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Fruit

liuzhou

By liuzhou
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KennethT

KennethT

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This fruit is new to me; it appeared in a hotel "welcome" basket.

20180704_124941.thumb.jpg.a8ce0ae52a37d7d3d45cf8ae5db1569c.jpg

This is an Indonesian fruit called Salak or snake fruit, as the skin looks (and feels) alarmingly like a snake skin. It's also thin like a snake skin. Once peeled it looks like this:

20180704_125152.thumb.jpg.628a69b1f2602dc39fea089e625f7e06.jpg

 

It has 3 large garlic clove-like segments, each with its own stone. There is some kind of membrane around each clove as well.

20180704_125158.thumb.jpg.76465f78d16f75b9d5b3d15f8de244af.jpg

 

It has a texture similar to a chestnut and has a scent that reminded me of a mild french cheese, but fruitier. Flavor is very slightly sweet and a little sour... All in all it is certainly not amongst my favorites... but I thought it interesting nonetheless.

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Posted (edited)
19 minutes ago, KennethT said:

This fruit is new to me; it appeared in a hotel "welcome" basket.

 

We get those here too. They are known as 蛇皮果 shé pí guǒ; literally: snake skin fruit in Chinese. I have a series on unusual (to me) food finds on my blog and Snake Skin Fruit was the first entry back in November 2011.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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KennethT

KennethT

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Finally!!!! After being in Bali for about a week, we were finally able to get to a market where there were fruit vendors (with one day to spare - we're leaving Friday morning (it's now Wed evening)).

 

I got a nice sized bag of these:

20180704_173712.thumb.jpg.4e674cab8f3714a25b8373192673d365.jpg

 

The vendor originally wanted IDR75000 but I was able to get her down to 55000. At about 14000 IDR per USD that's nit quite $4. Before getting back, the quality seemed good using the equator squeeze test, so I was optimistic.

 

Now, back at the hotel, I thought I would sample one but wound up going through about half the bag - thry were so good... So juicy they were dripping down my chin.... And that flavor! There's nothing like it.

 

20180704_173804.thumb.jpg.9eee256330bc8f8ecbd0276ca81f1c15.jpg

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Smithy

Smithy

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@KennethT, what is that fruit? Please tell more about it.

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TicTac

TicTac

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2 hours ago, KennethT said:

using the equator squeeze test

 

 

 

I am constantly trying to find a good method for noting the ripeness of these fantastic (my fav. as well) fruits....do tell more!

 

 

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KennethT

KennethT

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@Smithy Mangosteens. It's very hard to describe them to someone who's never had a fresh one (which is most people on the US) as I think they are unique. I tried to describe them in my Singapore foos blog. Let me know if that helps. Right now I can only use my phone so long descriptions are a pita.

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Smithy

Smithy

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3 hours ago, KennethT said:

@Smithy Mangosteens. It's very hard to describe them to someone who's never had a fresh one (which is most people on the US) as I think they are unique. I tried to describe them in my Singapore foos blog. Let me know if that helps. Right now I can only use my phone so long descriptions are a pita.

 

Thanks. I remember that description now. (For other interested readers, here's the link.) I'll just have to look for an opportunity to try them; meanwhile, enjoy some extra for me!

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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liuzhou

liuzhou

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3 hours ago, KennethT said:

@TicTac check out the discussion in this thread from last year (I think it's on page 6). @liuzhou gave a good description of how to pick them. 

 

On page 6 indeed.  To be more precise here.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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5 hours ago, TicTac said:

The pangs of getting old(er)....how embarrassing, it was me to boot who originally asked as well! :blush:

 

Yes,  I noticed it was you who asked. But don't worry, I had forgotten that I answered, too!

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Fresh from lychee picking, today I discovered these in my local supermarket on my way home.

 

900775943_sugarapples.jpg.a48f9d49a4429b32b080805e0d65e5d2.jpg

 

In local Chinese 释迦 (shì jiā) which means nothing at all. I've also seen them referred to as 番荔枝 (fān lì zhī). That lì zhī is the Chinese for lychee, but they do not resemble lychees in any way.

 

In English, I'm told they are "sugar apples" or "sweetsops". For the technical, Annona squamosa.

