. Their color does not indicate differences in the degree of maturity. Pitahaya, which has red flesh, has a sweeter taste.
Dragon's eye is a fairly useful product. It can be used for pain in the stomach, diabetes and other endocrine pathologies. Pitahaya are harvested throughout the year.
Breadfruit
This plant is found in all tropical regions, but it is predominantly cultivated in Oceania and Southeast Asia. The breadfruit tree's high yields have led to its being a staple food in some countries.
Fruits are very large and rounded. They can reach 30 centimeters in diameter and 4 kilograms in weight. Fresh fruits can only be consumed fresh. Unripe fruits are best cooked like vegetables.
On vacation it is recommended to buy ripe fruits that are cut into portions. It is quite difficult to cut and eat a whole fruit on your own. When ripe, the flesh acquires a soft texture and a slightly sweet taste. It is a cross between a potato and a banana. Bread flavor appears only when the unripe fruit is cooked. The breadfruit ripening season lasts 9 months. At the same time, you can buy fresh fruits throughout the year.
Guava
This plant is native to Mexico and Central America. However, commercially it is grown in a wide variety of countries. Although guava is considered quite popular, you should not expect an unusual taste from it.It is characterized by a sweetish pulp with a slight sourness and a pleasant aroma. It is difficult to compare the taste of guava with a certain fruit or berry. It may differ depending on the variety.
Guava can be consumed fresh. It is also actively used for the preparation of confectionery, drinks, sweets. All kinds of sauces, jams, marmalade are prepared on the basis of the fruits of this plant.
Guanabana
This fruit is a hairy, elongated green melon. By weight, it reaches 12 kilograms. The plant is found in the American tropics. The fruits have a refreshing taste with a slight sourness. They perfectly quench your thirst. At the same time, the pulp literally melts in your mouth.
Guanabanu is also called soursop. This is due to the fact that it has white and very tender flesh with an amazing aroma. With the systematic use of guanabana in food, it will be possible to achieve weight loss.In addition, local residents are sure that the fruits of the plant help to cope with a hangover.
Jaboticaba
This crop grows in South America. It can also be found in Southeast Asia. This is a rather interesting fruit with a pleasant taste. However, it is quite rare. This is due to the fact that the tree is characterized by slow growth, and therefore it is hardly cultivated.
A distinctive feature of the plant is the unusual arrangement of fruits. They grow directly on the trunk, not on the branches. The fruits are small in size and do not exceed 4 centimeters in diameter. These fruits are dark purple in color. Under the thin dense peel is a soft jelly-like pulp with a pleasant taste. The fruiting of the tree continues throughout the year.
Lychee
This fruit is round and red in color.It reaches 4 centimeters in diameter. This fruit is characterized by excellent taste and pleasant aroma. Lychee has juicy and sweet fruits, in which a slight sourness is sometimes felt. The peel is easily separated from the white-transparent pulp.
You can't eat fresh lychee all year round. In Southeast Asia, the harvest season starts in May and lasts until the end of July. The rest of the time it is almost impossible to find fruits. In the off-season in Asian countries, you can buy canned lychee. It is cooked in coconut milk or in its own juice. Ripe fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Peeled fruits can be frozen. In this case, their storage period increases to 3 months.
Lychee contains a large amount of carbohydrates. Also, this product includes pectin, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C. The fruits contain a lot of vitamin PP - nicotinic acid. This substance helps prevent atherosclerosis.It is believed that the widespread distribution of lychee in Asian countries leads to the fact that this disease is quite rare in the region.
Mango
This fruit is considered one of the most delicious in the world. It is widely distributed and sold in various countries. In warm regions, the plant is distinguished by more juicy and aromatic fruits with a rich taste.
The top of the fruit is covered with an inedible yellow or green peel, which is poorly separated from the pulp. Therefore, it must be cut with a knife. Green and yellow mangoes are different varieties. Ripe fruit can be distinguished from unripe fruit by softness. If you press on the peel, in a ripe mango, it will push through a few millimeters. An unripe fruit will have a hard skin, like an apple.
Inside the fruit is a large flat-shaped bone. The pulp does not separate well. Therefore, it has to be cut with a knife or eaten.
