Our family loves sweet peppers, so we plant them every year. Most of the varieties that I grow have been tested by me for more than one season; I cultivate them constantly. I also try to try something new every year. Pepper is a heat-loving plant and quite whimsical. Varietal and hybrid varieties of tasty and productive sweet peppers, which grow well for me, will be discussed further. I live in central Russia.
Home floriculture is not only a fascinating process, but also a very troublesome hobby. And, as a rule, the more experience a grower has, the healthier his plants look. What should those who do not have experience do, but want to have indoor plants at home - not elongated, stunted specimens, but beautiful and healthy ones that do not cause a feeling of guilt with their fading? For beginners and flower growers who do not have much experience, I will tell you about the main mistakes that are easy to avoid.
Lush cheesecakes in a frying pan with banana-apple confiture - another recipe for everyone’s favorite dish. To prevent cheesecakes from falling off after cooking, remember a few simple rules. Firstly, only fresh and dry cottage cheese, secondly, no baking powder or soda, thirdly, the thickness of the dough - you can sculpt from it, it is not tight, but pliable. A good dough with a small amount of flour can only be obtained from good cottage cheese, and here again look at the “firstly” point.
It is no secret that many drugs from pharmacies have migrated to summer cottages. Their use, at first glance, seems so exotic that some summer residents are perceived with hostility. At the same time, potassium permanganate is a long-known antiseptic that is used in both medicine and veterinary medicine. In plant growing, a solution of potassium permanganate is used both as an antiseptic and as a fertilizer. In this article we will tell you how to properly use potassium permanganate in the garden.
Pork meat salad with mushrooms is a rural dish that can often be found on festive table in the village. This recipe is with champignons, but if you have the opportunity to use wild mushrooms, be sure to cook it this way, it will be even tastier. You don’t need to spend a lot of time preparing this salad - put the meat in a pan for 5 minutes and another 5 minutes for slicing. Everything else happens practically without the participation of the cook - the meat and mushrooms are boiled, cooled, and marinated.
Cucumbers grow well not only in a greenhouse or conservatory, but also in open ground. Typically, cucumbers are sown from mid-April to mid-May. Harvesting in this case is possible from mid-July to the end of summer. Cucumbers cannot tolerate frost. That's why we don't sow them too early. However, there is a way to bring their harvest closer and taste the juicy beauties from your garden at the beginning of summer or even in May. It is only necessary to take into account some of the features of this plant.
Polyscias is an excellent alternative to classic variegated shrubs and woody ones. The elegant round or feathery leaves of this plant create a strikingly festive curly crown, and its elegant silhouettes and rather modest character make it an excellent candidate for the role of the largest plant in the house. Larger leaves do not prevent it from successfully replacing Benjamin and Co. ficus. Moreover, polyscias offers much more variety.
Pumpkin cinnamon casserole is juicy and incredibly tasty, a little like pumpkin pie, but unlike pie, it is more tender and just melts in your mouth! This perfect recipe sweet pastries for a family with children. As a rule, kids don’t really like pumpkin, but they never mind eating something sweet. Sweet pumpkin casserole is a delicious and healthy dessert, which, moreover, is very simple and quick to prepare. Try it! You'll like it!
A hedge is not only one of the most important elements of landscape design. It also performs various protective functions. If, for example, the garden borders a road, or there is a highway nearby, then a hedge is simply necessary. “Green walls” will protect the garden from dust, noise, wind and create a special comfort and microclimate. In this article, we will look at the optimal plants for creating a hedge that can reliably protect the area from dust.
Many crops require picking (and more than one) in the first weeks of development, while for others transplantation is “contraindicated.” To “please” both of them, you can use non-standard containers for seedlings. Another good reason to try them is saving money. In this article we will tell you how to do without the usual boxes, pots, cassettes and tablets. And let’s pay attention to non-traditional, but very effective and interesting containers for seedlings.
Useful vegetable soup from red cabbage with celery, red onions and beets - a recipe for a vegetarian soup that can also be prepared on fasting days. For those who decide to lose a few extra pounds, I would advise not to add potatoes, and slightly reduce the amount of olive oil (1 tablespoon is enough). The soup turns out to be very aromatic and thick, and during Lent you can serve a portion of the soup with lean bread - then it will be satisfying and healthy.
Surely everyone has already heard about the popular term “hygge”, which came to us from Denmark. This word cannot be translated into other languages of the world. Because it means a lot of things at once: comfort, happiness, harmony, spiritual atmosphere... In this northern country, by the way, most of the time of the year there is cloudy weather and little sun. Summer is also short. And the level of happiness is one of the highest (the country regularly ranks first in the UN global rankings).
Meat balls in sauce with mashed potatoes - a simple second dish prepared based on Italian cuisine. The more common name for this dish is meatballs or meatballs, but the Italians (and not only them) call such small round cutlets meat balls. The cutlets are first fried until golden brown, and then stewed in a thick vegetable sauce - it turns out very tasty, simply delicious! Any minced meat is suitable for this recipe - chicken, beef, pork.
Almost two-thirds of the list of the most amazing tropical fruits on the planet are occupied by the fruits of Thailand. The rating includes little-known fruits with unique qualities and properties.
Some valuable and interesting fruits of Thailand could easily be added to this fruit series; for example, the list did not include durian - a very capricious and controversial fruit, or jackfruit - the largest fruit in the world, which gives its taste and aroma to Jusifrut chewing gum.
The list includes the least known, therefore mysterious and amazing tropical fruits, the taste of which is... appearance very difficult to predict.
Its historical homeland is tropical America. It is widely grown in Pakistan, India and the Philippines.
The sugar apple is a permanent resident of Thai market stalls. The fruit looks like a huge cone, about 10 cm in diameter. Under the tough, always green skin is aromatic, tender pulp with several seeds inside.
Uniqueness - sugar apple has a delicate aroma and taste of custard. After cutting it in half, pour in coconut milk and put it in the refrigerator. It turns out excellent ice cream, exclusively from natural ingredients.
The evergreen sapodila tree considers the countries of Southeast Asia, West Africa and South America its home. Found in Florida and Hawaii.
In fact, sapodila is a berry that can reach a diameter of 20 cm. It has a dense peel with soft orange or dark yellow pulp inside. It has from one to four large seeds. A very tasty and sweet fruit from Thailand.
18 Cream Apple
The custard apple is very similar to the sugar apple in both shape and color.
Many consider it one fruit with different varieties; experts say that these are two completely different tropical fruits and here’s why:
Cherimoya fruits are irregularly round in shape and have three types of peel, ranging from sharp, pronounced bumps to a smoother light yellow or reddish peel.
The pulp of a cream apple is white, juicy, reminiscent of cream, and combines the taste of banana, passion fruit, papaya and pineapple. One of the most delicious fruits in the world.
Santol is one of the favorite fruits of Thailand among local children; in Southeast Asia it is called “fruit on a stick.”
Ranging in size from orange to pamelo and similar in appearance to the popular citrus fruit, but with a thicker, darker colored peel.
Inside are several sweet and sour white segments with a pleasant aroma. Santol seeds have sharp edges, so you should never swallow them.
The fruits of this tropical fruit can be found in the mountainous regions of South America.
Cocona grows on a small bush and can miraculously grow from fruit seeds in 9 months and it will take another 2 months for the fruits of the new bush to ripen.
The fruit is a red, orange or yellow berry, similar in appearance to a tomato, and the fruit is said to taste like a mixture of tomato and lemon.
