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1. The fruit that tastes like pudding
Also known as the chocolate pudding fruit, the black sapote, grown in Mexico and Central America, tastes bitter if you try to break into its tough skin too early. But if you’re willing to wait, you’ll get a fruit so creamy and chocolatey delicious, even Bill Cosby wouldn’t be able to resist. You’ll know the pudding is ready when the sapote’s hard green casing has turned black and mushy. Then, just crack open the fruit to reveal a gooey dessert that’s been likened to nutty, dark chocolate with exotic fruit undertones.
2. The fruit Queen Victoria wanted desperately
The mangosteen’s got it all. Not only is it loaded with antioxidants, it’s so delicious that Queen Victoria once offered a cash reward to anyone who could get her one. A reddish-purple fruit native to Malaysia, the mangosteen tastes something like a strawberry-orange smoothie. Unfortunately, it’s illegal to import to the United States—not because of the fruit’s addictive flavor, but because mangosteens tend to harbor fruit flies. If ever introduced here, experts fear the little buggers could devastate America’s fruit farms.
3. The fruit that’s related to Godzilla
Monstera Deliciosa: Also called Mexican breadfruit or the Swiss cheese plant, monster fruit has been described as looking like anything from scaly corn on the cob to a bumpy cucumber.
And while its pineapple-custard flavor is said to be out of this world, if eaten too young, the monster fruit’s high level of oxalic acid can cause painful blistering, itching, and loss of voice.
4. The fruit that makes great soap
Rambutan: Although known as the hairy cherry, the rambutan actually looks more like a hairy strawberry (but that’s hardly as funny). Originating in Southeast Asia and cultivated on farms from Africa to Hawaii, rambutans are known for their taste (we hear rambutan jam is especially good) as well as for their use in those über-fragrant, decorative soaps found in fine bathrooms everywhere.
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Comments (35)
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Monstera deliciosa can be purchased at any greenhouse, but I don’t know if they grow the pods indoors. Banana plants can be purchased as well, but will not grow fruit.
posted by gus on 12-8-2007 at 5:24 am
You forgot the fruit that makes bitter/sour things taste sweet
posted by Blah on 12-8-2007 at 5:44 am
Rambutans are AMAZING!
When I first moved to southern China last year I had no idea what they were. Then, once I tried one, I fell in love with them. They’re amazing.
I didn’t figure out what they were called until this past May when I went to Vietnam and I saw a can of Rambutan juice with a label in English.
If you can get these little things- try them!
Yum!
posted by Megan on 12-8-2007 at 6:48 am
No mangosteens in the US? You’ll have to do border runs and pick some up in Canada.
posted by Carole on 12-8-2007 at 7:04 am
I SWEAR by rambutans. They are my favorite fruit, possibly my favorite food. Does anyone know where we can get some in the US?
posted by Lys on 12-8-2007 at 8:07 am
Actually, mangosteens are allowed in the US, and have been since August 2007. They are about $45 a pound, but you can get them.
posted by rachel on 12-8-2007 at 9:58 am
@blah:
i was thinking the same thing. it’s called miracle fruit. i had one at the Inaugural Meeting of the Athanasius Kircher Society earlier this year. after i ate it, i ate a lime and it was one of the tastiest things i’ve ever had.
posted by jesse on 12-8-2007 at 11:29 am
Monstera deliciosa IS amazing. And it’s fun to watch it ripen; the scales fall off.
posted by Aemi on 12-8-2007 at 1:14 pm
Rambutans are really popular in Hawaii, and I’ve seen them around boba tea places here in Texas (but only as a picture to represent the flavor of the tea). Usually in Asian markets in Hawaii, never seen them in a grocery store here. Though I’ve always seen them called Lychees, inappropriately I think.
posted by Johnny on 12-8-2007 at 4:52 pm
I was considering a package of dried rambutan at Trader Joe’s the other week, but another shopper warned me that it was gross. I was in there just a couple of days ago and I think they had cartons of fresh. I think I’ll have to go back and try it.
