Today in the refrigerator of an average resident of the post-Soviet space, “overseas” fruits have already become familiar, the existence of which thirty years ago we had only heard, but not all had tried. These are kiwi, and pineapple, and avocado, and persimmon, and, of course, bananas. Moreover, we learned to grow some of the tropical fruits at home. Others have been replenished with species and varieties that can withstand the low winter temperatures of our climatic zone, so they can grow with us - next to apples and pears.
But there are exotic fruits, which even in megastores are a huge rarity because they cost as a result of difficult transportation because of the short period of storage, “too decent” money. But in tropical countries, these gifts of nature - part of the daily diet of local residents. And ... surely tourists, because it would be a sin to visit an exotic country, not to get acquainted with the fruits of its plants. In our list you will find 15 of the most interesting, from the point of view of tasty / useful, exotic fruits, which, of course, you need to try, for example, on vacation.
1. Carambola
This fruit is called differently in different places, but the most popular names are “carom”, or “carom”. You can try it on vacation in South-East Asia. Cannon is also grown in the US states of Florida and Hawaii. Yellow-green ribbed tropical fruit is known, first of all, due to its non-standard “figure”. If you cut a carambola across, we get a pronounced star shape - a ready-made decoration for a festive table.
It tastes like an amateur. Like gooseberry with apple flavor and ... cucumber? The cannon contains so much liquid that it is better to drink than to eat. Fruits are rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, sodium. Caloric content is only 35 kcal per 100 grams. A dream for those who want to lose weight!
2. Dragonfruit, or Pitaya
If you like to grow cacti, you should at least once in their life eat their fruits. Dragonfruit, or dragon fruit, or pitahaya, or pitahaya - grows on a lianoobrazny cactus in Central and South America, from where it is born, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia, where it has been successfully cultivated for many years. The dragon fruit looks very exotic - bright pink elongated “apple”, covered with scales, with bright-green ends. Its tender pulp is of a different color, each variety has its own.
The fruit of pitaya can be almost tasteless. But it is still noticeable in bright red specimens - this is an approximate mix of tastes of banana and kiwi. Pitaya pulp is very watery, rich in small bones containing tannin, an indispensable substance for good vision. Another “usefulness” of this tropical fruit is that people with diabetes can eat it without restrictions, since dragonfruit reduces blood glucose levels. True, “without limitation” is not about this exotics, because overeating with pitahaya leads to diarrhea.
3. Guava, or Psidium
These tropical fruits, having a round or oval shape, they are from 4 to 12 cm in length, grow in the tropics of India, Mexico, Africa and in the countries of Southeast Asia. Guava smells like lemon rind, and its flesh is sweet or sweet-sour to the taste. It is recommended to use only fresh ripe fruits of psidium. They are very rich in pectin - a substance that removes toxins from the body. Immature guava is sour, and can adversely affect kidney function.
This tropical fruit is eaten with the peel, but if you bought it at a supermarket in Europe or Russia, you should still peel the guava before eating it. For long-term storage, guava is treated with chemicals that will not bring any benefit to your body.
“Fountain of youth”, “superfood”, “Amazonian pearl” - as soon as the Acai berries are not called today in advertising publications that recommend them as a panacea for rejuvenating the body and losing weight. True, in nature, the Euterpa palm, the fruits of which are the Acai berries, grows only on the Brazilian shores of the Amazon, and is cultivated only in countries with a tropical climate. The berries themselves have a shelf life of only a few hours! That is, most eutep consumers are familiar with vegetable capsules, juices, dietary supplements and nutrient mixtures.
If you somewhere on vacation in a hot country have the opportunity to try Acai, be sure to do it! Firstly, it is delicious. Each berry has a taste of wine with a hint of chocolate. And, secondly ... No, it is - firstly, the tropical Acai berries are the most useful berries in the world! It is believed that these fruits contain a unique concentration of antioxidants, with the energy of which not a single fruit or berry is comparable.