A huge tree of the mulberry family, it grows in India, the Philippines, Thailand and all the islands of Southeast Asia.
Ripe fruits taste soft and sweet, similar to bananas, while unripe fruits are hard and starchy.
Prepared from unripe fruits various dishes and when cooked, the fruits acquire the taste of freshly baked bread. Therefore, one version of the name is breadfruit.
Another version, less romantic. Breadfruit is nutritious and is a staple food for low-income people in India and some Southeast Asian countries and islands.
Two more tropical top fruits from Thailand, included in the rating of “the most amazing fruits on the planet.” Langsat and longan are completely similar fruits in appearance, berries that grow throughout Southeast Asia.
Size with walnuts. Langsat berries grow, as if clinging to a twig, like sea buckthorn.
The langsat fruit has five segments inside, some with bitter seeds inside that taste like pamelo. Pamelo in miniature.
The skin of langsat contains a latex substance that holds the flesh, making it more difficult to peel than longan, which does not contain latex.
Each fruit grows on its own branch, attached to a larger branch, so it is sold in bunches. It has one bone in the center.
Longan is sweet and tastes like grapes.
They are canned, dried and dried like raisins. Thailand is the world's langsat producer. It is cultivated and new varieties are developed. Langsat grown in Thailand is the most delicious in the world.
13 African pears
African pears, the fruit of an evergreen tree found in the tropical rainforests of Africa. Sappho grows as far south as Angola and as far north as Nigeria.
The fruits are oblong from dark blue to purple up to 14 cm in length with pale green flesh inside. They are fatty fruits, and according to scientists, African pears could end hunger in Africa.
The fruit contains 48% essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins and triglycerides.
It is estimated that one hectare of African pear plantation can produce 7-8 tons of oil, given that all parts of the plant can be used for this.
A very strange plant from the southeastern part of Brazil.
What makes it amazing is that fruit grows from its trunk.
Initially, yellowish-white flowers appear along the entire trunk and at the bases of branches, then they grow into fruits 3-4 cm in diameter. Under the dark purple skin there is yellow flesh with 1-4 black seeds.
The fruits of Brazilian grapes are sweet. They are eaten fresh and prepared into wine and liqueur.
The fruits do not last long; 3-4 days after harvest they begin to ferment.
The most popular exotic fruit of Thailand and Southeast Asia, this is its homeland.
The unusual peel of the fruit adds exoticism to the fruit, the consistency of the pulp is like that of a grape with a seed inside. Rambutans taste sweet and juicy.
Rambutan fruits are oval shaped and about 3-6 cm in diameter. It is not difficult to peel if you cut the peel in a circle.
Noni, a fruit of Thailand, is otherwise known as different names around the world - great moringa, cheese tree, Indian mulberry, dog dumplings and temp.
All coffee trees are related to him, all of Southeast Asia and Australia are his home.
The tree bears fruit all year round. Its fruits have a pungent odor. Despite the strong and not pleasant smell, the fruits are rich in vitamins, proteins, iron, calcium and high fiber content.
Noni is added to stews or eaten raw with salt. Noni juice is popular and probably very healthy.
Tones, fights excess weight and helps, as manufacturers say, against many ailments. In many Pacific islands, noni is a staple dietary product and medicinal plant.
Marula grows on deciduous trees in Southern and Eastern Africa.
The trees spread across the continent, following the paths of the Bantu people, for whom it is the main source of food.
The Bantu people planted trees along their entire route. Green fruits turn yellow and become ripe. Marula has white, juicy flesh with an excellent aroma.
Falling from the trees, the fruits begin to ferment and provide a small alcoholic pleasure to elephants and baboons.
Marula is used to make the popular Amarula liqueur, which is sold in all Duty Free airports around the world.
The homeland of the beautiful berries is the west coast of North America, stretching halfway from Alaska to California. They are found in humid forests and create dense thickets. The berries are similar to raspberries, but bright orange, salmon color. They are sweet when eaten raw. Juice, wine, jams and marmalade are made from them.
Salak, also known as snake fruit.
It comes from a species of palm tree native to Indonesia.
These fruits grow at the base of palm leaves and get their name from their red-brown scaly skin.
It is easily removed and inside there are three white, sweet segments, each of them contains a black inedible bone. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste and consistency like apples.
6 Bale
An amazing tropical fruit, bale, can be found in all shops and souvenir shops in Thailand.
There are many ancient legends surrounding Bale. The fruit has many names - golden apple, stone apple.
The peel of the bale is colored yellow, green, gray and is so strong that you need to use a hammer or saw to open the fruit.
Inside is fragrant yellow pulp with fluffy seeds. The pulp can be eaten fresh or dried.
Sherbet is made from the juice of fresh fruits by adding water, sugar and lemon juice to the hole in the peel.
From the largest fruit you can get 6 liters of sherbet. An amazing fruit that grows as a dried fruit.
Dragonfruit or dragon fruit is the fruit of a cactus - a beautiful and vibrant representative of the amazing fruits of the planet and a popular fruit of Thailand, which can be tasted in the Land of Smiles all year round.
It grows throughout Asia, Australia, Northern and South America, although initially, his homeland was Mexico.
Dragonfruit has two main types - sour, which is popular in America, and sweet, popular in Asia.
Dragonfruit comes in three varieties that differ in color: red, yellow and Costa Rica. “Red” fruits have bright crimson skin and light, white flesh; yellow pitayas have bright yellow skin and light, creamy flesh; Costa Rica pitayas have purple skin and purple flesh.
Dragon fruits are juicy, slightly sweet with a slight pleasant aroma.
1 Miracle Berries
A very strange berry native to West Africa.
What makes the fruit weird, wonderful and wonderful is miraculin (a sugar substitute), which is found in large quantities in the fruit in combination with a glycoprotein.
The fruit itself does not contain much sugar, its taste is only slightly sweet, but an hour after eating the wonderful berries, when the glycoprotein acts on the taste buds of the tongue, the taste of any product is distorted, turning into sweetness.
For a hands-on study, you can eat lemon after the wonderful berries to taste the sweet syrup.
The specific reasons for this phenomenon are not fully understood, it would seem how miraculin can distort the perception of receptors on the tongue so that they perceive acid as sweet.
In the 70s, attempts were made to sell the wonderful fruit as dietary products in the fight against diabetes and excess weight.
But they failed when the FDA declared them a dietary supplement under pressure from sugar companies who foresaw losses.
In the last two years, the berry has been gaining popularity again, becoming a guest star at many parties in the United States.
Guests are invited to try the wonderful sweet berries first, and then all kinds of common products, to experience new taste sensations with every bite.
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 here cease to amaze and become the norm.
Surely in Russia, in large supermarkets, there are many of these fruits, only, firstly, the prices for them can differ by an order of magnitude, and secondly, in order for them to appear on the shelves in an attractive form, they are pretty stuffed with chemicals or They are sent unripe, which cannot but affect the taste and beneficial qualities.
But in Southeast Asia, in their homeland, many of these fruits cost pennies - 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 among the most expensive fruits. In addition, there are almost no berries here, with the exception of strawberries, which sometimes makes us happy.
We have been living in Bali for six months now, 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, then it becomes clear how good life is for fruit lovers here.
