From cold climates to the jungles we count down another 10 fruits you need to see to
believe on this episode of Top 10 Fruits You’ve Never Heard of Part 12.
Number ten, Chilean Guava
Indigenous to Chile, which should come as no surprise the chilean guava is also home
to the southern regions of Argentina. Commonly and unknowingly this fruit is also known as
strawberry myrtle, ugniberry, murtillas, chilean guava or tazziberry. Tazziberry was named
after Tasmania, after they started to be commercially produced there in the 1990s and didn’t think
the name chilean guava was a great name for it to be marketed for sale so they gave them
their own name.
Grown on a small evergreen shrub this berry measures in at ½ inch or 1 cm in size. Ripening
in autumn a fully ripe chilean guava has the smell and taste of pineapple, flowers and
wild strawberry. The more ripe the chilean guava is the more pineapple taste is present,
when firm and more unripe they’ll taste less sweet and have a sour element to them.
This blueberry sized fruit has a little hat on top that pops off like a little fruit toupee.
They are used to make jam, jellies and desserts in Chile but go great in ice cream, smoothies
or just eaten raw. Not only used in sweet dishes they pair well with savory foods as
well. Hardy to 14 degrees fahrenheit or -10 degrees celsius these berries can be grown
in many places that experience snow like in my front yard here in British Columbia, Canada.
Offering a lot of fibre, vitamin C and K they are a tasty, healthy addition to one's diet.
Number nine korean melon.
Believed to have originated in India and eventually made it’s way over to Korea, the korean
melon, chameh melon, oriental melon, japanese cantaloupe or sun jewel is a small, elliptical
shaped fruit. Regionally the korean melon is called Tian Gua in China, Makuwa in Japan,
Chamoe in Korea, Cantaloup Du Japon in France and Dura Gan in Vietnam. The ideal location
for this melon to grow is where it’s known from, North Gyeongsang Province Korea. This
drought tolerant plant produces fruit that perishes quickly around 1 week after being
picked. While edible off the vine its best enjoyed chilled. The korean melon tastes like
a mix of a pear, honeydew, cantaloupe and a cucumber. Inside is full white flesh and
seeds, you’ll want to peel this fruit just like any other melon although some people
eat the skin of the korean melon.
Not only eaten fresh they are made into a pickle in korea called chamoe jangajji, added
to salads, desserts, smoothies and ice cream. They pair well with cucumber, berries, lychee,
coconut milk, ginger and mint. Available in late summer and fall this highly hydrating
fruit has three quarters of its weight being liquid. Offering high amounts of vitamin a
and c the korean melon is great for weight loss being low in calories and high in fiber,
a natural solution to constipation, lowers cholesterol levels and promotes healthy bones.
Number eight, Amla.
This indian gooseberry, emblic or amla as it’s called is a subtropical fruit native
to India. This small round green fruit with translucent skin has 6 to 8 yellowish bands
on the inside with a tough outer skin. Consumed and used in Ayurvedic medicine, they taste
sour and bitter and full of juice. When I first found this fruit I bit into it while
walking down the street and started gasping and puckering my face as people walked past.
Typically juiced and dried into powders that are capsulized, if eaten fresh the bitter
taste may be off putting by can be easily offset with a pinch of salt. Soaking them
in salt before consuming will help reduce the bitterness. They are mildly astringent
with the center of the fruit having a hexagonal shaped stone with 6 seeds inside. Traditionally
they are used in India in chutneys, sweet and savory dishes or pickled. A sweet preserve
called Amla murabba is eaten on India flatbread. Sometimes baked into tarts, their juice is
also used to flavour vinegar and marinades. Presenting a significant source of a wide
array of antioxidants, 20 times the vitamin C of an orange, there’s many upsides to
this less than desirably tasting fruit.
