Good and cheap, discover tropical fruits where they grow!
Exotic fruits are a real festival of shapes and colours. The tropical fruits we discover at the end of the world are very different from the sad mangoes in our supermarkets and there are so many to discover!
Many of them are already present on the stalls of European greengrocers: mangoes, avocados or lychees are nowadays commonplace.
However, here and there, it is not the same thing! Tropical fruits do not have the same ripeness and taste at all. Picked green to withstand the journey, they arrive at the supermarket pale, sour or tasteless.
On Asian or South American street markets, it’s a different story: tropical fruits are ripe and above all they are not expensive! This is the time to learn about fruits and vegetables that grow in other latitudes. There are a number of them that we know well, but when travelling, it is possible to taste unknown fruits that you have no chance of finding in Europe!
Enjoying Durian, fruit cheese requires a bit of practice. But for most Westerners, it is an experience that is not repeated…
Durian, this huge fruit has such a special and strong smell that it is forbidden in buses and hotel rooms.
Don’t panic, it is especially its rind (like a chestnut but in XXL) that smells like mouldy cheese. Inside is the edible part, a soft, creamy and thick core.
Its white or yellowish flesh has a strange texture between the banana and the avocado. The flavour of the fruit is indefinable. A very complex mixture that varies according to the person: banana, lychees, garlic or onion, corked wine, some even go so far as to speak of rotten egg… But this is quite exaggerated. Its sulphur content is quite responsible for this sensation.
Be careful not to insult it, durian is one of the most appreciated fruits in Asia. It is commonly called the king of fruits and eating it is a matter of fine gourmet. Mocking this fruit would be a bit like mocking (stinky)cheese lovers.
So don’t be rude and refuse it instead, claiming that you have already eaten, because, in addition to its complex flavour, durian is very very nourishing!
The mangosteen, with its black skin containing a white stone, the cinnamon apples, so disconcerting… all tropical fruits are surprising here…
The particular shape of the mangosteen and its colour ranging from intense purple to black contains a delicate fruit. Juicy, refreshing and sweet, it is somewhat similar to the lychee and peach. It is a real treat.
Then come the rambutans, this green and red ball, all hairy. Its flavour is delicious: always close to the lychee with a little something of the grape. As for the cinnamon apple, it doesn’t look very appealing at first glance. It looks like a fleshy pine cone. Its taste is very sweet and has absolutely nothing to do with cinnamon but rather a happy mixture of pear and banana.
The lychee and its cousin, the longan, also called dragon’s eye, are no longer present, they are well known in Europe but here, they are cheap and tasty.
The most designer of all tropical fruits is certainly the pitaya, commonly known as dragon fruit
The red, smooth skin of the dragon fruit contains white, creamy flesh with tiny black seeds. It has a bit of the flavour of kiwi, it’s wonderful in a smoothie.
The corossol, this large spiny fruit that can grow up to 3 kilos, develops a flavour similar to lychee and mango.
Tamarind, this strange brown pod with white flesh, is found in the juices, teas and spices of India’s famous massala.
Papaya is probably the least tasty fruit compared to the others, but it is present at all the stalls.
And then there are the mangoes. Here they are eaten in all stages of ripeness: green and crunchy with chilli pepper or yellow and ripened to the point.
Fortunately, all these tropical fruits are there to quench the thirst of the traveller overwhelmed by the heat and provide him with an impressive amount of vitamins and minerals
They should be consumed daily to avoid the inevitable constipation that awaits the westerner after his daily ration of rice.
It is possible to buy tropical fruits everywhere and not only at markets. Vendors carry them on a tray that they place on their heads, and you are guaranteed to meet them on every street corner, at every bus stop and in every train station.
To read also to enjoy the trip
Forget everything you’ve eaten up to now, it’s now or never to experiment with taste!