The same fruits that we tasted in Mexico, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia often differ not only in taste, but also in name and shape. Our eyes are always wide open at the market or in the store, it’s difficult to choose a specific 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 and depend on the country, seasonality, variety and ability to bargain. So, let's begin our acquaintance with tropical exotics.
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 skin reminiscent of snake skin, which is where the name of the fruit comes from.
The peel is thin and easy to remove; just cut it or tear it at the edge, and then remove it like a shell from an egg. Flesh white or beige colour consists mainly of three segments. If the fruit is not ripe, then due to the high tannin content it will make your mouth stick, this is how we first tried it in Malaysia in the spring - we didn’t like it, and we happily forgot about it.
Here in Bali, herring, as one of the most common fruits, quickly became familiar, we tried it again, and, one might say, we fell in love.
There are 2 varieties common in Bali. 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 one without a seed, tastes similar to gooseberries and pineapple. Both varieties are quite interesting; we buy different ones with equal success.
Salak contains tannin, which removes harmful substances from the body and has astringent, hemostatic and antidiarrheal properties.
In the north of Bali, in the forests, we somehow discovered wild herring. Unlike the garden fruit, its peel is prickly with small needles, no more than 1 mm long, and the fruits themselves are smaller in size. They taste sweet, but peeling them is not very pleasant because of the thorns, so we fed them to monkeys, for whom the thorns were not a hindrance and they coped with peeling as quickly as they do with bananas.
Tamarillo
Tamarillo fruits are egg-shaped, about 5 cm long. The shiny peel is hard and bitter, inedible, and the pulp has a sweet and sour, tomato-currant taste, almost without aroma. The color of the peel 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 the tomato tree. You can cut the tomarillo into 2 halves and simply squeeze the pulp into your mouth, or peel it with a knife, holding it by the tail - you will get a flower like this
Tamarillo contains a large number of vitamins A, B6, C and E, as well as microelements - 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 its berry-currant taste - there are very few berries in Bali, mostly all are imported (with the exception of strawberries).
Tamarillo makes an excellent sauce when you add lemon juice, ginger and honey. 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 that you can eat as much of it as you like and never get tired of it. 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, imagine our surprise that, it turns out, there are several dozen types 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'), followed by China in second place in terms of productivity (just over 4 million tons) , in third place is Thailand (2.5 million tons), Indonesia 2.1 million tons.
Ripe fruit different varieties they taste very different, most often they are sweet and have pleasant aromas of different shades from honey even to ginger
Arriving in India at the beginning of November, we were very surprised to find no 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 harvest appeared on sale - they were small red mangoes, very fragrant and sweet, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from them for several days.
We really liked the variety of mango varieties in Malaysia - from Thai light yellow ones, with beige flesh inside, to green thick-skinned ones, unripe in appearance, but with bright orange, sweet flesh.
But for real, we gorge ourselves on 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 never cease to delight us. Our favorite variety is Harumanis - green mangoes with orange, sweet, honey-like flesh.
Mangoes are high in vitamins and fructose, and low in acids. Vitamin A has a beneficial effect on the organs of vision, helps with night blindness and other eye diseases. Regular consumption of mango helps improve 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, mangoes are used to stop bleeding, strengthen the heart muscle, and also improve brain function.
Jackfruit
Everyone who sees jackfruit for the first time is very surprised, and there is something to be said for it - it 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 fruit weighs 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 spines. Young fruits are green, becoming green-yellow or brown-yellow when ripe.
If the fruit falls before it ripens, it is eaten as a vegetable; in India we have tried jackfruit curry many times. But we tried fresh for the first time in Sri Lanka at the end of April, when the season had just begun there.
You can find a ripe fruit from May to September; when tapped, it makes a hollow sound (an unripe fruit is deaf). Inside the fruit is divided into large shares, which contain sweet yellow pulp consisting of juicy slippery fibers. Each lobe contains an oblong seed 2-4 cm long; one fruit can contain up to 500 seeds
The peel and seeds of the ripe fruit have an unpleasant putrid smell, while the pulp smells pleasant, there is something in common with banana and pineapple, but the taste is still specific, not for everyone, 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 mostly already cut, since whole fruits, firstly, are repellent with their thorns, and secondly, not everyone is ready to overcome such a giant.
Due to its heaviness, jackfruit often falls from the tree and breaks. Thanks to its strong smell, it is easily found by animals, who spread seeds throughout the forest, which contributes to its active spread.
Jackfruit is highly nutritious and contains about 40% carbohydrates. In particular, for this reason, and also because of its low cost and universal availability, jackfruit in India is called “bread for the poor” or breadfruit. The seeds are also nutritious - they contain 38% carbohydrates and are roasted and eaten like chestnuts. They taste a little dry, but go well with salads.
Dragon fruit or dragon fruit, also known as pitaya or pitahaya
Belongs to the cactus family. Thanks to its interesting and unusual shape, as well as its bright pink color, the fruit cannot go unnoticed. The fruit has white or red (depending on the variety), creamy pulp and a delicate, slightly perceptible aroma. The pulp is eaten raw, the taste is sweet. It is convenient to eat by cutting it into 2 halves and scooping out the pulp with a spoon. Some may find dragon fruit bland and not very tasty, but if you taste it properly, you will certainly like the fruit (like, for example, Mozzarella cheese, which also does not have a strong taste).
The fruit grows on cacti and blooms only at night. The flowers are also edible and can be brewed into tea. The fruit is low in calories, helps with stomach pain and has a beneficial effect on the quality of vision.
Rambutan
The fruits are round or oval, 3-6 cm in size, grow in clusters of up to 30 pieces, sometimes they are sold directly 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 peel, strewn with curved, stiff yellow-brown hairs, 1-2 cm long. The pulp is gelatinous, white, very aromatic and has a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Inside is an inedible oval seed, up to 1.5 cm long. The seeds are poisonous in their raw form, but if fried, they can be eaten.
The oil from the seeds is used in the production of soap and candles. Rambutans contain carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, niacin and vitamin C.
The fruits are eaten mainly fresh, sometimes preserved with sugar. Moreover, in Malaysia, these canned fruits are sold on every corner as a snack, and they are also made as cooling drinks.
We first met rambutans in their homeland - Malaysia. Rambutan is translated from Malay as “hairy”.
Fruits are very light in weight, so 1 kilogram can contain several dozen of them. By the way, after bananas, which we are pretty hooked on in India (not only because of taste, but also for reasons of sanitary safety), this is the No. 2 fruit that you can easily and safely eat when traveling. You can buy a bunch of rambutans at the market or on the side of the road and eat them right away, which you cannot do with papaya or mango, not to mention fruits that are eaten with the peel.
You just need to tear the peel in the middle and remove the top half (the hairs are not prickly at all), then put the pulp in 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 arrived just in time for rambutan season (May) and the cost for 1 kg was the same as for 1 kg of mangoes (about $1), but in Bali, they turned out to be 3 times more expensive, although in October they had already dropped to $1.5 .
Mangostin, also known as mangosteen, mangosteen, garcinia, mangkut
The fruit is round, 4-8 cm in diameter, covered with a thick (1 cm) burgundy-purple inedible peel, under which there are 5-8 segments of white, very juicy pulp, with large seeds inside each segment. We became acquainted with mangosteens in Sri Lanka - when we saw them for the first time, we thought that there was some kind of strange persimmon 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.
In hot weather, this is an excellent fruit to quench your thirst.