Number seven, Coco de Mer
Coming from a rare species of palm tree called the Coco de Mer, this ultra rare coconut is
native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Many legends have been formed
around this fruit as a result of them floating across the ocean and washing up on shores
of countries where they don’t naturally grow like the Maldives. Their suggestive shape
and mysterious origin was propagated these legends, like growing on underwater trees,
only to finally have the curtain pulled back on the mystery after the globalization of
knowledge traveled across earth. Any of the coco de mer fruits found in the ocean aren’t
fertile and won’t sprout which if they did the mystery would have been solved much earlier.
The reason for this is the coco de mer can’t float and when it falls into the water they
sink to the bottom where the husk decomposes and fall off releasing the nut inside. The
gases inside will cause the bare nut to be lifted to the surface and eventually end up
somewhere else like the Maldives.
Producing the largest seed in the plant kingdom this fruit has separate male and female trees
unlike the coconut palms. Also called the sea coconut or double coconut the coco de
mer is sole species in it’s family that grows on a palm up to 111 feet or 34 meters
tall. With that said the largest tree found was 186 feet or 56 meters tall, good luck
climbing that. This fruit holds 5 world records with the
most interesting being the largest wild fruit ever recorded at 92 lbs or 42 kg. With it’s
husk on they are green with a brown cap, inside the fruit 2 to 4 seeds can be found. Typically
the kernel of the fruit where the flesh is, is thrown out so the shell can be sold to
tourists. In Asia they are a popular item to buy as they are believed to be an aphrodisiac.
Trying this fruit can be a difficult task as there is an $800 fine for those who sell
the fruit. Only people who posses a tree on their own land are allowed to give away one
of the fruits for tasting. The flesh inside is custard like that has an earthy taste with
a hint of citrus. If prepared in a traditional manner on the Seychelles they’ll be added
to ice cream, mousse, flan, parfait, and even bread.
Locals will harvest these nuts but must keep them clean so they don’t fester and get
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Number six, white sapote.
Native to eastern mexico, central america and costa rica the white sapote hails by the
names of casimiroa, mexican apple, and cochitzapotl in the Nahuatl or ancient Aztec language.
Grown on an evergreen tree 16 - 52 feet or 5 - 16 meters tall the white sapote is a drupe
or stone fruit that has edible flesh with inedible skin and seeds. The skin will turn
green to yellow when ripe in some varieties, depending on the ripeness it’ll taste anywhere
from bland to a yummy mix of banana, pear, peach and vanilla. The green skin variety
will have white flesh on the inside where the yellow skin variety will have yellow flesh
on the inside. With creamy white pulp and the texture similar to that of a ripe avocado,
the seeds contain narcotic properties. Nahuatl the aztec name for this fruit meaning sleep
sapote comes from the sleep inducing poison compound from the leaves and seeds of the
tree. The white sapote helps remove mucus from the body and curing a common cough. A
potent source of phosphorus, calcium, and potassium makes this fruit great for building
strong bones and it’s vitamin e is good for maintaining healthy skin.
Number five, Jumbo Blueberry.
Grown in southeast Georgia, United States by Nature’s Partner this blueberry is known
for their sweet flavour, crisp bite and their obvious massive size. What’s very much different
about eating these blueberries is the sheer amount of blueberry material you’re eating.
This brings on a different experience eating blueberries as there is just more pulp and
juice to enjoy. Having a blueberry flavour profile that is sweet with a bit of sour to
it as these blueberries start to wrinkle the sourness will disappear if that’s more to
your liking. Within the jumbo blueberries the slightly smaller ones have a stronger
flavour whether that’s sweet or sour with the larger ones being a bit more mild. The
flavour comes in waves as it hits your tongue that is very complex and interesting to your
taste buds. Varying from a bright whitish color to a darker purple on the inside the
texture on the inside is almost a yogurt like consistency.
Being full of fiber and high in vitamin c and k, these blueberries just like their smaller
counterparts are a potent source of antioxidants, reduce DNA damage which may protect against
cancer and aging. They protect cholesterol in your blood from becoming damaged by reducing
levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol. This in turn helps reduce risk of heart disease. The
jumbo blueberry is also a strong combatant against diabetes and can help maintain brain
function and improve one’s memory.