For consumption on the spot, it is recommended to buy the ripest fruits with a yellow or orange hue. They can also be green and red. At room temperature, a slightly underripe mango can lie for 5 days. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 30 days.
Papaya
This plant is originally from South America, but now it is found in almost all tropical countries. Papaya fruits are distinguished by an elongated cylindrical shape and reach a length of 20 centimeters.
Many people who have tried this fruit say that it is more like a vegetable. However, this is most likely due to insufficient ripeness of the fruit. Unripe papaya is often used for cooking. Salads are made from it and added to meat.
Ripe papaya fresh is quite tasty and sweet. It is similar in texture to a dense melon. At the same time, the taste of the plant resembles something between a pumpkin and a melon. In tropical countries, this fruit is sold all year round.
Longan
This tree is found in China, Vietnam, Indonesia. However, longan can also be tasted in other Asian countries. This fruit is characterized by a thin peel, which can be easily removed. Its shade can be different - from yellow-red to brown. Inside the fruit is a juicy and sweet pulp with a slight musky flavor.
Longan grows in clusters on trees. They sell it the same way. When buying clusters, it is worth trying one fruit. This plant is characterized by sour and sweet varieties. At the same time, experts do not advise using longan, which has just been plucked from a tree. He should lie down for a couple of days. Thanks to this, the fruit will become tastier. The fruits of this plant contain many vitamins A and C, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. In addition, the product is a powerful antioxidant.
Rambutan
This plant is characterized by red fruits, the diameter of which is 5 centimeters. They are covered with soft processes that resemble thorns. The pulp that covers the stone is a transparent white elastic mass. It has a pleasant sweet taste. Sometimes there is a slight acidity in it. The stone is tightly connected to the pulp. It can be eaten.
Rambutan contains carbohydrates, calcium, protein, iron. The fruit also contains vitamin C and nicotinic acid. Fruits can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Harvesting is required from May to September. Rambutan fruits can be eaten fresh, preserved and used to make jellies and jams.
Pitaya
This fruit is the fruit of the Hylocereus cactus. It has an attractive appearance - a bright pink hue and a slightly elongated shape.Large scales cover the top of the fruit. At the same time, its edges are distinguished by a green color. If you cut off the peel, inside you can see white, purple or red flesh, which includes many seeds. Pitaya is often used to make fruit smoothies. It goes especially well with lime.
Carambola
This fruit is found in Southeast Asia. It is also grown in the USA. This fruit has a yellow-green color and a non-standard shape. If you cut the carambola across, you get a beautiful star shape. Because the fruit is often used as a decor.
At the same time, carambola has a very peculiar taste. It is a cross between a gooseberry, an apple and a cucumber. Carambola contains a large amount of liquid. The fruits include a lot of vitamin C, sodium, iron, calcium.
Figs
The fruits of this fruit may have a flattened, pear-shaped or rounded shape. On average, a ripe fig weighs 80 grams and has a diameter of up to 8 centimeters. From above, the fruit is covered with a thin smooth skin of different shades - from yellow-green to purple. Inside is a white peel, under which is sweet and juicy pulp with small seeds. It has a jelly texture and tastes like strawberries. In this case, the flesh can be pink or bright red. It is not recommended to eat unripe fruits.
When choosing ripe figs, you should give preference to fruits that have a dense skin and a slightly soft texture. Fruit should be kept for a maximum of 3 days in the refrigerator. Figs spoil very quickly. You can eat it with the peel, cut into slices.
Pomelo
This citrus fruit resembles a grapefruit.It has white, yellow or pink flesh. At the same time, the taste of pomelo is much sweeter. This fruit is actively used in cosmetology and cooking. When choosing a pomelo, you should focus on the smell. It should be fresh and concentrated.
Kivano
When ripe, the shell of the fruit is covered with yellow spikes, and the flesh becomes bright green. The fruits are elongated. At the same time, they are not cleaned, but cut like a watermelon or melon.
Kivano tastes like a cross between cucumber, melon, avocado and kiwi. The product can be added to both spicy and sweet dishes. Kiwano is also often marinated. Unripe fruits can also be eaten.