I’ve always wanted to try durian. I’m surprised it’s not on the list. Apparently it smells like a corpse. I’ve seen it in person, at an Asian market in NJ, and I don’t recall a funky smell, but I did wonder how I was ever going to crack it open — it was huge and covered in spikes. That same market had frozen ready to eat durian, but unfortunately I never got to try it.
posted by Heather on 12-9-2007 at 2:38 pm
A few years back, I had a coworker from China who got a care package from his parents while at work. One of the things it contained was a package of cookies- the wafer kind with thin layers of crisp cookie separated by flavored frosting. These cookies were durian flavored, and when he opened the cookie package, the smell completely cleared the room- it was THAT bad! Smelled like roadkill after a few days in the hot California sun…
Apparently it’s an acquired taste!
posted by Dave on 12-9-2007 at 9:38 pm
Yep, fresh mangosteens have been available for a few months now, nytimes did a whole series of articles about it. i believe you can get them in ny and la… so buy up!
posted by Chlamers on 12-9-2007 at 10:03 pm
You can buy canned mangosteen at Asian grocers in the US…I’ve had some and it is HEAVENLY.
posted by Mary on 12-9-2007 at 10:07 pm
Magosteens are glorious (also known as Mongkut’s after the Thai king/dynasty) rural girls also use the juice from the skin as rouge and lipstick.
posted by LuluJ on 12-10-2007 at 2:38 am
Mangosteens!!!! ahhh I remember eating those in Malaysia – so delicious!
Too bad I’ve never seen them in the UK.
posted by Robustion on 12-10-2007 at 5:58 am
If you get the chance to try a Kiwano, I recommend it. Bizarre looking fruit (inside and outside), but very tasty.
posted by Jason! on 12-10-2007 at 9:52 am
Rambutans ROCK MY WORLD.
Whatever you do, never try durian fruit. It is the nastiest, foulest thing that nature ever made.
posted by thembi on 12-10-2007 at 10:36 am
Just wanted to point out that Lychees and Rambutans are NOT the same fruit.
posted by Kevin on 12-10-2007 at 11:00 am
Just to add my two cents: Durian is absolutely horrible. Stay as far away from it as possible.
On a lighter note, I would definitely recommend strawberry guava. At least, that’s what they are called on Kauai. They grow on trees and are about the size of cherries. The locals said they were brought over by sailors to help battle scurvy due to the enormous amounts of Vitamin C in them. They are really sweet when ripe and taste very close to strawberry, even though they have the consistency of guavas. Unfortunately, they don’t last when transported to the grocery store. So, the only way to get them is fresh off the trees.
I would also recommend tamarinds, which are easily found in Asian grocery stores such as 99 Ranch.
posted by hifidigitalboy on 12-10-2007 at 11:39 am
Mangosteens are good but the rambutans are completely awesome. Just hop a flight to Thailand if you really want some. Stay away from the durian though! :P
posted by Kate on 12-10-2007 at 12:23 pm
I agree with hifidigitalboy… tamarinds are great. We pick ‘em up at the local hispanic market.
I’ve discovered from a friend at work that the black sapote is a type of persimmon… I haven’t been able to check that though.
Since we’re recommending strange fruit, has anyone tried a paw-paw? I had one last time I was in the southern US. It tasted kinda like a banana crossed with a mango.
posted by Jason! on 12-10-2007 at 2:58 pm
Lanzones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by DownstreamJim on 12-10-2007 at 3:55 pm
Those who says “stay away from durians” obviously never tried one. They run from the smell or just repeating hearsays. I’ve tried durians, after a dare from my colleague when I was in Malaysia. Saying it’s an acquired taste is absolutely unfounded. It was the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted. After that, just a whiff of its smell will left me salivating. It’s best to eat it fresh. The frozen durians they sell at the asian markets here have somehow a flat taste.
posted by Alex Gates on 12-10-2007 at 8:56 pm
I agree with Alex Gates. Those who keeps telling people stay away from durians probably never tried it. Durians are very creamy and very sweet when eaten at the right time. The smell is horrible to many people but to me it’s so good. My mother loves durians and my dad hates it. My parents joke about my mom having to eat it in the bathroom because it smells so bad. Here’s a tip to eat durian if you’re afraid of the smell…don’t smell it! Eat without breathing through your nose, taste the creamy sweetness in your mouth, then let slowly breath through your nose, that’s what I did.