Melody (melodi), also known as pepino, melon pear or sweet cucumber
The fruits are varied, differing in size, shape, color and taste. Some have an exotic color - bright yellow, others purple, which reminds them of eggplants. The pulp of a ripe fruit is light yellow or completely colorless. Melody tastes like a mixture of pear and cucumber with a melon aroma. It can be added to sweet desserts and salads (depending on the variety). Here in Bali, we love adding it to salads - the fruit costs about the same as cucumbers, and the taste is more delicate and interesting.
By the way, the shades of taste are different – from sweet and sour to sweet. The melody itself is very juicy, it consists of 92% water, so it is great for quenching thirst. Vitamin C gives the fruit its sourness; the fruit is also rich in iron, keratin and a large amount of vitamins A, B1, B2 and PP.
Longan or dragon's eye
The first name comes from the name of the Vietnamese province of Long An. And the second is the structure of the fruit - if you break the “berry” in half, a black seed appears, which, against the background of transparent beige pulp, resembles an eye. Longan grows in clusters on evergreen trees, the height of which can reach twenty meters. Over 200 kg of fruit are harvested from each tree over the summer.
Externally, the fruits look like nuts and are easy to peel. The color of the inedible outer shell of the fruit is mottled yellowish. Lognan tends to ripen after being removed from the tree. Under the skin hides transparent juicy pulp - sweet and very aromatic with a musky aftertaste. Under the pulp there 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 macroelements such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese and, in addition, many bioacids that are beneficial for 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
We tried the fruit for the first time in Bali - one day, while walking through the market with our Balinese friend Budi, we asked him about his favorite fruit and he, without hesitation, pointed to this rather inconspicuous fruit. Be from Java, and longan is very popular there.
The first time we didn't really like it; the aroma was not as pronounced as we expected. We decided that we simply hadn’t tried it, and a couple of days later we bought it again - this time the longan turned out to be very tasty and juicy.
Compared to other exotic, more appetizing-looking fruits, it certainly loses outwardly, but the palette of useful components included in it and the refreshing taste push us to buy it again and again.
Longan is used in Chinese traditional medicine as a tonic for weakness, fatigue, tachycardia, dizziness and impaired vision. The pulp of the fruit is also used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, reduce body temperature during fever, calm down causeless anxiety, normalize sleep and improve memory and concentration.
Kepundung or Asian gooseberry
In appearance it is very similar to Longan, but the taste is completely different. The peel is dense, but easy to peel. The fruits inside are white and pink, have a viscous jelly structure, there is a seed 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 eating fresh. The fruit tastes very pleasant, sweet and sour, refreshing with a light delicate aroma. Kepundung is a well-known source of vitamin C in Asia, making it useful for treating throat and respiratory problems.
The fruit is considered sacred among Indian and Tibetan healers who use the dried fruit to solve wide range problems such as indigestion, high fever, liver problems and anemia. Kepundung is good for the prevention and treatment of stress, fever, arthritis.
Tamarind (tamarind) or Indian date, also known as asam, asem, sampalok
In general, this is a plant of the legume family, but it is sold in the fruit department, and because of its sweet taste, many actually consider it a fruit. Under the shell lies a fruit - a brown pod-shaped bean, similar, sorry, to “turd”, consisting of soft pulp and many dense seeds.
The pulp can be eaten fresh, as fruit or as 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 preparing savory dishes, but ripe fruits are sweeter, with a fruity taste, they are used to prepare 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 became acquainted with its taste - we tried Tamarindo candies - hard candies with seeds, with a characteristic aroma and taste.
We didn’t like the 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 their healing properties, the pulp, leaves and bark are used in medicine. In the Philippines, the leaves are traditionally used to make 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 diseases.
The tamarind is the official tree of Santa Clara in Cuba and is featured on the city coat of arms.
Papaya
Sweet juicy papaya pieces melt in your mouth. The fruit is extremely nutritious, and the most interesting thing is that papaya does not become boring at all; we happily ate 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 common to eat it slightly unripe and even with salt and chili pepper.
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 required amount calcium and iron.
Papaya fruits are not only in appearance, but also in chemical composition Close to melon, they contain glucose and fructose, organic acids, proteins, fiber, vitamins and minerals, so papaya is sometimes called the “melon tree.”
They say that when baked over 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 wishing to terminate their pregnancies ate large quantities of the unripe fruit.
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 consumption of papaya that Asians are less susceptible to diseases of the musculoskeletal system, even despite the tradition of carrying heavy weights on their heads.
Coconut (coconut, coconut)
Although they are often called "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, riddled with fibers, and the inner, hard shell is the same “shell” that many are accustomed to seeing on store shelves. The liquid in a young coconut (coconut water) is clear and tasty; these are the kind of coconuts that are bought as a drink. Gradually, with the appearance of droplets of oil secreted by the bark inside, the liquid turns into a milky emulsion, then thickens and hardens, congealing 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 tried 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 trays, but often simply from a cart. Sometimes, right under the tree on the ground, there is a mountain of fresh coconuts and cracked knuckles. The sellers deftly, in 2-3 steps, cut off the top and insert the straw - the drink is ready
A young coconut contains approximately 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 liquid.
In Bali, there are plenty of different varieties of both young and hard coconuts, and the latter are sold already shelled, which is very convenient.
The Philippines ranks first in the world in coconut production, with about 20,000 thousand tons of fruit per year. Indonesia and India are in 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.
Coconut is a strong aphrodisiac; it normalizes the functioning of the reproductive system. Milk and coconut pulp restore strength well and improve vision.
Coconut oil is generally a universal product; it is used in cooking, for medical and cosmetic purposes.
Strengthens and nourishes hair, and also moisturizes and softens the skin, smoothing out wrinkles; improves the functioning of the digestive system and liver; normalize thyroid function; relaxes muscles and helps with joint problems; increases immunity and resistance various infections, reduces the adaptability of bacteria to antibiotics.
The pulp normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood; helps with colds, diarrhea, and gallbladder diseases; has antimicrobial, antiviral wound healing effects; reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and other diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as cancer and degenerative 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, pineaple)
The largest pineapple plantations are concentrated in the Hawaiian Islands, accounting for about 30% of world production. Did you know that pineapples grow on bushes, not on trees? We were in Sri Lanka for the first time to see them grow, and we were very surprised. Pineapple, along with bananas, is one of the most popular fruits in Asia, we find them in every country - different varieties and sizes. We ate the most delicious pineapples in Sri Lanka - bright, sweet and juicy, with a rich aroma, just a heavenly pleasure. Our friends even brought these pineapples from Sri Lanka home to Russia as souvenirs.
And in India we liked the way of cleaning pineapples on the beaches. In the states of Kerala and Goa, saleswomen carry fruits for sale in large basins on their heads, including pineapples. They are turned upside down, the skin is 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 high content potassium salts helps get rid of excess liquid and even several kilograms of weight. Pineapple dessert improves the digestion of fatty foods and improves metabolism. Thanks to a complex of biologically active substances, pineapple stimulates digestion and reduces blood viscosity.
Pineapple contains vitamins A, B and C, as well as numerous microelements, including bromelain, which improves the body's absorption of protein substances.
