Fruits and their names. Exotic fruits of the world: from papaya to marang

Lychee (Litchi, Chinese plum, Litchi).

The round fruit is red, up to 4 cm in diameter. A wonderful, very tasty fruit. It has one bone in the middle. Look like Longon in shape, texture and bone, but with a richer taste and aroma. Very juicy, sweet, sometimes with sourness. The peel is easily separated from the white-transparent pulp.

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

During the off-season in Asia, you can buy canned Lychee in cans or plastic bags in its own juice or coconut milk.

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

Lychee contains a lot of proteins, pectin substances, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. A very high content of nicotinic acid - vitamin PP, which actively prevents the development of atherosclerosis. The widespread occurrence of Lychee in Southeast Asian countries is the reason for the low level of atrosclerosis in this region.

Rambutan

Rambutan (Rambutan, Ngo, “hairy fruit”).

The round fruits are red, up to 5 cm in diameter, covered with soft spine-like shoots. The pulp covering the seed is a transparent white elastic mass with a pleasant sweet taste, sometimes with a sour tint. The stone is quite tightly connected to the pulp and is edible.

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

Harvest season: May to October.

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

Rambutan is eaten fresh, made into jams and jellies, and canned.

Mangosteen

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

The fruits are the size of a small apple and dark purple in color. Under the thick, inedible peel, there is edible pulp in the form of garlic cloves. The pulp is sweet with sourness, very tasty, unlike anything else. Typically seedless, although some fruits contain small, soft seeds that can be eaten.

Sometimes diseased Mangosteen fruits are found, with dark creamy, sticky and unpleasant-tasting pulp. Such fruits cannot be identified until you peel them.

The harvest season is from April to September.

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

Eye of the Dragon

Dragon's Eye (pitaya, pitaya, long yang, dragon fruit, pitaya).

These are the fruits of a cactus. Dragon's eye is the Russian version of the name of this fruit. International name - Dragon Fruit.

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

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

Harvest seasons are all year round.

Durian

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

A fruit famous all over the world for its smell. Almost everyone has heard of it, some have smelled it, and very few have tried it. Its smell is reminiscent of onions, garlic and worn socks. Due to its smell, this fruit is even prohibited from entering hotels, transport and other public places. To remind you of the ban in Thailand, for example, they put up signs with a crossed out image of the fruit.

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

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

Sala

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

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

A fruit with a very unusual, bright sweet and sour taste. To some it resembles a persimmon, to others a pear. It’s worth trying at least once, and then see how you like it...

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

Season - from April to June.

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

“Star of the tropics” - in cross-section, it looks like an asterisk.

The fruit has an edible peel and is eaten whole (there are small seeds inside). The main advantage is a pleasant smell and juiciness. The taste is not particularly distinctive - slightly sweet or sweet and sour, somewhat reminiscent of tasting an apple. The fruit is quite juicy and perfectly quenches thirst.

Sold all year round.

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

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

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

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

Season - from July to September.

Longkong/Langsat

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

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

They have a sweet and sour interesting taste. The fruits are rich in calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates and vitamin C. The burnt skin of Longkong produces an aromatic smell, which is not only pleasant, but also useful, as it serves as an excellent repellent.

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

Season - from April to June.

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

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

Jackfruits are the largest fruits that grow on trees, weighing up to 34 kg. Inside the fruit are several large sweet yellow slices of edible pulp. These slices are sold already peeled, since you yourself cannot cope with this giant.

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

Season - from January to August.

You can risk bringing such a monster home whole; it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. But it is better to buy cut and packaged slices of pulp.

Important! Some people experience an unhealthy reaction in their throat after eating Jackfruit - spasms and difficulty swallowing. Everything usually goes away within an hour or two. Perhaps this is an allergic reaction. Be careful.

Pineapple.

Pineapple fruits do not need any special comments.

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

It is worth mentioning separately about Thai Pineapple - it is considered the most delicious in the world. You should definitely try it and be sure to bring it home with you to pamper your family. For local consumption, it is better to buy already peeled.

Pineapple season - all year round

Mango.

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

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

The fruit is covered with an inedible peel that cannot be separated from the pulp: it must be cut off in a thin layer using a knife. Inside the fruit there is a rather large, flat stone, from which the pulp also does not come out, and it must be separated from the stone with a knife, or simply eaten.

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

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

Noina

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

Another unusual fruit, which has no analogues and is not similar to any of the fruits we are familiar with. Noina's fruits are the size of a large apple, green in color, and lumpy.

Inside the fruit there is sweet, aromatic pulp and many small hard seeds.

It is very inconvenient to clean due to the lumpy skin. If the fruit is ripe, then the pulp can be eaten with a spoon, after cutting the fruit in half.

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

Season - from June to September.

Sweet Tamarind

Sweet Tamarind (Indian date).

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

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

By soaking tamarind in water and grinding it through a sieve, the juice is obtained. Ripe dried tamarind is used to make sweets. You can buy in the store and bring home wonderful tamarind sauce for meat and sweet tamarind syrup (for making cocktails.

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

Season - from October to February.

Mammea americana.

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

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

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

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola).

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

It is quite difficult to clearly recognize the Cherimoya fruit at the first inexperienced glance, since it exists in several types with different surfaces (lumpy, smooth or mixed). One of the tuberculate varieties, among others, is Noina (see above), which is widespread in the countries of Southeast Asia. The size of the fruit is 10-20 centimeters in diameter and the shape of the cut fruit resembles a heart. The consistency of the pulp resembles an orange and is usually eaten with a spoon, it is very tasty and tastes immediately like banana and passion fruit, papaya and pineapple, and strawberries with cream. The pulp contains very hard pea-sized seeds, so be careful, otherwise you may lose a tooth. It is usually sold slightly unripe and hard and must sit for 2-3 days before acquiring its true amazing taste and texture.

The ripening season is usually from February to April.

Noni (Noni, Morinda citrifolia).

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

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

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

Marula (Marula, Sclerocarya birrea).

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

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

The Marula harvest season takes place in March-April.

Platonia wonderful (Platonia insignis)

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

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

Kumquat

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

Kumquat fruits are small (from 2 to 4 centimeters), similar to small oblong oranges or tangerines. The outside is covered with a very thin edible peel, the inside and structure and taste are almost the same as an orange, except that it is a little sour and bitter. Eaten whole (except for the seeds).

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

Guava

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

The fruits come in various sizes (from 4 to 15 centimeters), round, oblong and pear-shaped. The skin, seeds and pulp are all edible.

Passion Fruit/Passion Fruit

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

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

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

The ripening season is from May to August. Passion fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for one week.

Avocado

Avocado is also called American Perseus and Alligator pear. It is generally accepted that Avocado is a fruit. This may be true from a scientific point of view, but in taste it is more of a vegetable.

Avocado fruits are pear-shaped, up to 20 centimeters long. Covered with tasteless and inedible peel. Inside there is dense pear-like flesh and one large seed. The pulp tastes like an unripe pear or pumpkin and is nothing special. Avocados are more often used for cooking than for eating raw. So you shouldn’t rush to try this fruit. But dishes prepared with Avocado can greatly diversify the holiday table. On the Internet you can find many recipes for avocado dishes, including salads, soups, main courses, but on vacation you are unlikely to need all this, so you can not look at Avocado.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, breadfruit, pana)

Breadfruit should not be confused with Jackfruit. Jackfruit, although known as Indian breadfruit, is actually a completely different fruit.