Kiwi
This fruit has small round or oval fruits, which are covered with a thin, fleecy brown skin.The weight of a kiwi can reach 80 grams, and the diameter is 7 centimeters. Inside is a juicy pulp, the color of which can vary from green to yellow. In the center, the flesh is white in color and surrounded by a large number of black seeds. Kiwi has a sweet taste with a slight sourness. It is a cross between an apple, pineapple and gooseberry.
When choosing fruits, you should give preference to even fruits without dents or other damage. Their ripeness is determined by their softness. Rigid and hard fruits easily ripen at home.
Coconut
This plant is found in different countries of the tropical zone. Coconuts are large and rounded up to 30 centimeters in diameter. Fruits can weigh up to 3 kilograms.
Young coconuts have a light green or green-yellow surface. Inside there is a hard bone, under which there is clear water or a white emulsion. The liquid has a sweetish taste and perfectly quenches thirst.
More mature coconuts are covered with a fibrous rough layer on the outside. Under it is a hard brown shell, and inside is a thick white pulp and a small amount of cloudy liquid.
Kumquat
This plant is characterized by small fruits that resemble mini-oranges with a thin rind. Fruits can be consumed whole, excluding the seeds. The taste of a kumquat is slightly sourer than an orange. At the same time, it has a pronounced smell of lime.
Sapodilla
This plant is characterized by round or oval fruits that reach 10 centimeters. Moreover, their weight is 100-150 grams. In appearance, the sapodilla is similar to a plum. On top, it is covered with a thin and matte peel and has a brownish color.
Ripe fruit has a sweet taste with caramel notes.The flesh is similar in texture to a persimmon. Inside are several large black bones. Fruit can be stored for a maximum of 3 days. It quickly sours and deteriorates. Unripe fruits should not be consumed - they do not have a very pleasant taste.
Choose ripe fruits for color and softness. Hard fruits are not recommended. A mature sapodilla is easy to press, and an overripe one is strongly squeezed. Most often, the fruit is added to salads, drinks and desserts. It contains carbohydrates, calcium, iron. The product also contains vitamins A and C.
Sugar apple
This fruit is light green in color and has many he alth benefits. Under the bumpy skin there is a sweet fragrant pulp and bones the size of a bean. Barely noticeable coniferous notes are felt in the smell. Ripe fruits should be moderately soft. Sugar apple is often used to make Thai ice cream.
Chompu
This fruit is shaped like a bell pepper. However, it may have a pink or light green color. Inside is a dense white pulp. The fruit is seedless and does not require peeling. At the same time, it is characterized by a not too expressive taste. To a greater extent, the fruit is similar to slightly sweetish water. When chilled, it perfectly quenches thirst.
Aki
This fruit has an orange or reddish-yellow skin. After full ripening, the fruit bursts. In this case, you can see the creamy pulp with large glossy seeds.
It is important to consider that this is a very dangerous fruit. An unripe, unopened fruit contains many toxic substances. It is allowed to eat it only after a long boil. Aki tastes like a walnut.
Ambarella
This plant has golden oval fruits. They are covered with a thin hard peel and form clusters. Inside there is a juicy crispy yellow flesh and a hard bone covered with thorns. In terms of taste, ambarella is a cross between mango and pineapple. Ripe fruits are consumed fresh. They can also be used to make marmalade, juices, jams.
Bam-balan
This fruit has a very unusual taste. It looks like borscht with sour cream. Bam-balan has a dark color and an oval shape. It also has a slightly pungent aroma. To get to the pulp, you just need to remove the peel. Fruit can be put in side dishes.
Salak
This plant is characterized by round or elongated fruits of small size. In length, they do not exceed 5 centimeters. Salak can be red or brown. From above, the fruits are covered with small dense spines.
The fruit has an original and rich sweet and sour taste. When peeling fruits, it is important to be careful. It has very dense spines that easily dig into the skin.
Bail
This fruit grows on trees and reaches 5-20 centimeters in diameter. The fruit may be yellow or brown and covered with a dense, rough skin that looks like a nutshell. The ripe fruit is characterized by a brown mushy pulp that can be sweet or sour.