Number four, Plumier’s Bromelia.
This terrestrial bromeliad that grows up to 10 feet or 3 meters tall produces an inflorescence
or flower cluster that produces pinkish purple flowers that will develop an edible fruit.
These juicy edible berries are covered by an brownish yellow husk that needs to be peeled
off first. Traditionally this fruit is used in a drink called Atol de Pina and eaten raw
for their delicious sweet and sour taste. Usually uncommon fruits like this don’t
ship well which is why no one has heard of them but this isn’t the case for the Plumier’s
bromelia. Also called by their scientific name Bromelia Karatas they are now being considered
as a crop for large scale production. They can tolerate poor soil conditions and drought
making them an ideal crop to produce. Most commonly found today in Mexico, Colombia,
Brazil, Caribbean and Ecuador the Bromelia Karatas is an ancient food consumed by the
Mayans who also used it for its medicinal properties.
Number three, Nance fruit.
Found in Colombia, Peru, Central Mexico and Bolivia the nance fruit grows in tropical
and subtropical places. To a lesser extent they are found in Trinidad, Barbados, Curaçao,
St. Martin, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Other
names of the nance fruit are changunga, muruci, chacunga, craboo, golden spoon and savanna
serrette.
This small yellow drought tolerant fruit has a strong scent and taste like no other. Offering
the scent of parmesan cheese with a mild apple, pineapple cheese taste they aren’t highly
desired by people who just try them for the first time. Grown on a large shrub that grows
up to 33 feet or 10 meters tall, they are abundant in the wild in open pine forests
and grassy savannas. Eaten raw or made into a dessert, ice cream added to carbonated beverages,
juice they are also made into a fermented beverage called chicha.
Believe it or not the nance fruit has as substantial amount of protein as well as calcium, thiamine,
riboflavin, folate, and vitamin C.
Number two, Golden Honeydew.
This smooth skinned bright yellow melon offers a delicious alternative to the common melon.
Also called a golden cantaloupe and golden dewlicious this 4 to 8 pound or 2 to 3.5 kg
fruit tastes like a weird mix of a honeydew and a cantaloupe with some mystery sweet flavour
to it. Having a whitish yellow flesh with a outer
ring of green tinge this melon has a nice slight aroma to it.
They are more firm than a honeydew or cantaloupe with a nice sweet taste when ripe but will
become bitter when overripe. Available in the summer the golden honeydew is typically
eaten raw sometimes added to soups and salad, smoothies and cocktails.
Providing a good source of vitamin C and B6, potassium and fiber, health and happy taste
buds are the result of eating this fruit.
Number one, Magnolia Fruit
Native to southeastern United States, the southern magnolia tree is a large tree up
to 90 feet or 27.5 meters tall. They are typically cultivated in warmer climates for their immensely
dense wood that is used to make furniture and pallets. A close relative of the pawpaw
fruit which we covered in top 10 fruits part 3, the magnolia fruit is this red bean like
fruit. Developing in the spring time a pine cone like structure comprised of oval shaped
spiny protuberances, they will eventually dry out and open revealing the red fruit.
Within these little red fruits are a black seed you’ll want to remove before consuming.
It’ll take a bit of effort to split the berry open to get in to that black seed.
When the flowers are in bloom a wonderful strong lemon scent will fill the air. The
taste of the magnolia fruit is a strong sweet floral flavour. They are not typically eaten
raw but pickled, or best enjoyed in a sweet and sour sauce or added to sweet desserts.
While edible these trees are sometimes grown as an ornamental tree or used for timber but
not commonly consumed. The bark of the tree is used medicinally to treat malaria, rheumatism,
dysentery, diarrhea and fevers.
Have you heard of any of these fruits on this list? Which one do you want to try the most?
Share your thoughts in the comments down below. Also if you’re interested, be sure to go
check out our sponsor Manscaped.com and use code TITAN20 to get 20% off when placing an
order. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to the channel, hit that
thumbs up button and until the next one have a good one.