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

Breadfruit fruits are round in shape, very large, can reach 30 centimeters in diameter and four kilograms in weight. Ripe fruits are consumed raw, like fruits, and unripe ones are used as vegetables in cooking. It is better to buy ripe fruits on vacation, or even better, already cut into portions, because... You are unlikely to be able to cut up and eat the whole fruit. When the fruit is ripe, the pulp becomes soft and slightly sweet, reminiscent of banana and potato in taste. This is not to say that the taste is outstanding, and therefore breadfruit is not often found in tourist fruit markets. The taste of bread can only be felt when the unripe fruit is cooked.

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

Jabuticaba

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

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

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

The tree bears fruit almost all year round.

Kiwano Melon is also known as Horned Melon, African Cucumber, Antillean Cucumber, Horned Cucumber, Anguria. Kiwano really looks like a large cucumber when cut. Although whether it is a fruit is still a question. The fact is that Kiwano fruits grow on a vine. It is cultivated mainly in Africa, New Zealand, and the American continent.

Kiwano fruits are oblong, up to 12 centimeters in length. The color varies from yellow, orange and red depending on the degree of ripening. Under the thick skin, the flesh is green and tastes somewhat reminiscent of cucumber, banana and melon. The fruit is not peeled, but cut into slices or in half (like a regular melon), and then the pulp is eaten. Both unripe and unripe fruits are consumed raw. Unripe fruits can be eaten with seeds as they are soft. It is also used with salt.

Miracle fruit

The magic fruit grows in West Africa. It does not have an outstanding exotic taste, but it is famous and interesting because after you eat it, all foods will seem sweet to you for about an hour. The fact is that the Magic Fruit contains a certain protein that temporarily blocks the taste buds on the tongue that are responsible for sour taste. Therefore, you will be able to eat lemon and it will taste sweet to you. True, only freshly picked fruits have this property, and during storage they quickly lose it. So don’t be surprised if the “trick” doesn’t work on the fruit you bought.

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

The magical fruit bears fruit almost all year round.

Bael (Aegle marmelos)

Bail is also sometimes called “Stone Apple” because of its peel. Very widespread in the countries of Southeast Asia.

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

The fruits are round or pear-shaped with a diameter of up to 20 centimeters. The ripe fruit is yellow. Inside there is pulp and several seeds covered with hairs. The pulp is yellow, fragrant, not too sweet and slightly astringent.

If you don’t manage to try the fruit fresh (which, in general, you shouldn’t worry about), you can buy tea made from the fruits of Bail, called Matum. It is a fruit cut into circles and dried. It is believed to be very effective in the treatment of colds, bronchial and asthmatic diseases.

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

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

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

The term “fruit” appeared in 1705 and since then has meant edible or inedible fruits of trees and shrubs (previously, all plant fruits were called vegetables). The product is one of the main components of the human diet, since, depending on the variety, it contains many vitamins and microelements. According to rough estimates, there are just over 2000 fruits on the planet.

Apricot

A small tree or large shrub with a wide-rounded crown. Its reddish-brown or brown-olive, shiny, bare shoots, often in places (but not entirely) covered with a grayish film, buds 2-3 side by side, are very elegant. Very decorative during flowering, decorated with numerous large white or pale pink flowers, with dark red reflexed sepals. The apricot is no less beautiful at the time of fruiting, decorated with velvety-pubescent, often blushing, sweet, rounded fruits with a longitudinal groove up to 3 cm in diameter. The tree loves light and tolerates drought well, lives up to 50 years or more.

Avocado

Interest in avocados is constantly growing last years, but still few people know that there are varieties whose fruits are more like bottle gourds; there are black, pimply, oval and huge spherical avocados. Moreover, some of these varieties differ from each other three times in a number of important indicators of chemical composition. However, with the help of properly selected varieties, people in different parts of the world take care of their skin condition, hair health, treat atherosclerosis, alleviate the symptoms of arthritis and normalize the functioning of the nervous system.

Cherry plum

Strongly thorny branched multi-stemmed trees, sometimes shrubs, with thin brownish-green shoots, 3-10 meters high. Cherry plum flowers are white or pink, solitary. Blooms in early May. The fruits of the cherry plum ripen in August-September. An excellent honey plant and rootstock for plums.

A pineapple

Everyone knows that sweet ripe pineapple is added to salads, yoghurts and pies. Fewer people know that pineapples can be fermented and made into cabbage soup. Even fewer have heard that pineapple leaves are used to produce a light and durable leather substitute, new types of fabric, and nanofiber, which has become an alternative to plastic. And very few people know that scientists today, using the enzyme bromelain contained in pineapple, are finding new ways to treat respiratory diseases, angina pectoris, ischemia, and are also actively exploring the potential of the enzyme in the fight against cancer cells.

Annona (guanabana)

The tree in natural conditions reaches 6m in height, in a room it is much lower. Unlike some other annonas, this is an evergreen tree. The leaves are oval or oblong, glossy, leathery, dark green, up to 15 cm long. They have a slightly spicy odor, especially noticeable when rubbed. The flowers are fragrant, large (up to 4.5 cm in diameter), consist of three yellow-green fleshy outer petals and three pale yellow inner ones, and can appear in different places - on the trunk, branches and small twigs. Flowers never fully open. Guanabana fruits are oval or heart-shaped, often irregular in shape, up to 30 cm in length, 15 cm in diameter and weighing up to 3 kg, dark green in color, becoming yellow-green when ripe.

Orange

ABOUT useful properties There are many legends about the orange, some of which, however, are not confirmed by anything. For example, some believe that orange breaks all records for vitamin C content, although in fact it does not stand out among other citrus fruits in this parameter. Others believe that orange fruits (or freshly squeezed juice) can effectively burn fat and help you shed extra pounds in your diet. This is also not entirely true.

Banana

Bananas have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-allergenic properties. With the help of banana components (dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline and norepinephrine) they treat atherosclerosis, hypertension, increase the activity of the liver enzyme, relieve convulsions, and small doses of banana increase the quality and quantity of sperm. The main thing is not to abuse the banana diet, so as not to get the opposite effect, and also not to provoke problems with excess weight and varicose veins.

Bergamot

Bergamot is a hybrid species of artificially bred plant of the Citrus genus. The plant was obtained by crossing orange and citron. Bergamot peel contains valuable essential oils used in the cosmetics and perfume industries, as well as in medicine.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit (English) grape And fruit- grapes and fruit) is a citrus yellow-orange fruit that grows in subtropical climatic latitudes. Grapefruit grows on an evergreen tree of the same name, reaching a height of 13-15 m. The ripe fruit is no more than 15 cm in diameter. external signs grapefruit is most similar to an orange, but its pulp is more sour and the inner white veins are bitter. Many scientists believe that grapefruit appeared in India as a result of natural hybridization of pomelo and orange.

Pear

This is a fruit plant with a multi-thousand-year history of cultivation, which almost all this time has been fighting for the right to be no worse than its close relative - the apple. And the pear is really no worse. Potassium, antioxidants, coarse dietary fiber, lower amounts of fruit acids, fiber-related “light” sugars and others useful material make this fruit both tasty and healthy, and in some cases medicinal. For example, the ability of pears to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and prevent strokes has been experimentally proven.