Passion fruit (marakujya), also known as edible passionflower, or edible passionflower, or purple granadilla
We tried this passion fruit for the first time in Bali, and I must say that the first time it didn’t make much of an impression on us, but the second time we tried it – passion fruit is indeed very tasty and unusual. The color of the fruit, depending on the variety, varies from light yellow to dark burgundy; the jelly-like pulp can be transparent, beige, or greenish. The flavors are also quite different - from sweet and sour to very sweet. We are not yet addicted to a specific variety, we are trying different ones. Simply cut the fruit in half, after which the aromatic, sweet pulp can be eaten with a spoon. Passion fruit seeds are also edible and are used to decorate cakes and other confectionery products.
Sweet and sour passion fruit juice is valued in cooking, and since it also has good tonic properties, it is used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetology.
The fruit is very effective in relieving headaches, muscle tension and insomnia.
Guava (guava) or guava
The fruit is usually round, oval or pear-shaped, with a pleasant musky odor. The color of the fruit is very different - yellowish-white, bright yellow, reddish, greenish-white or completely green, the skin is always very thin. The fruits vary in size - from very small to large, depending on the variety. The pulp 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 produces one main harvest, up to 100 kg per tree - and 2-4 additional, much smaller ones. The best mature trees yield 200-250 kg. in a year.
The first time we tried guava was in India, where they prefer to eat it unripe and green. It is cut in half and sprinkled with pepper (we refrained from this addition). The taste is unusual, we liked it, but our stomachs didn’t really like the unripe fruit. In Bali we tried a different 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 pulp tastes like strawberries.
Guava is a storehouse of health; it is the only fruit that contains 16 vitamins, minerals, salts and trace elements. 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 production 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 increase sexual desire.
Guava is also used as an air freshener - if the cut fruits are brought into a smoky room, the smell of tobacco will disappear after 10 minutes.
Yellow watermelon
In appearance, this is an ordinary striped watermelon, only inside it is an unusual, bright yellow color. This watermelon was born as a result of crossing a wild watermelon (which is yellow) with a regular one. In addition to the unusual color, this watermelon contains very few seeds compared to red ones - sometimes we come across no seeds at all.
The first time we tried yellow watermelon was in Malaysia and it was 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, but the red one turned out to be less sweet, it even seemed watery, although if you eat it separately from the yellow one, it is quite aromatic and sweet
Despite the fact that it is a hybrid, yellow watermelon, like regular watermelon, contains many vitamins and perfectly helps regulate the excretory system.
Sapodilla (sapodilla) aka savo, aka chiku, aka ahra
Brown-green egg-shaped fruit, up to 5 cm in size. Smaller fruits are similar to small potatoes, and those that are larger - on kiwi. The peel is soft and easy to peel with a knife. The pulp is yellow-brown, juicy, very sweet with a caramel-date taste, sometimes even sickly 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 used to this name. In Bali it is known as "savo", or "Balinese kiwi". The fruit is eaten both raw and cooked - in the form of jams and salads, also stewed with lime juice and ginger, put in pies and even made into wine based on it.
Chiku is rich in plant proteins, carbohydrates, iron, potassium and calcium, as well as vitamins A and C. The beneficial properties of chiku are used by cosmetics manufacturers - the fruit has antiseptic and regenerating properties.
Durian
In Southeast Asian countries, 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 completely covered with pyramidal hard thorns and is somewhat similar to Jack fruit; many tourists, due to inexperience, even confuse them.
The fruit is a five-leaf capsule, each of the 5 chambers of the fruit contains one pale yellow seed with pulp, having the consistency of pudding and an incomparably “delicious” aroma. The smell of ripe fruit is really peculiar, very corrosive, sweetish-putrid. The raw pulp of ripe durian fruits is considered a delicacy; the fruits are eaten with hands, breaking them at the seams and removing the pulp with seeds from the chamber.
Its taste is reminiscent of sweet almond cream with the addition of cream cheese, onion gravy, cherry syrup and other difficult-to-combine ingredients.
Durian, if it is not overripe, smells only when cut, and the smell appears only 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 in Southeast Asia it is prohibited to bring durian into public places and transport; in many hotels in countries where durian grows, there is even a poster with a crossed out image of the fruit. We saw a lot of such posters in Singapore, there is even a fine for it's supposed to.
Durian contains a rich set of minerals - potassium, calcium, magnesium and zinc; these are vital elements for the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous, immune and other body systems. A decoction of durian leaves and roots 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.
We first decided to get acquainted with the taste of durian in Malaysia by trying ice cream with this flavor. We didn’t 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 flavorings, stabilizers, etc.
We have never met anyone who is indifferent to this fruit – we either love it dearly or are disgusted by it. Previously, we avoided even talking about trying durian, but recently we finally decided to do this feat. Our verdict - durian has a very rich taste with many shades, we really liked it, so we will definitely buy it in the future.
Carambola or star fruit
There are mainly 2 types: sour, usually green, and sweet, yellow. The fruit of both varieties is very juicy and slightly herbaceous. Sour varieties have a pronounced tonic effect; we tried them for the first time in Bali; these varieties are ideal for preparing salads.
We became acquainted with sweet varieties a long time ago, while traveling around Europe, and especially fell in love with them in the Canary Islands. The juicy pulp most resembles a harmonious combination of gooseberries, apples and cucumbers. Sweet varieties are very tasty raw, they can also be added to fruit smoothies, or used as an edible decoration for ice cream and cakes - when cutting the fruit you get cute stars.
Thanks to its juiciness, carambola is ideal for quenching thirst. Mineral and vitamin complex The fruit contains calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, beta-carotene and vitamins B1, B2, B5, and C. The aroma of carambola is greatly enhanced if it is lightly boiled in syrup until soft.
Asian lemons
Of course, lemons are everywhere, and it’s a stretch to classify them as tropical fruits, but we decided to write about them anyway, because in appearance they are very different from the usual ones. Asian lemons are small, round, yellow-green or green, which makes them resemble the lime with which tourists often confuse them.
By the way, lemon very well changes or transforms the taste of familiar fruits. Try, for example, sprinkling lemon juice on papaya and get 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 when lemon juice is briefly heated to 100°C, the vitamin C content 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 preventative against heart attacks, strokes, and can also kill several dozen viruses.
Chompu, Jambolan, Yambozaili or Malay apple, also called wax apple, rose apple, mountain apple or water apple
The fruits are oblong, bell-shaped. Although the fruit is called an apple, in appearance it more closely resembles a small pear 4-8 cm long. The fruit has a pink-red or dark red, sometimes red-green waxy skin, inside there is white juicy crispy pulp and 1 or 2 inedible brown seeds, although there are fruits and without 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 to determine the ripeness of the fruit.
Ripe wax apple fruits are edible not only fresh, but also stewed with cloves and other spices, in cream. Unripe fruits are suitable for making preserves, jams and marinades. White and red wine are also made from these fruits.
Malay apple contains bioactive substances that reduce blood sugar levels, so it is very useful for diabetics. It is also actively used in folk medicine many tropical countries. For example, a decoction of the tree bark is used for intestinal disorders, a decoction of the root is used as a diuretic, and the juice from the leaves is used as a facial lotion or taken in a bath. The fruit has an antimicrobial effect and is used to regulate blood pressure and treat colds.
Sirsak, guanabana, annona prickly or soursop
The fruits are heart-shaped or oval, irregular in shape, 15-20 cm in length and weighing up to 3 kg. The peel is thin and hard, has small fleshy spines arranged in a mesh pattern, the color is dark green, sometimes with black spots, the ripe fruit turns slightly yellow. The pulp is juicy, fibrous, light cream, similar to custard, divided into segments, has an aromatic 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 collected unripe and 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 we didn’t appreciate the taste then and didn’t buy it for a long time. And just recently, when we wanted something exotic and bought sirsak, I liked the taste. We simply cut it in half, similar to 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, cough, 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. We saw the most varieties on sale at the same time in India (about a dozen). They sell bananas of different colors, shapes and sizes from very small ones, the size of a little finger, to giant ones up to 30 cm, and of course, each of them has its own unique taste.
