Fruits

Makiang is a medium sized tree which produces abundant edible fruits with a sour astringent taste.

The name custard apple is sometimes used for sugar apple (sweetsop) which actually is a different but related fruit species. Because of its shape the custard apple is also called Ox heart or Bull’s heart.

The fruits are usually eaten fresh as a snack or dessert. Open the fruit and spoon out the white flesh which is soft, juicy and has a sweet taste.

Kumquat is a small fruit-bearing Citrus tree. The fruits look a bit like oranges but are much smaller.

Kumquat fruit are usually consumed whole with the peel, or are used in fruit salads.

Fruits of the dog rose (rose hips) are used to make jam, syrup and tea. They are rich in vitamin C.

The term Rose hip (or rose haw) is used for fruits of rose plants.

Rose hips of sweet briar can be used to make marmalade.

The term ‘rose hip’ is used for fruits of rose plants.

Ugli is a fruit created by hybridizing a grapefruit, orange and tangerine. It originates from Jamaica.

As the name suggests, it is not a very beautiful fruit. It has a rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow surface.

Mango is often known as the “apple of the tropics”. It is one of the most popular tropical fruits in the world (together with pineapple, banana, papaya and avocado). Mango fruits are usually eaten ripe, when they are soft and sweet. But some people prefer them unripe, when they are harder with a more sour taste. Mango is also used to produce juice, jam or jelly. Unripe fruits can be used to prepare pickles or chutney.

The Velvet apple (also called Mabolo) is not a real apple but rather a rare tropical fruit that is related to ebony trees. The name is well chosen as it looks like an apple but with a rather velvety skin, similar to a peach.

Cherimoya originates from the Andes area in South America. It is a small tree which is grown for its sweet fruits. The fruits are sometimes known as “custard apple” but that name is also used for several different (but related) fruit species.

Fruits of the Great morinda can be eaten raw or is used in cooking (for example in curry. Seeds can be eaten when roasted. Leaves can be used as a green vegetable.

Great morinda is a fruit related to coffee.

Fruits of the strawberry tree are used to make wine, jam or liquors.

The strawberry tree is not related to the strawberry. it is a shrub with fruits that look like strawberries.

Açaí is a palm which is cultivated for its fruits. These Açaí berries are edible and often used to make fruit drinks. Also the Açaí palm heart is edible and can be used as a vegetable.

Tangerine is a variety of the Mandarin orange. There are many varieties of tangerine with different colors and taste. Some are called tangerine, others are called mandarins, and sometimes these names are mixed. Clementines are seedless tangerines.

The taste of cempedak fruits is similar to that of jackfruit and breadfruit, which are related fruit species.

Whenever you eat Miracle fruit followed by food with a sour taste, you will find that the sour food suddenly tastes sweet.

The name Miracle fruit is also used for some other plant species which also can change the perceived sweetness of food.

The Asian pear originates from China, Japan and Korea but is now also cultivated outside Asia.

The Asian pear (or Nashi pear) is sometimes called 'Apple pear', but it is not a cross between apples and pears, as this name suggests. It is a pear that rather looks like an apple.

Cantaloupe is one of the varieties in the species Cucumus melo. Cantaloupes are melons with orange flesh.

Key lime is a citrus fruit. It has globose fruit with a diameter of 2.5 to 5 cm. When left to ripe on the tree the fruits turn yellow, but usually they are picked when still green.

The fruits have a strong and unique flavor and are used as an ingredient for Key lime pie.

The Tangelo or Honeybell is a Citrus fruit. It is a hybrid of tangerine and pomelo or grapefruit.

The fruits are a bit bigger than an orange and are very juicy. They taste a bit like tangerine.

A tropical fruit tree endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Wax apple or Water apple is native to Southeast Asia.

Fruits of some varieties are eaten fresh, but of other varieties the fruits are stewed or cooked.

The fruits are 4 to 5 cm long, and are wider than they are long. They have some resemblance to the pear-shaped Malay apple.

Salak originates from Indonesia and Malaysia.

Bilimbi has a sour taste and is usually not eaten fresh but is used to make jams or chutney. The bilimbi fruits are also used in some rice and fish recipes.

Bilimbi is a close relative of the Carambola.

Bignay is native to Malaya and Asia.

Fruits of bignay grow in grape-like clusters with often twenty or thirty fruit per cluster. Fruits are used to make jelly, jam or wine. The fruits ripen unevenly so within a cluster the fruits have different colors.

White currants belong to the same species as red currants (Ribes rubrum). The difference is just a variation in color.

The cashew nut is a small evergreen tree which originates from Brazil. It is now planted in many tropical regions. The cashew nut is an edible seed. Also the so called 'cashew apple' is edible or can be used to produce juice.

Buddha's hand is a variety of the citron. The fruits are segmented into finger-like sections. Buddha's hand originates from Northeastern India or China.

The quince originates from Sout-West Asia.

Quince is related to apple and pear.

The kiwifruit, or just kiwi, was first known as “Chinese Gooseberry”. It got its new name from the kiwi bird, one of the national symbols of New Zealand.

The kiwi fruit is a fuzzy brown egg-shaped fruit with green flesh.

Cacao is a tropical tree. The seeds of the cacao tree are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate. The origin of cacao is the Amazon area in South America, but highest production is in Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Cacao contains a bitter alkaloid called Theobromine, which has a similar, but lesser, effect to Caffeine.

Pulasan is related to the rambutan.

Raspberries look a bit like blackberries, but when you pick them there is a clear difference; the raspberry separates from its core so that it looks like a hollow fruit.

When farmers grow strawberries they will often cover the soil with straw to protect the fruits from rot. Maybe this is how the strawberry got its name.

The genus Fragaria includes several strawberries.

Dragon fruit (or pitaya) is the fruit of a cactus which blooms at night. Three species of dragonfruit share the same name, but have different fruits.

The fruits are usually eaten fresh. After peeling the fruit, the white or purple flesh, which has a mild sweet taste, is eaten. They can also be used to prepare juice or wine.

Black currant is a berry with a strong tart taste. It is often used in juices, soft drinks, jams and jellies, but can also be eaten raw as a dessert fruit, or in fruit salads.

Mangosteen originates from the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas.

Mangosteen fruits are eaten fresh. After removing the skin, the bright white flesh can be eaten. It is one of the most tasty tropical fruits. Sometimes it is called the Queen of Fruits.

The apricot originates from China. The apricot has been cultivated in Armenia for so long that it is often thought to have originated there. This is how it got the scientific name Prunus armeniaca.

Apricots can be eaten fresh but are also often dried. the dried fruits can be used to make drinks or are used in cooking. Some liquors are flavoured with extract of apricot kernels.

The fruits of the Asian Palmyra Palm resemble coconuts from far away, but on closer observation they are different. The fruits grow in clusters on tall pretty looking palm trees.

Bael fruit is also called wood apple because it has a very hard woody surface. It can be eaten fresh or dried. Sliced and dried Bael fruits are used to make a drink by simmering the dried fruit in water.

Bilberry fruits are used to make jams or in pies, sometimes in combination with other forest fruits.

For nearly 1000 year, bilberry fruits have been used as a medicine for circulatory problems, diarrhea and other problems. Also leaves of bilberry have medicinal properties and are used for diabetes and other problems.