Guava

A small evergreen tree up to 3-4 m high, it belongs to the myrtle family and tolerates drought well. Blooms once or twice a year. It produces one main harvest - up to 100 kg per tree and 2-4 additional, much smaller harvests. Guava ripens ninety to one hundred and fifty days after flowering. The shape and size of the fruit are extremely variable. Guava looks like a lumpy green or yellow apple. Guava fruits are round and pear-shaped, with bright yellow, reddish or green thin skin. The weight of fruits of cultivated varieties is from 70 to 160 g, fruit length is from 4 to 6.5 cm, diameter is 4.8-7.2 cm. Due to the content of hexahydroxydiphenic acid ester and arabinose, unripe fruits have a very sour taste, which disappears in ripe fruits.

Jackfruit

A plant of the mulberry family, a close relative of the breadfruit tree. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh. Jackfruit fruits are the largest edible fruits growing on trees: 20-90 cm long and up to 20 cm in diameter, they weigh up to 34 kg. Their thick skin is covered with numerous cone-shaped projections. Young fruits are green, when ripe they become green-yellow or brown-yellow and when tapped they make a hollow sound (unripe fruits are hollow). Inside, the fruit is divided into large lobes containing yellow, aromatic, sweet pulp consisting of juicy soft fibers. Each lobe contains one rather large oblong white seed, 2-3 cm long. The cut jackfruit fruit has a pleasant specific smell, slightly reminiscent of banana and pineapple.

Dragon Fruit (Pitahaya)

An extraordinary fruit. It is currently grown in southern Mexico, some countries in Central and South America, Vietnam, and also in Israel (in the Negev Desert). Depending on the species, the size of pitahaya fruits, the color of the pulp (white, pink, purple), the color of the skin (from yellow to orange, from red to purple) and the texture of the surface of the fruit (with small outgrowths, with thin colored scales) vary. The pulp of the dragon fruit is always filled with small black seeds, which are usually peeled out.

Durian

Durian has such a disgusting smell that you are unlikely to be allowed into a public place with it. However, if you overcome your disgust or simply close your nose and taste the juicy pulp, you will immediately understand where the concept of the king of fruits came from.

Carambola

An evergreen, slow-growing tree 5 m high with drooping branches and a dense, highly branched, rounded crown or shrub. The leaves are soft, dark green, smooth on top and covered with whitish pubescence below. The leaves are sensitive to light and cluster together at night. The flowers are small pink or purple-red. Carambola fruits are fleshy, crispy and juicy, slightly spicy, with massive ribbed growths, ranging in size from a chicken egg to a large orange. Ripe carambola fruits are amber yellow or golden yellow in color. They are unusual in shape - they look like a ribbed airship.

Kiwi

The herbaceous vine Actinidia sinensis and its fruits are berries with green flesh and brown skin covered with small hairs. The history of the kiwi is quite unusual. The homeland of the vine called mihutao, which became the ancestor of kiwi, is China.

Clementines

Clementine or Citrus clementina is a variety of tangero. This is a hybrid of orange and tangerine. It was created back in 1902 by Father Klemen, who was not only a priest, but also a wonderful breeder. The shape of the fruit is the same as that of a tangerine, but they are much sweeter.

Kumquat

whale. golden orange
A yellow-orange tropical fruit of the citrus family of evergreens. This fruit also has other names - kincan and fortunella. Externally, the kumquat looks like a very small oval orange. It reaches a maximum of 5 cm in length and 4 cm in width. The fruit is consumed completely with the peel. The taste of the fruit is very close to the sour tangerine, but the peel has a sweet-tart taste. The kumquat is native to the southern part of China.

Lime

Lime is a fruit of a plant of the citrus family native to India, genetically similar to lemon.
Lime is a small tree or bush with a height of 1.5 to 5.0 m. The crown is dense, the branches are covered with short spines. Inflorescences are axillary, with 1-7 flowers, remontant flowering. Lime fruits are small - 3.5-6 cm in diameter, ovoid, the lime pulp is greenish, juicy, very sour. The peel is green, yellowish-green or yellow, and very thin when fully ripe.

Lemon

Although lemon is popularly considered to be the record holder for the amount of vitamin C, in fact, in terms of content ascorbic acid, it does not stand out among other citrus fruits and even lags behind some of its “brothers”. But this does not make it a useless product. Traditional medicine includes lemon in recipes for “a thousand diseases”: from seborrhea and arthritis, to constipation and tuberculosis. A Scientific research aimed at using lemon potential in therapy to restore liver function, reduce “bad” cholesterol and blood pressure.

Lychee

lat. Litchi chinensis– Chinese plum
A small sweet and sour fruit covered with a crusty skin. The fruit grows on evergreen tropical trees, the height of which reaches 10-30 meters. The homeland is China. The fruit has an oval or round shape with a diameter of 2.5-4 cm. The ripe fruit has a dense red skin with a large number of sharp tubercles. Only the pulp of the fruit is used for food, which has a jelly-like structure, and in color and taste resembles peeled white grapes. Inside the pulp there is an oval brown seed. The main lychee harvest occurs in May-June.

Longan (Lam Yai)

The fruit of an evergreen longan tree, common in China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The juicy pulp of longan has a sweet, very aromatic, nephelium-like taste with a peculiar tint. The color of the tough, inedible outer shell of the fruit varies from mottled yellowish to reddish. Like the Chinese lychee, the longan fruit contains a hard, dark red or black seed.

Mango

The evergreen mango tree has a height of 10 - 45 m, the crown of the tree reaches a radius of 10 m.
New leaves grow yellowish-pink in color, but quickly turn dark green. The flowers are white to pink and, once opened, have a scent similar to that of lilies. Ripe mango fruit hangs on long stems and weighs up to 2 kg. Mango peel is thin, smooth, green, yellow or red depending on the degree of ripeness (a combination of all three colors is often found). Mango pulp can be soft or fibrous, and depending on the ripeness of the fruit, it surrounds a large, hard, flat seed.

Mangosteen

Tall evergreen tree up to 25 m high with a pyramidal crown and black-brown bark. The leaves are oval-oblong, dark green above and yellow-green below, 9 - 25 cm long and 4.5 - 10 cm wide. Young leaves are pink. Flowers with fleshy green petals with red spots. The mangosteen fruit is round, 3.4 - 7.5 cm in diameter, covered on top with a thick (up to 1 cm) burgundy-purple inedible peel containing adhesive coloring latex, under which there are 4-8 segments of white edible pulp with seeds tightly adjacent to it . Mangosteen bears fruit late - the first fruits on trees are 9-20 years old.

Mandarin

There are many myths about tangerine. Many people have probably heard that you can’t eat more than 4 fruits a day? This is an exaggeration - there is no common table for everyone indicating the dangerous amount of this citrus. They also say that the green leaves on a tangerine are a sign of its special freshness, that the oranger the peel, the sweeter the fruit, that the naringin contained in the zest directly burns fats, and that citrus fruits in general and tangerines in particular are perhaps the best source of vitamin C. That’s all. This is also not entirely true. But tangerine has properties that have been in demand in folk medicine for a long time, which make it a promising product in the fight against some serious diseases.

passion fruit

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

Medlar

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

Nectarine

A fruit that is a smooth-skinned peach. Despite popular myth, nectarines are obtained through selection or simple mutation of peaches and are not a hybrid of peach and plum.
This classic example of a bud mutation occurred when peach trees self-pollinated. Peach trees sometimes produce nectarines, and nectarine trees sometimes produce peaches. Nectarines were first mentioned in 1616 in England.