 

 

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Fresh from lychee picking, today I discovered these in my local supermarket on my way home

...

In local Chinese 释迦 (shì jiā) which means nothing at all. I've also seen them referred to as 番荔枝 (fān lì zhī). That lì zhī is the Chinese for lychee, but they do not resemble lychees in any way.

 

In English, I'm told they are "sugar apples" or "sweetsops". For the technical, Annona squamosa.

 

Cool!  They look similar to cherimoyas (Annona cherimoya) that are grown locally here in So Cal. They are usually at the farmers markets from ~ Dec to early spring. Do you know how the flavors compare?

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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On 7/10/2018 at 12:17 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Cool!  They look similar to cherimoyas (Annona cherimoya) that are grown locally here in So Cal. They are usually at the farmers markets from ~ Dec to early spring. Do you know how the flavors compare?

 

We also get cherimoyas. Yes, they are related and look and  taste similar. I doubt I could differentiate in a blind tasting. The sweet apples are larger. I think thats all there is to it.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Today's fruitopia:

 

777795620_redbananas.jpg.b673f0e97d0e04a81e5d7c45f1c184f0.jpg

Red bananas

 

melons.thumb.jpg.a2d92a0effd499615a88b8a1015be883.jpg

 

For reasons unknown, the local supermarket has decided to add unconvincing stickers to their melons in a failed attempt to persuade us they are actually shiny happy people.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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BeeZee

BeeZee

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I have been gorging on summer fruit over the past week as the prices are dropping and the quality is going up. Have had perfumey-sweet white nectarines, apricots, sweet red cherries, and Rainier cherries.

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Anna N

Anna N

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2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

For reasons unknown, the local supermarket has decided to add unconvincing stickers to their melons in a failed attempt to persuade us they are actually shiny happy people.

Oh my!  Very sad. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Happy find this morning in my local market. Chicken Skin Fruit. I mentioned these in this post four years ago. This fruit is extremely rare, with 90% of it grown right here where I live.

 

Anyway, they are back in their short season and I couldn't, didn't want to resist.


huangpi.thumb.jpg.71b20d4faadc4ed027678180e66ab2d8.jpg

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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 I have also posted this on the Unexpected Gifts topic.

 

Another unexpected gift. For no apparent reason someone I only slightly know decided to bring me a mango. Not any old mango, but this monster. I have pictured it beside a regular sized chicken's egg and beside three regular mangoes to give you an idea of scale.

 

mg2.thumb.jpg.15afc6483157074c255b292b6ae2be47.jpg

 

mg3.thumb.jpg.1d2079a11a1f49e194257f7a1afeceff.jpg

 

This titan of the mango tribe comes in at just over 2 lbs or just a tickle short of a kilogram. It isn't ripe yet, so I'll get back to you on its taste.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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KennethT

KennethT

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@liuzhou What kind of mango is that?  It looks like a Tommy Atkins mango, which I imagine would be hard to find in Asia, although it is ubiquitous here in the US.

 

ETA: sorry, I just realized that you wrote that it weighs 2 lbs!!!  That is one big mango!

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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5 minutes ago, KennethT said:

@liuzhou What kind of mango is that?  It looks like a Tommy Atkins mango, which I imagine would be hard to find in Asia, although it is ubiquitous here in the US.

 

ETA: sorry, I just realized that you wrote that it weighs 2 lbs!!!  That is one big mango!

 

 

No problem. I'm afraid I have no idea what variety it is. There are over 500 different types. Apparently, mangoes can weigh up to 5lbs  Not that I've ever seen any that big.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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KennethT

KennethT

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The biggest ones I've seen so far have been in Central Vietnam - although who knows where they actually came from.  They looked similar to your smaller ones, but not as 'S' shaped, but a little more of a rounded oval... they were probably about 1.5 pounds... and delicious!  Very juicy, sweet and not fibrous at all...

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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I had friends to dinner last night, and as is the Chinese habit they brought a gift of fruit, but this time a very special gift.
 

2017217603_driedlongan.thumb.jpg.0db65bf829ebb488af2fa047dd88d2d1.jpg

 

These are dried longan, which they picked from the trees planted in their home village by their grandfather.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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