The Fruits of VietNam

Mangosteen – Măng Cụt Found only in South-East Asia.  Hard to grow.  Comes from a tree. The rind is dark purple with a yellowish resin.  Similar to the Japanese persimmon or a small tomato in shape and size. When sliced, you will get white segments of flesh. The segments taste sweet and sour and have a slight acid after-taste similar to grapes or strawberries. Rambutan – Chôm Chôm Also called the Hairy Cherry.  Originally from the tropical low-lands of Malaysia. Today, it is grown in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The fruit has soft fleshy hair over the entire surface. The peel turns from green to yellow to red as the fruit ripens.  the inside flesh is white and firm.  Grows on bunches in trees.Sapodilla – Sa Pô Chê Brought to South-East Asia from Central America by way of the Phillipines. When ripe, the fruit has a sweet,  molasses-like taste. The peel is thin and brown and the flesh itself is light brown. It is best eaten a couple days after it is picked, to wait for its resin to dry.Sweet-sop – Na or Mãng Cầu Ta Originally from South America. Can be called Sweet-sop, sugar-apple, and custard-apple.  Packed with seeds. The edible pulp is a thin layer covering the individual seed. The outer layers appear to be rough and scaly. The fruit is green even when ripe.Longan – Nhãn Means “dragon eye”.  Close relative to the litchi.  Grown mostly in the cooler highlands of South-East Asia.  Brought here by Chinese immigrants as they migrated south and settled in various areas. The peel is brown and brittle. The meat is translucent white and is very juicy and sweet.  Often cooked in water to make a dessert drink called ‘nuoc long nhan’.Star Fruit – Khế Native  of South-East Asia. Distinct taste and is often used in cooking. Used in certain Vietnamese dishes as garnishes.  Can be eaten raw or cooked.  Grow in cluster of three of four.  Green when young, turning yellow to almost orange and slightly translucent when ripe. Skin is quite tough while the flesh is soft, juicy, sweet and sour tasting.Papaya – Đu Đủ From Central America by way of the Philippines then spread throughout South-East Asia. The tree bears only either male or female flowers with the female tree producing the fruits.  Fruits are large, weighing up to 9 kg and often look like a large squash. The skin is thin like a watermelon and turns from green to yellow and orange as the fruit ripens. The flesh of the papaya may be yellow, orange, or reddish orange and has a consistency of a very ripe (soft) cantaloupe.  Sweet.  Often used as dessert. Guava – Ổi Originated in the tropical region of the Americas.  Round or pear-shaped, with thin dark green skin which becomes yellowish green as the fruits ripen. Some Vietnamese like to eat the guava when it is not completely ripe. The flesh is crunchy like a slice of apple. Sometime, a slice is dipped in a mixture of salt and grounded red chili pepper. Waterapple – Roi or Mận Native to the South-East Asia. The coloring varies from pale green to ruby red. Bell-shaped. center is hollow and is filled with woolly fibers and brown seeds. Slightly acid flavor and can be very sour. I am not a fan of this fruit.  Some may call the taste bitter.  No taste of sweetness.  When I tried them on the street, they reminded me of the taste of a poor quality apple, just with absolutely no sweetness involved.  Maybe they can be used skillfully in some dish and be tastey — dunno 😉 Corossolier – Mãng Cầu Xiêm Close relative to the sweep-sop but bigger.  The peel is smoother with tiny spikes/bumps. These spikes turn black as the fruit ripens. Has less seeds than the sweetsop and the meat is more firm, almost chewy.  Sweet and sour taste. In Vietnam, the corrosolier is blended with condensed milk and ice to make a fruit drink.  During the Tet season, it is preserved with sugar to make a candy-like treat called mứt. Jackfruit – Mít Native fruit of India.  Considered a delicacy in VN.  Come in many shapes and sizes, although generally they are oblong or pear shaped. Have a thick pale green rind with thousands of sharp hexagonal spines. Once cut open, the interior yields dozens of individual golden yellow pulps. The meat of the pulp covers a large brown pit. When ripe, the meat is sweet. The pit can be boiled and eaten as well. Banana – Chuối Native fruit to South East Asia.  Bananas were exported to Africa from Indonesia around 1,500 years ago. The banana plant has no woody tissue, so it is not considered a tree at all, but a giant herb. Today, Vietnam has 28 different varieties of banana from plantains (used in cooking) to the dwarf banana (finger size).  I’ve tried a few of these.  They all taste “bananish” but each has a slightly different taste.  Its fun to try them all. Pitaya – Dragon Fruit – thanh long (blue dragon) This is a cactus fruit that tastes somewhere between a watermellon and other melons.  For me,  the difference being that I’m not a real melon fan but I really like the Dragon Fruit a lot!  I like it really cold before i peel and slice it.  Supposedly good with yoghurt… and this is probably true.

I will now add 2 friuts that a few people mentioned that I omitted:

Mango:  (from wikipedia)

Mango is a fruit which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent,^[1] belonging to the genusMangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant familyAnacardiaceae.     Mango is generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh varies across cultivars, some having a soft, pulpy texture similar to an overripe plum, while the flesh of others is firmer, like acantaloupe or avocado, or may have a fibrous texture. For consumption of unripe, pickled or cooked fruit, the mango skin may be consumed comfortably, but has potential to cause contact dermatitis (above) of the lips, gingiva or tongue in susceptible people. In ripe fruits which are commonly eaten fresh, the skin may be thicker and bitter tasting, so is typically not eaten.

Durian: (from wikipedia)

The durian (pronounced /ˈdjʊriən/)^[2] is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceae family^[1][3] (although some taxonomists placeDurio in a distinct family, Durionaceae^[1]). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”, the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odor, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions,turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit’s banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia.

Pineapple:

my favorite!!!!