Papaya

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

Peach

Tree of the Rosaceae family, has a subgenus almond. It differs from almonds only in its fruits. The leaves are lanceolate with a serrated edge and almost sessile, appearing before the leaves develop, pink flowers. The fruit is a peach, spherical, with a groove on one side, usually velvety. The peach pit is wrinkled, furrowed and pitted.

Pomelo

English pomelo
Citrus fruits of the evergreen tree of the same name. The peel of the fruit is quite thick, and the segments are large, separated by hard white partitions that taste bitter. The color of ripe broom can vary from light green to yellow-pink. Usually only one side acquires a pink color, which was turned towards the sun during ripening. The fruit is a record holder among citrus fruits. Its diameter can be 30 cm, and its weight can reach 10 kg. The taste of pomelo is very close to grapefruit, but the pulp is not as juicy and when peeling, the internal membranes are more easily separated from the edible part.

Pomeranian

It is also called Chinotto or Bigaradia - it is a woody evergreen plant belonging to the Rutaceae family, a species of the Citrus genus. It is considered a hybrid of pomelo and tangerine. Fresh bitter orange is considered inedible, and is valued mainly for its zest. The peel is quite easy to separate from the fruit; you just need to cut it into 4 parts. Orange zest is used to make desserts. It is also often added to ice cream. For this dessert you need to take orange zest and juice, cream and sugar. All this needs to be whipped with a mixer and sent for freezing.

Have you ever wondered what a wide range of citrus fruits there are? The list, of course, is not endless, but very long. Each variety has its own unique taste, unusual appearance and use. All types of citrus fruits have one thing in common - the incredible smell of flowers and fruits. Fruits vary in color, shape, pulp, and brightness of taste, but their bright aroma is their calling card.

It is believed that members of the citrus family were formed as a result of interspecific crossing. Some citrus fruits are obtained naturally, others appeared thanks to the work of breeders. The ancestors of citrus fruits are considered to be lime, tangerine, citron and. Various combinations of the properties and qualities of these fruits have created a whole variety of sweet, sour, sunny citrus fruits.

Agli (Uglifruit)

This citrus fruit is a successful hybrid of mandarin and orange. J. Sharp grafted a cutting from an unsightly plant onto sour oranges and obtained a fruit superior in sweetness. He continued grafting until he developed a sugar variety with a minimum number of seeds. 15-20 years after the first experiment, Agli became popular in European countries. Today, the citrus fruit is grown in Jamaica and Florida from December to April.

The name comes from the English "ugly" and means "ugly". We can safely say that this is the very case when you should not judge by appearance. The yellowish-green, wrinkled skin with large pores and orange spots hides the juicy, sweet flesh underneath. The citrus fruit is easy to peel and separates into orange slices with a pleasant bitterness. The taste can be imagined as a combination of the sugary tangerine with a noble note of grapefruit bitterness.

Uglifruit grows up to 10-15 cm in diameter. The ripe fruit should be heavy in weight. If, when you press on the spots, the fruit is greatly deformed, it means that it is overripe and has already begun to deteriorate. A special distinction is considered to be the manufacturer's label or trademark printed on the peel. By the way, for decorative purposes the tree is grown in tubs all over the world, including in Russia.

Agli is eaten fresh. In cooking it is used for making marmalade, jams, preserves, salads, yoghurts, ice cream, sauces and candied fruits. Juice is used to flavor drinks and create cocktails.

It’s hard to believe, but this citrus fruit, familiar from childhood, is a natural hybrid of tangerine and pomelo. The plant was first discovered 2500 BC. Its homeland is China, from where, hundreds of years later, the fruit spread throughout European countries. For this reason, the orange is also called the Chinese apple. The orange round fruit is protected by a dense peel that hides large grains of pulp.

It is known that lemon and orange are the most consumed and widespread citrus fruits. Unlike its sour counterpart, the sunny fruit is often eaten in its natural form, and is also used in cooking for making candied fruits, salads, desserts, marmalade, jam, as a filling in chocolates and baked goods. We can’t keep silent about the delicious Orange juice, which is one of the most popular drinks in the world. The peel of the fruit is also used in the production of drinks, although alcoholic, for example, wine or liqueur.

Of course, we are mostly familiar with sweet oranges, but there are also bitter ones (orange), which you will learn about a little later.

Orange wren or blood orange

In addition to the usual orange ones, there are blood oranges. They look very exotic and are often called kings. To his unusual name Citrus fruits have red flesh that ranges from light to rich. The point is the anthocyanin pigment and its concentration in different varieties. Externally, the kinglet looks like an orange, differs in smaller size and red-orange spots on the porous peel. The pulp contains virtually no seeds. The slices are easily separated from each other.

The fruit is a natural mutation of the orange and is similar in taste. Red citrus fruit is eaten fresh or used in salads, smoothies and sweet desserts. The rich juice looks attractive. Most varieties of blood fruit are grown in Mediterranean countries. The most famous of them are Moro, Sanguinello and Tarocco.

Fragrant bergamot is a descendant of bitter orange (orange) and lemon. Southeast Asia is considered the birthplace of the fruit. It is named after the Italian city of Bergamo, where citrus was domesticated.

The pear-shaped, round, dark green fruit is protected by a dense, wrinkled skin. Due to the specific bitter-sour taste, fresh fruit is not often eaten. It is used to make marmalade and candied fruits, and to flavor teas and confectionery products. Essential oil with a pleasant refreshing aroma is used in perfumery.

A citrus fruit native to India, a descendant of the citron and lemon. Outwardly it looks like a round, portly lemon. When rubbed, the leaves emit a delicious scent similar to the spiciness of ginger and the freshness of eucalyptus. The yellow-sandy smooth peel covers pale, almost transparent, sour pulp with numerous small seeds. Due to its piquant taste, gayanima is a popular ingredient in marinades in Indian cuisine.

Scientists have long debated which citrus fruits were the ancestors of the grapefruit. Ultimately, it is believed to be a natural hybrid of an orange and a pomelo. The plant was first discovered in Barbados in 1650, and a little later in Jamaica, in 1814. Today, citrus has spread to most countries with a suitable subtropical climate. The name comes from the word "grape", which means "grapes". When ripe, grapefruit fruits gather close together, resembling bunches of grapes.

The large round fruit reaches 10-15 cm in diameter, weighs about 300-500 g. Under the dense orange shell hides the pulp, divided by bitter partitions. This variety of citrus fruits has a variety of sweet grain colors: from yellow to deep red. It is believed that the redder the flesh, the tastier it is. The number of small seeds is minimal; there are representatives with their complete absence.

When choosing grapefruit, give preference to heavy fruits. The fruit, unlike other citrus fruits, can retain its taste properties for a long time, even with heat treatment. Grapefruit is eaten fresh and used as an ingredient in dishes and drinks: salads, desserts, liqueurs and jams. Delicious spicy candied fruits are made from the peel. The fruit is peeled and freed from partitions, or cut crosswise, after which the pulp is eaten out with a small spoon. The fruit, like the juice, due to its composition, is included in the list of products for weight loss.

An intraspecific hybrid of tangerines - dekopon, which is also called sumo, was discovered in Nagasaki in 1972. Citrus lives in Japan, South Korea, Brazil and some US states is grown in large greenhouses. Fruits mainly in winter. Unlike its ancestors, the citrus fruit is larger in size and decorated with a large, elongated tubercle at the top. The orange peel peels off easily and peels off. Beneath it lies sweet, plump, seedless flesh.

From the name it is clear that citrus comes from India. Outwardly, it looks like a voluminous tangerine with a textured peel and brightly defined segments. The fruit is used in folk medicine and in spiritual rituals. This is one of the oldest ancestors of citrus fruits. Currently considered endangered.

