For some people to travel around the world means: exploring new countries, learning about different cultures and their histories, learning new languages, taking mind blowing pictures and making friends around the world.
Of course those are some of the most important reasons to travel the world, but for me there’s another very important one. I’m really obsessed with exotic fruits and food in general. Every time when I have the chance to travel to another country I’m always looking for the local fruits.
I want to introduce to you some of my most favourites fruits I've eaten so far. Some of them might be already familiar to you.
Durian: Here comes the king of the exotic fruits.
For some of you who never got to see or smell Durian before, let me tell you that this is a very special fruit. People either love it or hate it. There’s nothing in between. For most of the people the smell of Durian is just horrible, that’s why in its’ origin countries, such as Thailand, Durian is strictly forbidden in hotels, taxis and airports. I love everything on this fruit, that’s why I can’t even tell you what’s so horrible on it. But some people told me, that it smells like a super stinky cheese.
Durians can get very big and weigh up to 8 kilos (including the shell). Its’ shell is spiky as you can see and despite its’ weight it’s growing on a tree.
In the inside there are many yellow fleshy segments, dry on the outside and creamy on the inside. You have to cut the shell open of course and then you can grab a segment and eat it, be careful, every segment has a big stone. The fruit flesh itself tastes very very sweet and creamy, a bit like butter cream.
If you have diabetes you shouldn’t eat more than one segment. Even though I have no diabetes I’m getting dizzy after two segments. There’re also some dishes Thai people love to do out of Durians such as, ice cream, cake, cookie cream, shakes and so on.
Rambutan
Rambutan is also called the “hairy fruit” and it grows on really huge trees. First it’s green, even the hair are green. If it’s ready to be harvest it’s red and as big as a purple plum. If you peel off the hairy shell you’ll find milky-transparent fruit flesh with woody seed in the middle. Rambutan tastes super sweet and refreshing.
Mangosteen
I love Mangosteen! It has a quite thick purple skin and is also growing on huge trees. If you don’t know how to peel the skin off, it can get a bit messy. The purple juice of the shell is like ink, just be careful it’s not sticking on your clothes. But actually is super simple to peel it without making a mess, you just have to squeeze the shell until it cracks open, then you can peel the shell off completely. In the inside there are about 4-8 small pieces of white fruit flesh, looks a bit like garlic. Its’ taste is sweet and sour. What many people don’t know is, that the shell can also be use to make juice and it’s really healthy.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is on its’ appearance a bit like Durian, but it can gets much bigger and heavier. Actually it can weigh up to 30 kilo. Despite its’ weight it also grows on a tree. - Nature is so amazing.-
Jackfruit has a hard and green skin, but the skin is not as hard as the skin of the Durian. You can cut the Jackfruit easily into half and take out the yellow fruit pieces. It can get sticky, so I suggest to wear rubber gloves if you peel a Jackfruit.
The fruit pieces also have a big stone inside, which you can eat after either cooking or sun drying them. The fruit flesh is sweet and and has a pleasant smell. In Thailand they also garnish ice cream with Jackfruit.
Snake Fruit
This fruit is called “Snake Fruit” because of its’ skin. If you touch it, it feels like snake skin and a bit prickly. The fruit itself has a sweet sour taste, a bit like pineapple and it’s super juicy. The Snake Fruit is growing on palm trees.
Be careful when you peel it, because the small spikes can easily stuck in you fingers and hurt you. In Bangkok you can also find vendors selling ready to eat Snake Fruits in small baggies. You can eat the fruit with a mixture of chilli powder, salt and sugar. It taste really good together.
Sapodilla
Sapodilla looks basically like an oval shaped kiwi, but the taste is extremely sweet, a bit like a pear. Even though its' skin looks a bit dirty and seems like it has to be peeled off you can eat it without peeling it off. It has small black seeds inside, so you should cut it into half and take the seeds out so you can eat the fruit completely.
Have a nice Sunday!