Also Rambutans aren’t lychees…but from what I remember, it tasted very similar. Of course that was when I was very young. I should definetly try it again now that I moved to Hawaii.
posted by Devin on 12-11-2007 at 4:44 pm
Rambutan, lanzones, and lychee are three different fruits with similar yet distinct flavors. Just look them all three on the internet. Rambutan and Lychee are more difficult to tell apart.
I have bought and eaten mangosteen here in Chicago before in ChinaTown. Never knew it was illegal! But it was still delicious, though not quite as good as the ones from Canada.
If anyone is from or going to Chicago – they sell fresh Durian, mangosteen, lanzones, dragon fruit, tamarind, rambutan, and lychee in Argyle (aka Little Saigon) as well as in ChinaTown. I think they’re seasonal fruits though. They also have them all in frozen or canned version. Should go to the Vietnamese/cambodian stores in Argyle because I know for sure they have them depending on seasons.
As for Durians, it’s one of those things you love it or you don’t, as well as a fruit for acquired taste. Some people didn’t like it at first, but after giving it another try, it’s not so bad. I love Durian. It’s a bit difficult to cut open a fresh one. You need two butcher knives, or a butcher knife and a hammer. Make a dent between the spike with the edge of the knife and use the other one(or hammer) to pound it down, and just continue cutting it with the butcher knife around until you get a section of pulpy fruit. The only really challenging part though is finding the correct ridge. You want to find the ridge where the pulp section separates so as not to mess up the deliciousness, otherwise, you’ll be cutting right into the pulp itself and make a mess (unless you don’t mind eating messy durian). You need a keen eye for that. My mom’s an expert.
posted by Van on 12-26-2007 at 1:26 am
Mangosteens are rockin, they have the sweetest tasting fruit, if you can get over the fact they look like fat, white grubs.
posted by H9Three on 2-14-2008 at 9:51 am
Try ATEMOYA or sweet apple. Absolutely delicious and superior cousin to cherimoya!
posted by Marilyn on 2-19-2008 at 11:06 am
I have heard many great things about mangosteen and its amazing health benefits.
posted by Health Crazy on 5-9-2008 at 2:37 pm
Trader Joe’s has dried rambutans and mangosteens. They aren’t half bad. The rambutans have a difficult to describe (mushroom? fish?) flavor that I liked, but some of my coworkers didn’t. The mangosteens were more well received, but I detected a hoppy, beer-like flavor in the nutty center. Both worth buying.
posted by Joshua on 11-1-2008 at 11:19 am
You guys forgot to mention Dragon fruit! Whenever I find some in Chinatown downtown I always grab them. Nice flavor and texture. They always freak my friends out when they see them, but once they’ve tasted them they want more!
posted by Darryl on 11-1-2008 at 11:37 am
Try a granadilla. It looks like an orange on the outside. Crack the hard shell, peel back the white ’stuff’ inside (looks like cotton, or Styrofoam), and the fruit inside is delicious. It’s a grayish glob of stuff that can only be described as looking like brain-matter. As disgusting as it sounds, it’s really delicious! I found it in a store named Pusateri’s, in Toronto, Canada.
posted by Kerry on 11-2-2008 at 2:40 pm
I havent tried the Monstera Deliciosa.
But the rambutan, mangosteen, sapote and durian are readily available here in the philippines. If i can afford them. :D
posted by Cebulifer Leland on 11-2-2008 at 7:48 pm
I’m going to have to agree about the Durian being terrible. I had a taste of a durian shake, and it tasted like rotten cantalope mixed with what I imagine the smell of animal decomposition would taste like, if that makes any sense. It was absolutely awful.
My husband liked it though, weirdo.
posted by Leah on 11-3-2008 at 12:59 am
Mangosteen.
BEST FRUIT EVER. o_o
‘Nuff said.
posted by Nhi on 11-10-2008 at 2:52 pm
I SWEAR by rambutans. They are my favorite fruit, possibly my favorite food. Does anyone know where we can get some in the US?
posted by James Colon on 12-26-2008 at 11:50 am