Yekan or anadomican, whose homeland is Japan, still remains a mystery to breeders. Many are inclined to believe that this is a hybrid of pomelo and tangerine. The fruit was first discovered in 1886, and has been bred in China for some time.

Yekan can be compared to grapefruit. The fruits are similar in size, weight and methods of consumption. The fruit also has a slight bitterness from the partitions, but the pulp itself is much sweeter. The bright orange, sometimes red anadomican is loved by the inhabitants of Asia. Farmers have even learned to grow citrus with five corners.

The second name of the citrus fruit is Estrog. Separate view citron, contains virtually no pulp, is used in religious ceremonies. Very large, grows 1.5-2 times larger than a human palm, slightly tapering from the base. The peel is massive, lumpy, elastic. The pulp is a little cloying and does not have a pronounced aroma.

Indian lime comes from the country of the same name. Also called Palestine and Colombian lime. The fruit is considered a hybrid of the Mexican lime and sweet citron. According to other sources, this is the result of crossing lime and limetta. Unfortunately, attempts by scientists to breed this variety in laboratory conditions were unsuccessful.

Light yellow fruits are spherical, or vice versa, slightly elongated. The thin, smooth peel has a light, subtle odor. The pulp is transparent yellow, slightly sweet, even a little bland in taste, due to the lack of acids. The fruits of this plant are not eaten. The tree is used as a rootstock.

Ichandarin (Yuzu)

A very interesting result of the hybridization of sour mandarin (sunki) and Ichan lemon. An ancient citrus plant of China and Tibet, it is considered an integral ingredient of national cuisine. Externally, Ichandarin (aka Yunos or Yuzu) looks like a green, spherical lemon. The pulp is very sour, with a light tangerine taste and a refreshing aroma. In cooking it is used as an alternative to lemon or lime.

The citrus fruit is also called kabusu. This is a hybrid of bitter orange with primitive citrus fruits (papeds). Kabosu is native to China, but residents of Japan also cultivate this plant. The fruit is picked from the tree as soon as it turns bright green. Outwardly, it is very similar to a lemon. And if you leave it on the branch, the kabusu turns yellow and becomes completely indistinguishable from its citrus counterpart.

The sour fruit has transparent amber pulp with a light lemon aroma and a large number of small, bitter seeds. Citrus is used to prepare vinegar, marinades for fish and meat, seasonings, desserts, alcoholic and soft drinks. The zest is used to flavor confectionery products.

Calamansi or musk lime is a citrus fruit that is shaped like a miniature spherical lime. The taste clearly tastes like a combination of tangerine and lemon. It is considered the oldest citrus fruit, which served as the ancestor for many representatives. Prized in the Philippines. The fruit is used in cooking as an alternative to lemon or lime.

Calamondin (Citrofortunella)

Despite the fact that the plant is also called dwarf orange, there is no direct relationship between the citrus fruits. The citrus fruit comes from the tangerine and kumquat. The tree was discovered in Southeast Asia and has spread throughout the world due to its unpretentiousness to temperature conditions. Citrofortunella can be grown at home as an ornamental plant. The fruits are small, round, similar to a small tangerine. Everything about this fruit is edible, even the thin orange peel that protects the sugar pulp. Jam and candied fruits are made from juicy mini-citrus with an unusual taste. The juice acts as an excellent marinade and addition to main courses.

The citrus fruit is called sour orange, for its appearance and properties inherited from its ancestors: lemon and orange. Citrus looks like a heavy, wrinkled lemon. Beneath the thick, warm yellow rind is orange flesh with a subtle, subtle citrus scent. Due to the unusual bitter-sour taste, the fruit is not eaten raw. Candied fruits and marmalade are prepared from it, and the juice is used as a seasoning. Seeds, leaves, flowers and peels serve as raw materials for the preparation of oil used in cooking and perfumery.

The plant is often used to decorate urban landscapes, or to grow citrus fruits with an underdeveloped root system. In folk medicine, carna is considered a medicine against diseases of the circulatory, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

Additional names for the fruit are citrus Kombava. This citrus with inedible sour pulp reaches approximately 4 cm in diameter. The dense, wrinkled, light green peel is extremely rarely used in cooking. It may seem that citrus fruit has no special significance for humans. This is wrong. The plant is valued mainly for its dark green foliage. Traditional Thai, Indonesian, Kampuchean, and Malay dishes cannot do without it. Tom Yam soup is not possible without aromatic leaves with a piquant sourness.

A Japanese citrus fruit grown as an ornamental plant. Bitter orange or canaliculata is the result of crossing bitter orange and grapefruit. The sandy-orange fruits are considered inedible due to their strong sour and unpleasant bitter taste.

This is the sweetest hybrid of mandarin and orange, created by Pierre Clementin at the beginning of the 20th century. Externally, the citrus is similar to a tangerine, distinguished by its rich saffron color and matte smoothness of the peel. The juicy, aromatic pulp surpasses its ancestors in sweetness and contains many seeds. The fruits are consumed fresh and used in cooking in a similar way to their ancestor fruits.

An unusual citrus fruit - a hybrid of Fingerlime and Limandarin Rangupr. Citrus was first discovered in Australia in 1990. The small fruits have a rich red-burgundy color. Blood limes are slightly sweeter than lemons and are eaten fresh or cooked.

Citrus is also called Australian, which is associated with the place of growth. Round greenish fruits, thick skin, light, almost transparent pulp. Candied fruits are prepared from the fruit, used to decorate drinks and get essential oil.

A miniature citrus fruit, classified as a separate subgenus Fortunella. , or Kinkan reaches only 4 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter. Citrus originated in Southeast Asia, earning it the name Japanese and Golden Orange. In fact, it looks like a small lemon with a rounded top. The slightly sour flesh is combined with an edible honey rind. The fruit is eaten as an independent product, added to sweet dishes and baked with other products.

Most often, it is the Mexican lime that is mistaken for a representative of this citrus. It is depicted on the labels of drinks and products that contain lime. Light green, neat fruit with very sour, translucent pulp. much more sour than lemon, used in cooking for similar purposes. Aromatic essential oil is extracted from the zest and seeds. Ripe fruits always look heavy for their size.

Regarding Limetta, there is still debate among breeders and citrus growers. It is not known which fruits are the ancestors of citrus. Sweet or Italian lime is considered both a lime and a lemon. It is possible that limetta originated from these fruits. The spherical pink-orange fruit is slightly flattened and pointed at the tip. The pulp is sweet, sour, pleasant in aroma. Beverages, including alcoholic ones, are prepared from citrus fruits, canned or turned into dried fruits.

A colorful citrus fruit, also called limonella, is a delicious hybrid of lime and kumquat, obtained at the beginning of the 20th century. The small, yellow-green, oval fruit originated in China. The skin is edible, sweet, the flesh has an appetizing bitterness. Citrus produces refreshing drinks and meatless dishes with an incredibly pleasant aroma.

The familiar and familiar yellow, sour citrus is an ancient natural hybrid native to South Asia. There are versions that lemons came from lime and citron or orange and lime. In any case, these are healthy citrus fruits - sources of vitamin C. The fruits are oval, yellow, with a narrowed top. Pulp with seeds. Acidity varies depending on the variety and growing conditions. There are many options for consuming citrus: eaten raw, prepared in marinades, sauces, and added to many dishes.

