5 of the Most Exotic Fruits of East Asia

By
Josh B
-
Photo by Vinod Kumar on Unsplash

East Asia is famous for being home to the exotic and the unexpected. With so much stunning variety to offer, there is always something startlingly new to discover.

Here is a guide to some of the most exotic fruits in East Asia for you to seek next time you’re visiting that exuberant region.

Rambutan

The Indonesian Rambutan fruit means ‘hairy’, named after the furry forest of hair-like strands that protrude from the fruit’s leathery skin. On the inside, the white flesh tastes a little like grapes.

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is the largest fruit grown on a tree in the world. The skin is hard and scaly, but the flesh within gives off a scent similar to pineapple or banana.

Durian

Often considered the “King of Fruits” in southeast Asia, the durian is renowned for having a peculiarly pungent aroma. Notoriously divisive, some find the fruit sweet and fragrant while others consider it overpowering and unpleasant.

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Longan

Known as “Dragon’s Eyes” in Chinese because it resembles a red eye-ball, the longan fruit is commonly found in Asian deserts, soups and snacks.

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Longan – if you like super sweet fruits, this one's for you. Native to South Asia, longan is a cousin to litchi, rambutan, pulasan, and quenepa. All these fruits have a similar structure – a thin skin that shields a delicious sweet-tart flesh, and a seed in the center. And all have a similar way of eating: you pop open the skin, suck that super-sweet flesh off the seed, smile, and spit out the seed. Repeat, until you have a pile of seeds & empty skins in front of you. Then go looking for more. People always want to know "What does it taste like?" Longan has its own distinctive flavor that's difficult to describe – very sweet, a few musky notes, maybe a bit less acid tang than other fruits, & some fruity elements that I can't quite describe as being similar to anything else. It tastes…like a longan. In South Florida, longan is a significant commercial crop. One of the main varieties is 'Kohala', a superior fruiting type introduced to the state by fruit explorer Bill Whitman, a leading figure in developing the tropical fruit industry in South Florida. I got to visit Bill Whitman in 1997 at his home in Bal Harbor. Bill was in his eighties then, and it was a treat to have this veteran grower give a tour of his collection of rare tropical fruit trees he'd grown from decades of traveling the globe, bringing the best of the best to grow back home. As we stood in his driveway, Bill pointed to a nearby large tree and explained it was a 'Kohala' longan he'd introduced to Florida from Hawaii in the 1950s. Then he casually mentioned a jaw-dropping fact: he estimated that over the years, he'd made about $80,000 from this single tree, by selling air-layered plants he'd propagated its branches. That gives you an idea of the demand for this fruit from people who know it. Longan doesn't grow well where I live in North Florida, but it thrives in South Florida. Thanks to @miamifruit for supplying these longans, grown not far from Bill's original 'Kohala' tree. (Miami Fruit can ship longans & many other tropical fruits to your door.) Fingers crossed that Hurricane Isaias stays out to sea, and gives only gentle caresses to the longan & other fruit trees of South Florida.

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Langsat

Langsat are grown from a tree in the mahogany family, and loosely resemble grapes in both flavour and appearance.

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Langsat (I call them tropical figs) ?. Lansium parasiticum (syn. Lansium domesticum), also known as langsat (/ˈlɑːŋsɑːt/) or lanzones, is a species of tree in the Mahogany family. The plant, which originates from western Southeast Asia, bears edible fruit. It is the provincial flower for the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The tree is average sized, reaching 30 metres (98 ft) in height and 75 centimetres (30 in) in diameter. Seedling trees 30 years old planted at 8 x 8 meter spacing can have a height of 10 meters and diameter of 25 cm. The trunk grows in an irregular manner, with its buttress roots showing above ground. The tree's bark is a greyish colour, with light and dark spots. Its resin is thick and milk coloured. L. parasiticum is cultivated mainly for its fruit, which can be eaten raw. The fruit can also be bottled in syrup. #vegan #vegansofig #veganism #vegansofinstagram #cleaneating #crueltyfree #foodporn #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #veganfoodshare #plantstrong #healthy #healthyeating #foodphotography #veganfood #foodshare #bestofvegan #healthy #yum #veganfoodspot #healthtreatsfeature #foodpic #veganeats #instafood #vegetarian #veganfoodporn #animalrights #raw #healtylifestyle #whatvyeganseat #langsat ??

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