In India, bananas were our number one fruit. Firstly, they are incredibly tasty, most of all we loved the yellow, finger and red ones, they are very sweet. Secondly, because of their ease of cleaning and safety in unsanitary conditions. Thirdly, they are very cheap - $0.3-0.5 for a large bunch, weighing 1.5 kg.
By the way, red bananas are practically not exported because they are very soft and delicate and can be easily damaged during transportation.
Ecuadorian bananas, which everyone is accustomed to in Russia, cannot be compared with Asian varieties in terms of sweetness and aroma.
Bananas are conventionally divided into two main groups: dessert bananas, which are consumed raw or dried, and platanos, 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.
Platano is a fruit with green or red skin, with starchy, hard, often unsweetened pulp; it is fried, boiled or steamed before consumption. Most often in markets and cafes they are sold as a snack - banana chips or dessert "bananas in batter."
Bananas contain more vitamin B6 than other fruits; it is this vitamin that is responsible for good mood, and due to its high phosphorus content, banana is called a fruit for intelligence.
By weight, the banana harvest 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 quite a long time. In addition to fruits, young shoots of plants can be eaten; for example, in India they are used to prepare curry. In Bali, we tried to make our own curry from young shoots, but apparently we didn’t take something into account - it turned out to taste very bitter.
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 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 ate from such a leaf many times; Indians believe that the leaf on which dinner is served gives the food a distinctive taste.
Fun fact: the world record for eating bananas is 81 bananas per hour!
The world's largest collection of bananas, including more than 470 varieties and about 100 species, is located in Honduras.
Cocoa
Now we are not talking about dried cocoa beans, but about the plant itself and its fruits. We first encountered it in Bali, and can sometimes be found in fruit stands or coffee plantations.
The ripe fruit is bright yellow, large, 15-20 cm, shaped like a lemon, equipped with longitudinal grooves, inside there are many large seeds, arranged in several rows and surrounded by white juicy pulp, which you can enjoy. We wrote more about the cultivation, drying and production of cocoa butter and cocoa powder, which are subsequently 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 become quite familiar with and taste thoroughly. There are still so many interesting fruits in Asia that we are just looking at or have tried once, but have not yet understood the taste, that the fruit topic is not yet closed
What fruits do you like? Or maybe you have tried some interesting exotic fruit that we haven’t written about? Share this in the comments, we’ll be happy to read it!
: vespig.wordpress.com
A short tour of the fruits of Thailand, their descriptions, prices and seasonality. There are a lot of fruits, and they all deserve special attention, because they are incredibly tasty and unusual.
(Durian)
Thai name: too rian / too-ree-an (Turian)
This is the most popular fruit in Thailand! There is so much talk about it that no other fruit is talked about. Durian is often debated, as it has many passionate lovers and haters.
The season of this divine fruit of Thailand begins from April-May to September, with the peak in August. When it ripens, its amazing aroma begins to be very noticeable through the peel, which can begin to burst on its own, although it is very thick and tough. The ripe pulp is very creamy, reminiscent of ice cream or cake cream, sometimes condensed milk. When people try durian for the first time, many people think that its sweetness has a hint of fried onions, and sometimes tastes like dumplings/whites. But after the second or third taste of durian, no one feels anything like it. There are many varieties of durian, and they all differ greatly in both taste and appearance.
Durian pulp is slightly fatty, about 5 grams per 100 grams of product. This is a very filling fruit! Typically, durian lovers eat so much of it that they quickly gain weight.
It is best to buy unpeeled durian and either peel it yourself or have the sellers do it for you. The thing is that already opened, peeled durian quickly oxidizes in air, which is why it can acquire an unpleasant smell and taste. A fresh, good durian will never cause any discomfort.
Inside the pieces of pulp, which can be yellow, orange and white, there is one large brown seed. Durian is usually eaten with hands, without any utensils.
(Jackfruit)
Thai name: ka-noon / kha-nun (kanNun)
This is the largest fruit in the world! Its weight can reach 40-50 kg. In Thailand, it is most often sold already peeled, precisely because of its large size, as well as because of the problems when cutting it. The fact is that the layers between the segments of jackfruit pulp contain a sticky substance - latex... which can only be washed off with oil (coconut, vegetable or other).
On average, jackfruit fruits weigh 10-15 kg, and one fruit contains from 100 to 500 segments of pulp (lobes), each of which has a large seed inside. Thais do not throw away jackfruit seeds, but fry and eat them. They resemble in taste and consistency fried potatoes. And raw jackfruit seeds are, accordingly, raw potatoes.
(Carambola, Star Fruits)
Thai name: ma-fuang (MafuAn)
A very juicy, watery fruit, but the taste is not particularly bright (slightly sour). This fruit is more beautiful than tasty. Maybe someone will like it, but I wasn’t into it.
Season: all year round.
(Wax Jambu, Java Apple, Rose Apple, Water Apple, Bell Fruit, Malay apple)
In Thai: Chom-phoo.
Something like carambola, a beautiful fruit and very juicy, but the taste is not bright... pine. It even felt like I was chewing Christmas tree needles. The shape is unusual, like a bell.
Season: winter and spring (but available all year round)
Pineapples
Thai name: saparot (saparOt)
Thai pineapples are incredibly sweet. There are three varieties:
1) Elongated, prickly yellow pineapples with bright yellow flesh of a dense consistency, like cabbage.
2) Plump pineapples with green or yellow-green peel and light yellow almost white flesh, very delicate consistency, super juicy.
3) Tiny sugar mini pineapples.
Season all year round.
Read about all the varieties of pineapples in Thailand.
Watermelons
Thai name: taeng mo
Thai watermelons are incredibly sweet by tropical standards. Much sweeter than Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Their sweetness is similar to that of Vietnamese watermelons. The most common variety is small watermelons with dark skin. Their weight is on average from 2 to 4 kg.
There are also yellow watermelons in Thailand. Externally, they differ in the color of their peel - it is light green with characteristic stripes. Yellow watermelons in Thailand are significantly more expensive than red ones. By the way, they taste different from red ones, no matter what they say. Red watermelons have their own signature watermelon flavor that yellow ones don't have. Yellow watermelons are simply sweet.
Bananas
Thai name: kluey / kluai (klui th)
In Thailand there are also large bananas, like the Ecuadorian ones, which are sold in Russia, but the small bananas are most valued here. The most common Thai bananas are as follows:
1) Small plump ones with plush skin (they are also Thai hairy bananas). The variety is called . They have white, sugary pulp; they often come across large black seeds, almost the size of a pea. You need to choose such bunches of bananas of this variety that there is not an ounce of green color on the peel; it is even better that the peel begins to turn black. Then the bananas will be truly tasty and sweet.
2) Small thin elongated bananas. Very aromatic, with white sweet flesh.
3) Small short bananas. They have bright yellow flesh, strong sweetness and rich aroma.
Season all year round, they grow like weeds in Thailand.
Pomelo(Pummelo, Shaddock)
In Thai: som-oh.