A beautiful, fragrant lemon got its name in honor of the Chinese city of Yichang. This is one of the rare types of citrus fruits that decorate European cities. The citrus fruit is resistant to unfavorable climatic conditions and is decorated with yellow, light green and orange-orange fruits. The greenish beautiful foliage fits perfectly into the urban landscape. The flat fruits, similar to Kaffir lime, have a rich sour taste, so they are rarely eaten raw. In cooking it replaces regular lemon.

Meyer lemon or Chinese lemon is a hybrid of a regular lemon and an orange. It was discovered by Frank Meyer at the beginning of the 20th century. In China, citrus fruit is grown at home. Meyer lemon is distinguished by its large size, rich warm color and pleasant taste, and is valued by gourmets around the world.

Limandarin Rangpur

From the name it is clear that this is a hybrid of lemon and tangerine, from which it inherited its taste and appearance, respectively. First found in the city of Rangpur. The plant is used as a rootstock and used to decorate urban interiors. In cooking, it is used like lemon, serves as an ingredient for making candied fruits and marmalade, and is added to juices for flavoring.

Otaheit is a sweet rangpur discovered in Tahiti in 1813. It has a sugary taste when compared with other limandarines.

Sweet mandarin is a guest from southern China, today grown in Asia and Mediterranean countries. The fruit is round, slightly flattened, with a saffron-orange thin skin and sugary pulp. Color and taste vary depending on the variety. The fruit is eaten fresh, prepared in many dishes, sauces and desserts, and flavored in drinks and baked goods.

Mandarin noble or royal mandarin

A citrus fruit with a noticeable, memorable appearance. Tangor is a hybrid of mandarin and sweet orange. Kunenbo or Kampuchean mandarin came from Southwest China and Northeast India. Outwardly similar to an “aged” tangerine, the dark orange, wrinkled, porous peel fits tightly to the segments, slightly outlining their outline. Rarely found on our shelves. The pulp is very sweet, with a lot of juice and a pleasant aroma. Noble mandarin is eaten on its own, or added to drinks and canned. The peel is used to flavor sweets and liqueurs.

Mandarin Unshio

Like many tangerines, Unshio (Inshiu, Satsuma) originated in China, from where it spread throughout the countries of Southeast Asia. Citrus fruit is characterized by productivity and adapts to low temperatures, therefore presented in European countries, as an element landscape design. Many tangerines imported to Russia belong to this variety.

The fruit is yellow-orange, round, slightly flattened at the top. The juicy pulp is easily separated from the peel and does not contain seeds. Inshiu is sweeter than regular tangerine and similar in use.

The tangerine-kumquat hybrid is also called Orangequat. An attractive plant with an alluring sweet aroma. The fruits are oval-shaped, slightly elongated, similar to a kumquat enlarged many times over. The sweet, edible skin varies in color from orange to deep red-pink. The pulp is juicy, with a pleasant sour taste and slight bitterness. Mandarinquat has a unique taste, which gives scope for gastronomic use. Marmalade and candied fruits are made from it, and alcohol is flavored.

One of the representatives of citron, which will be discussed later. It has a pleasant sweetness and less acidity. Grows in Morocco, ideal for making marmalade and candied fruits.

A delicious citrus fruit, obtained through the efforts of breeders in 1931. Named after the city of the same name where it was bred. We can safely say that this is an excellent combination of tangerine and grapefruit. Round red-orange fruits with a slightly elongated top, reminiscent in shape. The skin is thin but durable and easy to peel off. The pulp is sourish-sweet, with a small amount of seeds. – a storehouse of folic acid, essential for human health. Eat fresh, squeeze out the juice and add to baked goods. Alcoholic drinks are flavored with essential oil and peel.

Citrus with a “purring name” is also called honey. Murcott or Marcotte was developed by scientists in the United States almost 100 years ago by crossing an orange with a tangerine. Today, the sweet citrus fruit has spread throughout the world and is even grown at home. The fruit is identical to tangerine and surpasses it in sweetness and aroma. The only drawback is the excessive number of seeds, of which there are about 30. They are consumed mainly fresh.

A natural descendant of bitter orange and pomelo, found in the 17th century in the land of the rising sun. It looks like a large, elongated pear-shaped lemon. The peels are light yellow, dense, and easy to peel off. The filling is not juicy enough, with a persistent sour taste. Despite the strange gastronomic combination, citrus fruit can be eaten as an independent product.

Despite its name, citrus is not a grapefruit at all. Presumably, it is a descendant of pomelo and grapefruit or a natural tangelo. The place of origin is also unknown.

Compared to grapefruit, the fruit is smaller in size and much sweeter. The thin light green-yellow skin with slight wrinkles is easily removed, revealing the aromatic orange-pink flesh. Citrus produces delicious juice. The addition of citrus enriches the taste of dishes with a light, subtle bitterness.

This is the name given to the descendants of grapefruit and orange. The most popular representative is Chironha, discovered in the mountains of Puerto Rico in the fifties of the last century. The fruits are lemon-orange in color, the size of a grapefruit, and slightly elongated. The pulp is very close to orange in taste. The fruit is canned, candied fruits are made from it, or the pulp is eaten with a small spoon after cutting it in half.

The famous tangor is the result of mixing tangerine and orange, found in 1920 in Jamaica. The citrus fruit is also called tambor and mandora. The fruit is larger than tangerine, with a thick orange-reddish skin. Pulp with a lot of juice and seeds, at the same time combining the taste qualities of its predecessor fruits. Eaten fresh and used in cooking.

One of the memorable, unusual plants, native to Eastern Australia. Fingerlime resembles a finger or a small thin cucumber: an oval, oblong fruit, about 10 cm. Under the thin skin of different colors (from transparent yellow to red-pink), the pulp of the corresponding shade is hidden. The shape of the contents is similar to fish eggs, has a sour taste and a persistent citrus aroma. The original is added to ready-made dishes and decorated with them.

Ancient plants that scientists believe are the ancestors of many citrus fruits, including kumquat and lime. Green fruits with thick, wrinkled skin are covered with dark spots. The pulp is dense, rich in aromatic oil, and therefore inedible. Papedas are frost-resistant and are often used for rootstocks of citrus fruits with an underdeveloped root system.

A plant with very interesting origin. The Tahiti lime, as it is also called, is the result of crossing three fruits: sweet lemon, grapefruit and micro-citrus. A small, rich green, oval-shaped fruit with yellow-light green flesh. First discovered in the United States, it is grown in countries with a subtropical climate. Persian lime is used to flavor confectionery and alcohol products.

A large citrus that came from the shores of Asia and China. It is also called Pompelmus (Portuguese for “swollen lemon”) and Shaddock (after the captain who brought the seeds to western India).

The fruit is large, yellow, similar to a grapefruit, reaches 10 kg in weight. Under the thick, aromatic and oily peel there is a dryish pulp, separated by bitter partitions. The contents are yellow, light green and red. Pompelmousse is much sweeter than grapefruit. It is eaten fresh and included as an ingredient in various dishes. Eg, National cuisine China and Thailand cannot do without this product.

So we got to bitter orange, which is also called Bigaradia and Chinotto. This is a natural hybrid of tangerine and pomelo, inedible due to its specific sour taste. The Asian citrus fruit is mainly prized for its aromatic zest. Today grown in the Mediterranean region, found only in the form cultivated plant. In many countries, oranges have been domesticated and planted in pots to decorate houses and apartments. The round, wrinkled fruits are covered with red-orange skin. It is easily peeled, releasing the pulp of a pleasant lemon-orange color. Jam and marmalade are made from the fruit, and drinks and baked goods are flavored with the zest. The ground peel is used as a spicy spice. Essential oil is used in medicine, cosmetology, and perfume production.