5. Star apple, or Cainito
These tropical fruits can be enjoyed, resting in the countries of Southeast Asia, South America, West Africa and India. Have an oval or rounded shape, up to 10 cm in diameter. The rind of a star apple is either green, purple or brown, depending on the variety. It is thin, but beneath it - a layer of the same color of a thicker and also inedible rind protecting the sweet and sticky, jelly-like juicy flesh. It tastes like our apple. If you look at Cainito in the cut, you will see his star-shaped flesh.
Only ripe fruits are tasty, they have a slightly wrinkled peel. Stellate apple is stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees for about three weeks and easily tolerates transportation. So you can bring a couple of such overseas apples as a souvenir from a trip. Eat Cainito chilled. This is a very nutritious tropical "apples" with a high content of vitamin C.
6. Jackfruit
The biggest fruits of trees in the world are jackftruits. Their homeland is considered to be India and Bangladesh. Jackfruits are revered as bread, and the trees on which they grow are called Indian bread trees. They are also growing in almost all countries of Southeast Asia. Jackfruit length can vary from 20 to 90 cm (!), And its weight reaches 34 kg. Mature fruits when knocking make the same sound as our ripe watermelons. Inside the jackfruit is divided into large shares filled with sweet and fragrant pulp. True, there is one “but”. In the bouquet of the flavor of the cut fruit, next to the pronounced notes of a banana and pineapple, there is a faint smell of ... acetone.
Ripened tropical fruits are very satisfying. Carbohydrates in them up to 40%. And they are a source of vitamin A, sulfur, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. Seeds are also tasty and nutritious. Usually, they are fried like chestnuts. The ripe jackfruit is consumed fresh, and the immature fruits are fried, steamed and boiled like vegetables.
7. Longan
The longan tree grows in Taiwan and in China, in Indonesia and Vietnam, but you can enjoy its fruits while relaxing in other Asian tropical countries. For example, in Thailand, it grows in the northern regions. The thin skin of longan is easily removed. Its color can vary in color from yellowish red to brown shades. The flesh of this fruit is very juicy and sweet, slightly musky. Longan grows in clusters in the trees.
It is also sold in clusters, as if we are familiar with grapes. Will buy, first try one. There are varieties more acidic or sweeter. Tastier is considered not freshly picked longan, but lain for a couple of days. This fruit is an extremely rich source of magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and is considered a powerful antioxidant.
8. Rambutan
Outwardly, something resembles walnuts, but it has a hairy skin that protects the delicious and very tender flesh. Rambutan is mainly grown in Southeast Asia. The rind of its fruit is different: either red, or yellow, or white, its color depends on the variety. But, in any case, the rind is not edible. Ripe rambutan is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, and beta-carotene. It also contains phosphorus, calcium, copper and iron. And this tropical fruit is one of the champions in the presence of vitamin C and (so necessary for beauty) group of vitamins B.
9. Langsat
Langsat, or longsat grows in almost all corners of the Earth with a tropical climate. But this fruit is especially popular in Thailand, which exports it to almost all countries of the world. Externally, the fruits look "so-so", resemble young potatoes. But inside the ripe langsat is very sweet, although there are also sour varieties.
Langsat is a must-have ingredient in Asian cuisine. It has a specific taste that can give non-standard shades to different dishes. It is boiled and preserved, but you can eat langsat and raw. It produces very tasty drinks. Fruits are commonly used in Thai medicine. They are rich in vitamin C, calcium and carbohydrates.
10. Papaya
Papaya today is grown in almost all tropical countries, although its homeland is considered to be southern Mexico and Central America. In our supermarkets in recent times, she also found. However, whoever bought, most often evaluates this fruit as a rare rejection. At the same time papaya is one of the most delicious fruits of plants in nature! But this can only be said about ripe fruits. They are dense to the touch, have a slightly dented greenish-orange peel. On the shelves of European stores as papayas, as a rule, falls into an immature state.
And ripe it is sweet, juicy and tasty. It only has 39 calories per hundred grams! Useful properties of papaya known since antiquity. Fruits are rich in papain - a substance that helps the body extract maximum benefit from food. In addition, papaya is a source of calcium and sodium, iron and phosphorus.