Very different from those brooms that are brought to Russia. Thai pomelos have a very pleasant taste, not intrusive, but bright. The varieties with pink flesh are especially tasty.
Thai name: som (som)
These are Thai tangerines. Their peculiarity is that the skin is often completely Green colour or green and orange, while the flesh is always bright orange, with a bright taste, not like classic tangerines. Season all year round.
By the way, tropical citrus fruits always have green peel due to climatic conditions. Only in cooler climates does the peel turn orange.
It is a relative of the mango. Small sweet and sour fruits. For Thai plum to be truly tasty, you need to choose super ripe fruits. Otherwise, this fruit will be tart, sour and completely tasteless.
Season from December to March.
Thai name: som-tra (somtra)
These are imported oranges from the USA. Thailand does not grow its own oranges.
Their prices vary, from 39 to 140 baht/kg.
Melons
The taste of Thai melons is not at all bright; they are more like sweet pumpkins. Juicy, refreshing, but cannot compare with Uzbek Torpedoes. Small, 1.5-2 kg. Beige costs 35 baht/kg, yellow 79 baht/kg and green 99 baht/kg. Their consistency is not quite melon-like - more watery.
(Lychee, Lichee)
Thai name: lin-chi (linchi)
Santol(Thai apple, Santol, Kechapi)
A round fruit, the size of an apple, beige in color. Inside are white slices containing small seeds. In appearance and taste, the pulp resembles mangosteen, but is still less tasty. The santol seeds are not separated from the pulp at all, which is why few people like this fruit.
Season: May-August.
Grenades(Pomegranate)
Thai name: phila
Thai pomegranates have light skin. Not as tasty as Uzbek and Turkish ones.
Season: August-October.
In Thailand, very, very few of them are grown, which is very strange, because... In all countries bordering Thailand, everything is fine with avocados. It is Thai avocados that can be found on sale in September and October, but in limited quantities. Price 79 baht/kg. Were spotted in the Makro supermarket and on.
Outwardly, you might think that this is an imported variety, but in fact these are Thai avocados grown in Thailand. And they are smaller than Hass, the consistency is coarser, less fatty, and their taste is pine nut. 
Exotic fruits photos with names: 15 most interesting
Today, in the refrigerator of the average resident of the post-Soviet space, exotic fruits have become familiar, the existence of which we only heard about thirty years ago, but not all of which we have tried. This includes kiwi, pineapple, avocado, persimmon, and, of course, bananas. Moreover, we learned to grow some of the tropical fruits at home. Others have been replenished with species and varieties that can withstand the low winter temperatures of our climate zone, so they can grow here, next to apple and pear trees.
Exotic fruits.
But there is Exotic fruits, which even in megamarkets are a huge rarity, because they cost “too decent” money as a result of complex transportation due to the short storage period. But in tropical countries, these gifts of nature are part of the daily diet. local residents. And... definitely tourists, because it would be a sin, having visited an exotic country, not to get acquainted with the fruits of its plants. In our list you will find 15 of the most interesting, in terms of tasty/healthy, exotic fruits that you definitely need to try, for example, on vacation.
Exotic fruit Carambola
This fruit is called differently in different parts, but the most popular names are “carambola” or “carambola”. You can try it on vacation in the countries of Southeast Asia. Carom is also grown in the American states of Florida and Hawaii. The yellow-green ribbed tropical fruit is known primarily for its non-standard “shape”. If you cut the carambola crosswise, you will get a pronounced star shape - a ready-made decoration for the festive table.
The taste is, as they say, not for everyone. Like gooseberries with a taste of apple and... cucumber? Carom contains so much liquid that it is better to drink than to eat. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, and sodium. Calorie content is only 35 kcal per 100 grams. A dream for those who want to lose weight!
Carambola.
Dragonfruit or pitaya
If you love growing cacti, you should definitely enjoy their fruits at least once in your life. Dragonfruit, or dragon fruit, or pitaya, or pitahaya, grows on a vine-shaped cactus in Central and South America, where it comes from, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia, where it has been successfully cultivated for many years. Dragon fruit looks very exotic - a bright pink elongated “apple”, covered with scales, with bright light green ends. Its tender flesh happens different color, each variety has its own.
Pitaya fruits can be almost tasteless. But it is still noticeable in bright red specimens - it is an approximate mix of banana and kiwi flavors. Pitaya pulp is very watery, rich in small seeds containing tannin, an essential substance for good vision. Another “usefulness” of this tropical fruit is that people with diabetes can eat it without restrictions, since dragonfruit reduces blood glucose levels. True, “without restrictions” is not about this exotic, since overeating pitahaya leads to diarrhea.
Dragonfruit or pitaya
Guava, or psidium
These tropical fruits, having a round or oval shape, they are from 4 to 12 cm in length, grow in the tropics of India, Mexico, Africa and in the countries of Southeast Asia. Guava has a pleasant smell of lemon zest, and its pulp tastes sweet or sour. It is recommended to consume only fresh, ripe psidium fruits. They are very rich in pectin, a substance that removes toxins from the body. Unripe guava is sour and can negatively affect kidney function.
This tropical fruit is eaten with the peel, but if you bought it in a supermarket in Europe or Russia, you should still peel the guava before eating. For long-term storage Guava is treated with chemicals that will not bring any benefit to your body.
Guava, or psidium
Acai, or euterpa vegetable
“Fountain of youth”, “superfood”, “Amazonian pearl” – these are all the names acai berries are called today in advertising publications recommending them as a panacea for rejuvenating the body and losing weight. True, in nature, the Euterpe palm tree, the fruit of which is the acai berry, grows only on the Brazilian shores of the Amazon, and is cultivated only in countries with a tropical climate. The berries themselves have a shelf life of only a few hours! That is, most consumers are familiar with vegetable euterpa from capsules, juices, dietary supplements and nutritional mixtures.
If you have the opportunity to try acai bowl somewhere on vacation in a hot country, be sure to do it! First of all, it's delicious. Each berry tastes like wine with a slight hint of chocolate. And, secondly... No, these are - firstly - the tropical acai berries healthy berries in the world! It is believed that these fruits contain a unique concentration of antioxidants, the energy of which is incomparable to any other fruit or berry.
Acai berries, or euterpe vegetable
Star apple or kainito
You can enjoy these tropical fruits while relaxing in the countries of Southeast Asia, South America, West Africa and India. They have an oval or round shape, up to 10 cm in diameter. The skin of the star apple is either green, purple or brown, depending on the variety. It is thin, but underneath it is a layer of the same color, thicker and also inedible, that protects the sweet and sticky, jelly-like juicy pulp. It tastes like our apple. If you look at a cross-section of kainito, you will see its flesh in the shape of a star.
Only ripe fruits are tasty; they have a slightly wrinkled rind. The star apple is stored at temperatures from +2 to +8 degrees for about three weeks and can easily withstand transportation. So you can bring a couple of these overseas apples as souvenirs from your trip. Cainito is eaten chilled. These are very nutritious tropical apples with a high content of vitamin C.
Star apple, or kainito.
Exotic Jackfruit
The largest tree fruits in the world are jackfruits. India and Bangladesh are considered to be their homeland. There, jackfruits are revered as bread, and the trees on which they grow are called Indian breadfruit trees. They also grow in almost all countries of Southeast Asia. The length of jackfruit can vary from 20 to 90 cm (!), and its weight reaches 34 kg. When tapped, ripe fruits make the same sound as our ripe watermelons. Inside, the jackfruit is divided into large lobes filled with sweet and aromatic pulp. True, there is one “but”. In the bouquet of the aroma of cut fruit, next to the pronounced notes of banana and pineapple, there is also a subtle smell of... acetone.