The citrus fruit is considered the most delicious tangerine in the world, also called Suntara or Citrus aureus. It was born in the mountains of India and spread widely throughout countries with a suitable hot climate. In some countries it is grown as a home plant for decoration. Orange smooth fruit with thin skin and sugary, incredibly aromatic pulp. Eat and use like a regular tangerine.

This plant is a close relative of the lemon, also called Trifoliata, wild and rough-skinned lemon. Since ancient times, poncirus has grown in northern China. It is resistant to frost and is often used as a rootstock. Small yellow fruits are covered with soft fluff. The elastic, dense skin is difficult to peel off. The pulp is oily and very bitter, so it is not used in cooking.

Rangeron (Tashkent lemon)

A variety of lemons bred in Tashkent, for which it is also called Tashkent lemon. The smooth, round fruit has a pleasant citrus scent with a slight hint of pine. Inside and out, the fruit is painted a warm, rich orange color. The skin is sweet and is eaten. The taste is similar to an orange with a delicate sourness.

In fact, these are the names of different fruits. Oroblanco was developed in the USA in 1970 by hybridizing pomelo and grapefruit. In 1984, Israeli scientists re-crossed the new plant with grapefruit and obtained a fruit that was superior in sweetness, after which they named Sweetie. Both citrus fruits are also called Pomelit.

The light yellow or greenish fruits are covered with a bitter, thick skin. The soft, yellow-beige color is divided into slices and framed by a bitter film. Virtually no seeds. Sweetie is eaten similarly to grapefruit, cutting in half and scooping out the sweet grains with a teaspoon. Like many citrus fruits, it is used to prepare unusual dishes and candied fruits. Essential oil is popular for making perfume compositions.

The fruit belongs to the bitter oranges and grows in Seville. Outwardly similar to a tangerine, slightly larger in size. It is not eaten on its own due to its unpleasant taste. It is used for making marmalade, flavoring alcoholic products, and also as a rootstock.

A Japanese citrus fruit obtained by combining paped and mandarin orange. Sudachi looks like a slightly round, green tangerine and is covered with a thick peel. The pulp is comparable to lime: light green, juicy, overly sour. The juice is used instead of vinegar, marinades and sauces are prepared from it, and flavored drinks and desserts.

A very sour tangerine that came from China. The small citrus fruits are flattened and packed in orange-yellow thin skin. The pulp is very sour, so it is not consumed in its natural form; it is used as a product for making desserts, marinades and candied fruits. The Sunkata tree is used as a rootstock.

A group of citrus fruits derived from the sweet mandarin (tangerine) and orange is called Tangor. The most famous representatives - Ortanik and Murcott - are described in detail in the article.

It is worth saying that “tangerine” does not apply to botanical terms and plant classification. This is a type of very sweet tangerine grown in China and the United States. The fruit is deep orange in color and is easily peeled from the thin peel. The pulp is juicy, without seeds. Eat and use like a regular tangerine.

Citrus fruits derived from tangerine (sweet mandarin) and grapefruit are called Tangelo. The first plant was obtained in 1897 in the states. One of the brightest representatives is Mineola. Most Tangelos do not grow naturally and require hand pollination. All fruits are large in size and have a sweet taste.

Descendant of orange and tangerine, bred on the island of Taiwan. It is considered the most delicious oriental citrus. Tankan differs from tangerine in its bright red color. The skin is thin and easy to peel off. The pulp is slightly sweet, juicy, and smells delicious. Citrus fruit is used in Japanese dishes.

Thomasville (Citranquat)

The name itself indicates the ancestors of the plant. It is obviously a descendant of kumquat and citrange. The first fruits were obtained in 1923, in the city of the same name in the USA. The citrus fruit looks like a small, pear-shaped lemon with a thin skin. It can be used in different ways depending on the degree of ripeness. Ripe fruits, similar in taste to lime, are used similarly. Green citranquat is used as a substitute for lemon.

African cherry oranges are also called Citropsis, Frocitrus. The plant lives in Africa. Small orange fruits resemble tangerines and smell very tasty. The pulp contains 1 to 3 large seeds. The citrus fruit is consumed like tangerine and is used in African folk medicine. This plant is also considered a powerful aphrodisiac.

The result of hybridization between lemon and tangerine, the appearance and taste of which confuses many people. The fruit looks like an orange lemon and tastes like a sweet and sour tangerine. Like both parents, it is used in cooking.

Another interesting citrus fruit, descended from the sweet orange and the poncirus. Citrange is similar to citrandarine, slightly larger, with a smooth surface. The taste is not the most pleasant, so the fruit is not eaten fresh. It serves as a raw material for making jam and marmalade.

One of the oldest citrus fruits with the largest fruits and thick skin. Cedrate, as it is called, was the first citrus fruit brought to Europe.

The citrus fruit looks like a large, elongated lemon with a characteristic soft color. The peel reaches 2-5 cm, occupies about half the volume. The pulp is sour and may taste cloying or slightly bitter. Fresh fruit As a rule, they do not eat. The filling is suitable for making jam, and the massive shell is used for candied fruits. Essential oil is also obtained from citron, used in many industries.

An original and memorable “Buddha’s fingers” citron. Due to an unknown anomaly, the fruit shoots do not connect with each other, forming a fruit that looks like a human hand. The fruits are yellow-beige in color and contain many seeds and minimal pulp. The fruit smells very nice. Candied fruits, marmalade and jam are prepared from the zest, ground and added as a seasoning to main dishes.

A Japanese citrus with a very interesting taste, the result of crossing mandarin and grapefruit. Large lemon-colored fruits with very thick skin. The pulp is sour, does not have any sweetness, but on the contrary, is a little bitter due to the partitions. The fruit is eaten fresh, like grapefruit.

Citrus halimii

Citrus halimii (Mountain Citron) is a very little known fruit from Southeast Asia. It grows in the Malaysian peninsula and the adjacent peninsula of Thailand and some isolated Indonesian islands. It contains sour fruits. In Thailand, it grows in the rain forests of the southern regions between altitudes of 900 to 1800 m. In fact, this fruit was identified by botanists not long ago. It was first described in 1973.

Medieval tree up to 10 m high with rose hips. The leaves are oval, 8-15 cm long. The flowers are white, fragrant, 1-2 cm. The fruits are round, small, 5-7 cm wide, edible, sour, thick, 6 mm, tightly connected to the flesh, orange at maturity, segments yellow-green, the flesh less juicy. The seeds are large, up to 2 cm, a lot.

Mountain citrus fruits are sour. They are used as nutrients such as lemons in salads and other culinary preparations in Southeast Asia. Mountain citron is collected only from wild ones. It is not cultivated. Many times people simply protect the plant to have it in their home gardens.

Today, there is a real abundance of exotic fruits on store shelves. Not all people know their correct name, and they don’t have the slightest idea about their taste. In our article we will take a closer look at the star fruit. First of all, let's look at what it is called correctly and in which countries it grows. We will also be sure to consider how to choose a ripe fruit so that it will delight you with excellent taste qualities and was beneficial for the body.

What is the name of the star fruit?

In Europe, this fruit is loved for its unusual shape. It is enough to cut it across - and the original decoration for the festive table is ready. On different languages The name of the interestingly shaped fruit sounds different - starfruit, carom, tropical star, star apple. And they all perfectly characterize the appearance of the plant.

