Exotic and Rare Fruits from around the world – Part 1

This wonderful golden-yellow berry grows only in very cold region of the world – the Northern Hemisphere. It’s very soft and juicy when ripe. The cloudberries have very distinctive tart taste and considered a delicacy particularly in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Consisting of between 5 and 25 drupelets, each fruit is initially pale red, ripening into golden-yellow colour.

Cloudberry is known as Bakeapple in Newfoundland and Labrador, the easternmost province of Canada, where it grows in abundance. Interestingly the province celebrate two festivals dedicated to cloudberry aka bakeapple –  Bakeapple Folk Festival in Forteau and Garnish Bakeapple Festival.

Chocolate pudding fruit or black sapote is a species of persimmon. Unlike commonly loved persimmon which is bright orange from inside and outside, Chocolate pudding fruit’s skin green. But inside is, as the name suggest, chocolate colour when ripe. The ripe fruit takes a flavour, texture and colour compared to Chocolate pudding.

Jabuticaba fruits look like purple grapes with a thicker, tougher skin. It looks so close to grape that it is known as “Tree Grape”. But the interesting fact of this fruit is the way it grows. Unlike other fruits it grows around the tree trunk. Sometime it covers the most of tree trunk and looks like a tree from alien planet.

The thick, purple, skin of Jabuticaba encases a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. It is commonly available in Brazilian market. But the fresh fruit began to ferment within 3 to 4 days of harvest.  Because of this short life-span jabuticaba is rarely seen outside the area of cultivation. The fruit is often used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs.

Rollinia is  incredibly tasty ‘lemon meringue pie’ flavoured fruit from Brazil. Very creamy and soft textured edible part is covered with very intimidating soft thorny skin. It is green when unripe, ripening to yellow and bruises and blackens with handling, giving it an unappealing appearance. Due to its short shelf life of less than a week the availability is restricted to cultivation areas.

The fruit is eaten fresh when ripe. Rollinia’s cousin known as Custard apple is available throughout the Asia, but they are very different in size and taste.

This delicious grape size fruit is known for unusual taste and texture of peanut butter when eaten fresh. The dense pulp is very creamy and has a hint of sweetness. Peanut butter fruit’s colour ranges from orange to red, resembles a grape tomato. It is very fibrous and full of antioxidant. The fruit has two big seeds and as per Wikipedia, they are poisonous. But peanut butter fruit is highly perishable and should be eaten as soon as they are ripe.