Ripe tropical fruits are very filling. They contain up to 40% carbohydrates. They are also a source of vitamin A, sulfur, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. The seeds are also tasty and nutritious. Usually, they are roasted like chestnuts. Ripe jackfruit is consumed fresh, while unripe fruits are fried, steamed and boiled like vegetables.
Jackfruit
Exotic fruit Longan
The longan tree grows in Taiwan and China, Indonesia and Vietnam, but you can enjoy its fruits while relaxing in other Asian tropical countries. For example, in Thailand it grows in the northern regions. The thin skin of longan is easily removed. Its color can vary from yellowish-red to brown. The pulp of this fruit is very juicy and sweet, slightly musky. Longan grows in clusters on trees.
They also sell it in bunches, like the grapes we are used to. If you buy one, try one first. There are varieties that are more sour or sweeter. It is not freshly picked longan that is considered tastier, but one that has been sitting for a couple of days. This fruit is an extremely rich source of magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and is considered a powerful antioxidant.
Longan.
Rambutan
Outwardly, it is somewhat reminiscent of walnuts, but it has a hairy skin that protects the tasty and very tender pulp. Rambutan is mainly grown in Southeast Asian countries. The peel of its fruits can be different: either red, or yellow, or white, its color depends on the variety. But, in any case, the peel is not edible.
Ripe rambutan is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins and beta-carotene. It also contains phosphorus, calcium, copper and iron. This tropical fruit is also one of the record holders for the presence of vitamin C and the B group of vitamins (so necessary for beauty).
Rambutan.
Tropical fruit Langsat
Langsat, or longsat, grows in almost every corner of the Earth with a tropical climate. But this fruit is especially popular in Thailand, which exports it to almost every country in the world. Externally, the fruits look “so-so”, reminiscent of new potatoes. But inside, ripe langsat is very sweet, although there are also sour varieties.
Langsat is an essential ingredient in Asian cuisine. It has a specific taste that can add non-standard shades to different dishes. It is boiled and canned, but langsat can also be eaten raw. It makes very tasty drinks. The fruits are widely used in Thai medicine. They are rich in vitamin C, calcium and carbohydrates.
Langsat.
Tropical fruit Papaya
Papaya today is grown in almost all tropical countries, although southern Mexico and Central America are considered its homeland. In our supermarkets in Lately She's dating too. However, those who bought it most often rate this fruit as a rare dislike. At the same time, papaya is one of the most delicious plant fruits in nature! But this can only be said about ripe fruits. They are firm to the touch and have a slightly wrinkled greenish-orange skin. Papaya, as a rule, ends up on the shelves of European stores in an unripe state.
And when ripe it is sweet, juicy and tasty. It only has 39 calories per hundred grams! The beneficial properties of papaya have been known since ancient times. The fruits are rich in papain, a substance that helps the body extract maximum benefits from food. In addition, papaya is a source of calcium and sodium, iron and phosphorus.
Papaya
Exotic fruit Lychee
The fruit of an evergreen tree growing in tropical countries is called differently in different regions: - linchi, liji, lyzhi, laysi or Chinese plum. The harvest ripens in clusters in May-June. Lychee is a red oval “plum” about 4 cm long. Its peel has sharp tubercles, and inside it is a light jelly-like mass, tasty, like sweet grapes.
Fresh liji fruits are always bright. They darken over time and, accordingly, their taste deteriorates. The lychee skin is inedible, but can be easily removed with your fingers. Most European tourists consider Chinese plums the most delicious tropical fruit. But she is valuable not only because of her beautiful taste qualities. Lychee berries contain a huge number B vitamins. Therefore, by eating them on vacation, you have an excellent opportunity to “heal”, among other things, your nails and hair.
Lychee.
passion fruit
This tropical vine is cultivated in hot and humid countries, primarily for its valuable juice. It is very aromatic, so it is added to many other industrially produced juices. Ripe passion fruit is an oval dark purple fruit from 6 to 12 cm in length. To enjoy the aromatic pulp, simply cut the fruit into two parts. Passion fruit seeds are also tasty and edible. They are often used to decorate confectionery products. Passion fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
A very valuable food product due to its ability to remove uric acid from the body. In addition, it is an excellent antipyretic and sedative. They say that one fruit at night helps a lot to fall asleep after a busy day of tourism. When you're in the tropics, be sure to check it out!
Passion fruit.
Mangosteen or mangosteen
There are tropical fruits in nature that contain almost a complete set of vitamins and microelements, in varying quantities included in all the others, known to mankind, fruit. These include mangosteen. If you eat a couple of mangosteen fruits a day, you will fully meet your vitamin and mineral needs. It’s not for nothing that mangosteen is called the king of fruits.
This hybrid, in the creation of which man was not involved, is the so-called polyploid of two tree species. Mangosteen contains not only carbohydrates, proteins, but also fats. And most importantly, it also contains 39 of the 200 natural antioxidants known to medicine today. These tropical fruits taste like strawberries, grapes, cherries and pineapple at the same time.
Mangosteen or mangosteen
Exotic Durian
You still need to look for something as exotic as durian throughout the tropics. Its fruit is huge - up to 30 cm in length and up to 8 kg in weight. It is all covered with pyramidal spines, and inside there is juicy tender pulp, divided into five chambers. It is very popular in its homeland - in the countries of Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Brazil. You will probably never hear such conflicting reviews about the same fruit again. For some, the taste of durian is reminiscent of nut-cheese paste, others claim that it is similar to custard, others think that durian tastes like a banana seasoned with spices, or dried persimmon with strawberries... In general, try it and share your opinion .
Durian is a rich source of vitamins B and C and is the only edible fruit containing organic sulfur. It’s important to know one more thing about durian – it has a very unpleasant smell! It is not allowed to be brought into a hotel or public transport in its fresh form. Durian is exported only dried or canned. And at least a few hours before and after eating durian, you should refrain from drinking alcohol. This is fraught with health complications!
Durian
Mango
Among other exotics, mango has recently seemed less and less exotic to us. We are starting to get used to it, just as we once got used to kiwi and pineapples, because more and more often you can buy mangoes in supermarkets in large cities in Russia and neighboring countries. In India and Pakistan, where mangoes come from, this tree is considered national symbol. This crop is cultivated in almost all countries with a tropical climate. 300 species of mango have been bred, 35 varieties of which are grown on an industrial scale.
Therefore, it is difficult to say about the ripeness of this tropical fruit by its color; the color of the fruit depends on its variety. Mangoes are also eaten unripe; many people like these fruits even more than ripe ones. If desired, the mango can be placed in a dark place at room temperature and the fruit will “reach the desired condition” in a week. The main difference between mango and all other fruits is that its fruits are rich in essential amino acids, which a person can only obtain from food. And it contains five times more carotene than tangerines! Well, of course, a whole range of vitamins and microelements is also available. By the way, some nutritionists consider the mango-milk diet to be the most balanced.
Mango
But, we hope, you won’t lose weight on vacation... Therefore, remember that mango, first of all, is simply very, very tasty!
Attention! Write in the comments to the article, which of these exotic fruits have you tried? Which ones did you like and which ones did you not? What does this or that fruit taste like?