The correct name for the fruit with an asterisk, according to scientific classification, is carambola. It belongs to the oxalis family, the genus of woody plants Averroa. The fruits grow on trees with a dense crown reaching a height of 3-5 meters and wide leaves up to 50 centimeters long. Glossy to the touch has a ribbed surface. When cut, the fruit forms a five-pointed star.

Where does carambola grow?

The star fruit is native to Southeast Asia. Carambola grows wild on the island of Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia. The plant is acclimatized in Brazil, Guiana, some US states (Hawaii, Florida), and Israel. Forms from these countries are often imported to Russia.

Tourists can admire how carambola grows when visiting Thailand. The plant blooms several times a year. At this time, its crown is covered with beautiful pink-lavender flowers. After about 2 months, green, ribbed fruits are formed, containing several seeds inside. As the fruit ripens, it turns yellow. The length of the carambola does not exceed 15 cm. The fruit ripening period occurs in May-August.

If desired, carambola can be easily grown at home from ordinary seeds. The plant is unpretentious in care, shade-tolerant, and is not afraid of drafts. Medium watering required.

Taste qualities of exotic fruit

We can definitely say that this fruit is very juicy. But its taste can be completely different. Unripe fruits, namely in this form they are removed from trees for subsequent import to Russia, turn out to be quite sour, with an unpleasant aftertaste. This fruit is more reminiscent of a vegetable, such as a cucumber. Ripe fruits with massive ribbed growths have a fairly sweet taste. Carambola is often compared to gooseberries, apples, cucumbers, grapes and even oranges. One plant combines several flavor notes at once, which is why it is so difficult to describe this tropical fruit. Thanks to its high water content and sweet and sour refreshing taste, carambola easily quenches thirst.

The fruit "star" in cross-section has almost correct form five-pointed star, so it is often used for desserts. At home, carambola can be stored in the refrigerator for about three weeks.

Composition and benefits for the body

One of pleasant advantages The star fruit is its low calorie content. 100 grams of juicy and ripe carambola fruits contain only 34 kcal. The pulp contains a large amount of minerals important for the body (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus and iron), as well as vitamins (C, B1, B2, B5, beta-carotene).

• weakened immunity and vitamin deficiency;
• headaches, dizziness and fever;
• abdominal colic and constipation.

Sweet and sour tropical fruits of unusual shape are a source of antioxidants and have an antimicrobial and antifungal effect on the body. The pulp of ripe carambola helps reduce the level of glucose and cholesterol in human blood.

Asian healers use medicinal purposes not so much the fruits as the leaves and flowers of the plant. But regular consumption of fruits will be enough to improve your condition and improve your health.

Harm and contraindications

Due to the high content of oxalic acid, carambola may not be as beneficial as it seems at first glance. People with kidney, stomach and duodenal diseases should avoid eating sweet and sour fruits with juicy pulp. Oxalic acid can aggravate the course of diseases such as gastritis and enterocolitis. At the same time, residents of Asian countries use the properties of this substance to remove stains, as well as to polish copper and brass.

Excessive consumption of carambola fruits can cause intoxication. Signs of this condition include hiccups, vomiting, numbness, muscle weakness, or insomnia. Intoxication appears within 1-14 hours after eating carambola.

How to choose ripe fruits?

Only fruits ripened on the tree have the sweet taste and pleasant smell of jasmine. They are distinguished by their characteristic bright yellow color and brown stripes on their massive ribs. Unfortunately, they can only be purchased in places where carambola is directly grown. To import fruits hundreds of kilometers away, they have to be picked while they are still green. Such fruits ripen directly on store shelves or in the home refrigerator.

In Russia, choosing ripe carambola fruits will be quite difficult. The star fruit presented in our stores has a light green or pale yellow color. Until the carambola is fully ripened and eaten, it should lie in a room temperature several days or refrigerate for up to three weeks.

How to eat star-shaped fruit?

The unusual shape of carambola allows the fruits, cut into thin slices, to be used as a decoration for drinks, desserts, fruit salads and other dishes. However, the use of the exotic star fruit in cooking is not limited to this.

In Asian countries, carambola is used in the preparation of many interesting drinks and dishes:

1. The juice of the sweet and sour fruit is added to alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, giving them an exquisite taste.
2. Unripe fruits are used as vegetables and are subject to frying, stewing and pickling.
3. Ripe carambola is boiled in syrup and served as a delicious dessert.
4. Sweet, naturally ripened fruits are used in the preparation of jam, marmalade and jelly.
5. In China, cooks add carambola to meat or fish dishes, and also prepare a delicious sauce from it.

When consumed raw, the fruits are not peeled, but eaten straight with a smooth and thin skin. First, the carambola is washed well, removing dirt from the cavities and ribs, and then cut into 1 cm thick slices.

The countries of Southeast Asia are simply a paradise for lovers of tropical fruits. Dragon fruit, mangosteen, tomarillo, durian, snake fruit, and many others exotic names here they cease to amaze and become the norm of life.

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. At the market or in the store, our eyes are always wide open, 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, depending 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. The flesh is white or beige in color and 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 from the body harmful substances, 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 amount of vitamins A, B6, C and E, as well as trace elements - iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. The fruit will be useful for those who suffer from migraines.

We fell in love with this fruit because of 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 figure!) and is thus the main producer (the largest famous variety- mangifera indica ‘Alphonso’), China is in second place in terms of productivity (slightly more than 4 million tons), Thailand is in third (2.5 million tons), Indonesia is 2.1 million tons.

Ripe fruits of different varieties taste very different, most often they are sweet and have pleasant aromas of different shades from honey even to ginger

Arriving in India 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, 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 there is a mandarin duck next to it for comparison). 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 lobes that 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 odor, 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 scary 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 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 into your mouth and remain 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

By appearance very reminiscent of 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 treat a wide range of problems such as indigestion, fever, liver problems and anemia. Kepundung is good for the prevention and treatment of stress, fever, arthritis.
Tamarind (tamarind) or Indian date, 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 quite 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.

Thanks to your healing properties, 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 ate it with pleasure very often in India and Sri Lanka, and in Bali it is our a traditional dish for breakfast 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 the necessary amount of calcium and iron.

Papaya fruits, not only in appearance, but also in chemical composition, are 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", in fact, these are not 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 performance digestive system and liver; normalize thyroid function; relaxes muscles and helps with joint problems; increases immunity and resistance to various infections, reduces the adaptability of bacteria to antibiotics.

The pulp normalizes 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 its high content of potassium salts helps to get rid of excess fluid and even several kilograms of weight. Pineapple dessert improves the digestion of fatty foods and improves metabolism. 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 have not yet become 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 enhance 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

A brown-green fruit, egg-shaped, up to 5 cm in size. Smaller fruits look like small potatoes, and larger ones look like 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 cloyingly sweet if the fruit is ripe.

It is better to choose soft fruits, even if they are a little “shrunken”, they will definitely be sweeter. We first tried this fruit in India and it immediately became our second favorite (after bananas). In India it is called "chiku", so we are more 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 vegetable 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 hanging, especially we saw many 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 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. 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 you will get an unusual taste; papaya will seem even sweeter.

We also often use lemons to make lemon-ginger-honey tea. Lemon contains so much vitamin C that even 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, iambozaili 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 in 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, we liked the yellow, finger and red ones the most, 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 platano, 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!
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