Tamarind
Looks: This is a perfect example of a fruit that most people probably wouldn’t try on their own unless coerced into it by someone else. On the outside, its brittle, brown shell sort of looks like a mutant peanut or a piece of poo, and then the inside…pretty much looks the same, except that it’s covered by red, veiny stems.
The name Tamarind comes from an Arab expression meaning “Date of India”. It was introduced in India such a long time ago, that people often forget the fruit’s actually a native to tropical Africa.
Taste: The flesh inside the hard shell is like a juicy, acidulous pulp that’s both sweet and sour in flavor. The younger the fruit, the more sour the taste, the riper the fruit the sweeter.
Nutrition: These suckers are high in acid and sugar, in fact the pulp has more sugar and fruit acid per volume than any other fruit in the world. It also contains vitamin B and calcium – which is pretty unusual for a fruit.
Other Uses: You can crack open a tamarind and eat it on its own as a snack, but it’s also commonly mashed up and used as a jam or blended into juices, sorbets and ice-creams. It’s an ingredient in both Worchester and HP sauces, and apparently in keeping with its appearance also makes for a pretty good natural laxative.
Durian
Looks: The durian is known as the “King of Fruits” and resembles something you wouldn’t want to accidentally sit on in the dark. They’re usually round, can weigh up to 7lbs and are covered in sharp, hard spikes.
If you’re trying to pick out a good one one, a big solid stem is usually a sign of freshness. You should also never eat one with holes in its husk. Many consider the durian to be at its ripest when the husk starts to slightly crack.
People can usually either pick them or wait for them to drop from the tree and collect them. Unfortunately for some reason they only fall at night, which seems kind of like a cruel joke.
In a way, it’s hard to understand how the durian became the King of Fruits, when it just seems like a big, stinky, spiky cannonball that waits to drop down on you in the dark.
Taste: This is a fruit whose taste is most commonly described as indescribable. It’s been likened to everything from custard and almonds, to onion-sauce with hints of cream cheese.
Its most defining characteristic though is its smell…which is awful. Understood to be the worst smelling fruit on the planet, you have to get past the odor to try the taste. Folks say it reeks like old cheese, garbage in the sun, and rotting fish. This probably explains why in many places it’s outlawed on public transportation.
Nutrition: The durian has high amounts of sugar, vitamin C, potassium and the amino-acid tryptophan.
Other Uses: The durian gets used a lot to flavor sweet treats like Malay candy, ice-cream, milkshakes and cappuccinos. People in Thailand say drinking a tea made from its leaves can help reduce fever. It’s also supposed to be a pretty awesome aphrodisiac.
Dragon Fruit
Looks: Taking a quick look at a dragon fruit and it becomes pretty easy to see why it gets its name. The fruit is oval in shape and has very cool looking scales that grow evenly around it, like we would picture a dragon’s skin might be textured. It grows on large, tree-like cactus.
The three main types have red skin with red pulp, red skin with white pulp (you’ll come across this kind the most) and yellow skin with white pulp. They’re all very aesthetically pleasing fruits in a weird way.
Taste: One thing you can’t say about the taste of dragon fruit is that it’s overpowering. It has a mild, sweet taste, which a lot of people think is bland. The taste can be enhanced a bit by chilling it before you eat it, which is how it most commonly tends to be enjoyed. When you’re ready to dig in, just cut the fruit in half and go at it with a spoon.
Nutrition: Whatever a dragon fruit lacks in intense flavor it makes up for by being pretty damn good for you. This cool-looking snack is low in caloric content and has a ton of nutrients. It’s packed full of Vitamin C, calcium, antioxidants, fiber and phosphorous.
Other Uses: The dragon fruit has a few pretty simple medicinal uses. It reputedly improves eyesight and is can help prevent hypertension. The seeds are good for certain types of diabetes, and it’s also used to treat stomach and endocrine problems.
Other than that, it often gets planted as a delicious climber for covering chain-link fences.