Chrysophyllum
This plant is characterized by oval or round fruits that reach a diameter of 10 centimeters.From above they are covered with a thin smooth peel, which can be green, brown or purple in color. Inside are peels and white or purple flesh. It has a juicy and apple flavor. The fruit includes up to 10 hard seeds up to 2 centimeters long.
To choose a ripe fruit, you should pay attention to the wrinkled peel. It should be soft when pressed and free from damage. It can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Buddha's hand
This fruit is quite interesting and useful, but it is not recommended to use it fresh. The fruit consists almost entirely of peel, which tastes like lemon peel and has a violet flavor. At the same time, the pulp of the fruit is not eaten.
In appearance, the fruit resembles a palm with many fingers that reach 40 centimeters in length. The product is used for cooking dishes with citrus taste.
Sala
This plant is distinguished by rounded or elongated fruits of small sizes of red or brown. From above they are covered with many small dense spines. The fruit has an original sweet and sour taste. It is recommended to clean the fruits very carefully. Its dense spines can severely injure hands.
Santol
This plant is characterized by rounded fruits with a diameter of 8-15 centimeters. They are distinguished by a long stem. Depending on the variety, santol can be yellow or brown. Its skin has a slightly velvety texture.
The fruit has an uneven color and is covered with pigmentation. Under the thick peel is a white opaque pulp, which is divided into slices. It has a juicy sour or sweet and sour taste.
Jujube
The fruits of this shrub are round or egg-shaped. They reach a length of 2-6 centimeters - it all depends on the variety. From above, the fruit is covered with a smooth, shiny peel of a non-uniform shade. It practically does not separate from the pulp.
Inside there is a dense sweet pulp that tastes like an apple. When choosing fruits, dark red fruits should be preferred. They don't have to be very hard. Jujube is recommended to be consumed directly with the peel. The fruits have a short shelf life, so they are often dried.
Fruit contains a lot of vitamins A, C, B. They also contain acids, sugars and trace elements. The fruits are used to make wine, jams, drinks. They can also be canned.
Tamarillo
The fruit looks like a tomato.Therefore, the colonialists began to call it a tomato tree. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste. Before using tamarillo, it is recommended to peel it. The fruit is characterized by an unusual taste, which is similar to a combination of tomato and passion fruit. The fruits contain many antioxidants that help slow down skin aging.
Fruits are used to prepare a variety of dishes - fruit or meat. Tamarillo slices are also put on sandwiches and added to vegetable stews. Stewed fruits go well with apples. Before cooking the fruit, it must be peeled, which has an unpleasant taste.
Tamarind
This plant belongs to the legume family, but is used as a fruit. The fruits are curved and reach a length of 15 centimeters. From above, the fruit is covered with a brown peel, and inside there is a sweet and sour pulp.It acts as a spice and is part of the Worcestershire sauce. Tamarind can also be used to make desserts, snacks and drinks.
It is permissible to prepare sweets from ripe dried fruits. Tourists often bring home tamarind-based meat sauces and cocktail syrups.
Magic fruit
The taste of the fruit itself is unremarkable. However, after eating it, any other food will seem sweet to a person. Taste buds are fooled by a special protein that is present in magical fruits. It's called Miraculin. Sweet foods seem tasteless after eating the magic fruit.
Marula
Fresh marula can only be tasted in Africa. This is due to the fact that within a few days after ripening, the fruits begin to ferment.The result is a kind of low-alcohol drink. Ripe fruits are distinguished by a yellow tint and are visually similar to plums. Inside is white pulp, which has a hard bone. Before the fermentation process begins, marula has a savory taste and pleasant aroma.
Citron
This fruit looks pretty original. However, its taste leaves much to be desired. Citron is almost entirely made up of peel. In taste, it resembles a lemon, and in aroma - a violet. Therefore, fresh fruits are not consumed. They are usually used to make jellies, candied fruits or compotes. Often the plant is planted in a pot as an indoor flower.
Exotic fruits literally amaze with their variety. They differ in appearance, taste and aroma. To choose the most delicious and he althy fruits, you should familiarize yourself with their descriptions and rules of use in advance.