11. Lychee
The fruit of an evergreen tree growing in tropical countries is called differently in different regions: - Lynches, Lidzhi, Lichi, Lai or Chinese plum. The crop ripens in bunches in May-June. Lychee is a red oval “plum” about 4 cm long. Its skin has sharp tubercles, and inside it is a light jelly-like mass, tasty as sweet grapes. Fresh fruit lidzhi always bright. They darken with time and, accordingly, their taste deteriorates. Lychee peel is inedible, but easily removed with fingers. Most European tourists consider Chinese plum to be the most delicious tropical fruit. But it is valuable not only because of its excellent taste. Lychee berries contain a huge amount of B vitamins. Therefore, eating them on vacation, you have an excellent opportunity to “heal”, among other things, your nails and hair.
12. Passion fruit
This tropical vine is cultivated in hot and humid countries, primarily because of its valuable juice. It is very fragrant, therefore it is added to many other juices of industrial production. Ripe passion fruit is an oval dark purple fruit from 6 to 12 cm in length. To feast on the aromatic pulp, the fruit simply cut into two parts. Passion fruit seeds are also tasty and edible. They are often used for decoration of confectionery. Passion fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.
Due to its peculiarity, it is a very valuable food product to excrete uric acid from the body. In addition, it is an excellent antipyretic and sedative. It is said that one fruit for the night helps a lot to sleep after a busy tourist day. When you're in the tropics, be sure to check!
13. Mangosteen, or Mangosteen
There are in nature tropical fruits that contain an almost complete set of vitamins and microelements, in one or another number of the fruits that are part of all other fruits known to humanity. These include mangosteen. If you eat a couple of mangosteen fruits per day, you will fully satisfy your needs for vitamins and minerals. No wonder mangosteen styled king of fruits.
This hybrid, to the creation of which man is not involved, is the so-called polyploid of two types of trees. Mangosteen contains not only carbohydrates, proteins, but also fats. And most importantly - it also contains 39 of 200 currently known natural antioxidants in medicine. To taste, these tropical fruits resemble strawberries, grapes, cherries and pineapples at the same time.
14. Durian
Such an exotic, like durian, you need to look for all the tropics. Its fruit is huge - up to 30 cm in length and up to 8 kg in weight. It is covered with pyramidal thorns, and inside - juicy tender pulp, divided into five chambers. It is very popular at home - in the countries of Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Brazil. You surely will not hear such contradictory reviews about the same fruit. Some people like durian's taste like a nut-cheese paste, others claim that it looks like custard, third it seems that durian tastes like a banana flavored with spices, or dried persimmon along with strawberries ... In general, try, share your opinion .
Durian is a rich source of vitamins B and C and the only one among the edible fruits containing organic sulfur. It is important to know about durians and one more thing - it has a very unpleasant smell! When fresh, it is not allowed to enter the hotel or public transport. Durian is exported only dried or canned. And at least a few hours before and after eating durian, it is worth refraining from drinking alcohol. It is fraught with health complications!
15. Mango
Among other exotic mangoes, it seems to us less and less exotic lately. We are beginning to get used to it, as once we got used to kiwi and pineapples, because even more often you can buy mangoes in supermarkets of large cities in Russia and the near abroad. In India and Pakistan, where the mango comes from, this tree is considered a national symbol. Cultivate this culture in almost all countries with a tropical climate. 300 types of mangoes have been developed, 35 varieties of which are grown on an industrial scale.
Therefore, it is difficult to assert the ripeness of this tropical fruit by its color, the color of the fruit depends on their variety. Mangoes are eaten and immature, many people like even more ripe fruits. If desired, the mango can be put in a dark place at room temperature and the fruit will “reach the desired condition” in a week. The main difference between mango and all other fruits is that its fruits are rich in essential amino acids that a person can receive only from food. And carotene in it is five times more than in tangerines! And, of course, a whole complex of vitamins and minerals is also available. By the way, some nutritionists believe the mango-milk diet is the most balanced.
But, we hope, you will not lose weight on vacation ... Therefore, remember that mango, first of all, is just very, very tasty!
Warning! Write in the comments to the article, which of these tropical fruits have you tried? Which ones did you like and which ones didn't? What does the taste of this or that fruit look like?
