Frightfully freaky fruit

[Rhea_S]

Thanks for this thread! I've tasted most of these before, but not since I moved to the US. Most can be found in Asian markets throughout the Vancouver area. I love jackfruit, both the ripe and the green, and langsat. My mom buys me a few pounds of langsat (lansones in the Philippines) whenever she knows that I'm going to be in Vancouver. I had to talk her out of smuggling some to me when I see her in New Jersey next month. The Tagalog for starfruit is balimbing, almost the same!

Suzanne: Lychee, longan and rambutan are now grown commercially in Florida, so that's probably why they're becoming more common in the metropolitan areas.

[Adam Balic]

I have never had a black sapote but have been told that it has a similar flavor to chocolate pudding. I would love to get my hands on one. Have you ever had an ice cream bean? I am not too sure what the fruit actually is but it is suppose to taste similar to ice cream.

In my experience the flavour similarity to chocolate pudding was about the same relationship that the taste of carob has to chocolate (not that it taste of carob either). But the texture is quite remarkable.

mangosteens are wonderful and thankfully quite easy to get in Edinburgh.

Excellent, excellent pics BTW.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I'm getting terribly jealous reading this thread. The only store that I can think of that might have anything unusual in NoCal is 99 Ranch Market. They get some bizarre fruits and I know I have seen frozen durian there.

Reading all the descriptions of these has made me more inclined to try some of them and so maybe a special trip to 99 Ranch is in order...

Cheers!

[jgarner53]

he only store that I can think of that might have anything unusual in NoCal is 99 Ranch Market. They get some bizarre fruits and I know I have seen frozen durian there.

Carolyn, if you live close enough to Berkeley, the Berkeley Bowl has some of these exotic fruits, though I wouldn't bet on them having durian.

[Laksa]

Excellent, excellent pics BTW.

Let me echo that sentiment. Yetty, you probably already know that I'm a big fan of your photography, cold showers notwithstanding.

What do you use for the black background that shows off the pale colored fruits so well? Is that the color of your bench top?

[spaghetttti]

Gosh, thanks for the compliments, you all are very kind. I really hope everyone is enjoying the thread and photos. Although, quite frankly I don't know whether I'm channeling Georgia O'Keefe or Ron Jeremy; most of my photos have taken on a rather erotic, ummm, exotic spin . I've been very careful to post the G-rated ones, or else there would be mass cold showers running out there! (I'm still fanning myself over Laksa's provocative peach.)

Anyhow, before I go further... everyone, all together now, please repeat after me:

Dragonfruit is bland

Ok, well then...moving right along.

Now here's something I'm very fond of -- sawo. Not freaky at all, but is rather (if you'll pardon the expression) plain Jane. It looks similar to fifi's sapote, but it was described as having sweetish avocado qualities. When I think of avocados, the texture I tend to think of is creamy. This seasonal sawo is very honey-sweet, but has a bit of a grainy texture to it, not creamy at all. I believe that this may actually be a sapote.

Adam Balic, I can just imagine how good the black sapote must be, is it smooth and creamy? Where did you have it? OnlyTheBest, you have me stumped on that ice cream bean, I wonder what that is? I want to try it.

Rhea_S, Kumusta po kayo? It's wonderful to hear that some of these fruits are grown in Florida, are they available year round? Michael, we use the term sayuran for vegetables and the all-encompassing term sayur for vegetables that have been prepared as a stew or in a broth -- like Sayur Asem, a sweet & sour vegetable soup. We quite often have a clear Sayur Bayam with kernels of corn, and I do believe bayam is a great substitute for spinach.

David, you were asking about that dark background on some (most) of my photos. Here's my "studio" at work. You're right, my desktop is covered in a black leather-like material. As you can see, that window provides some good lighting, although some may say glare, I think of it as "subtle highlighting"!

Aaah, durian! I do love it, but it seems that I'm the only one in my family or at work who appreciates it. So I don't have anyone to eat and enjoy it with. I've seen naked durian packaged in plastic & styrofoam, but where's the fun in that? It's not yet the season for the local ones from Kalimantan & Sumatera, and it's been said that the best durians come out of Thailand. Here in Bandung, the Monthong variety from Bangkok is popular and highly sought after. It is quite expensive though, IDR 20,000/kilo (US$1 = IDR 9,000) and the Monthong durian averages about 4 kilos. I'd be very interested to know how much durians sell for abroad, for example, how're the prices in the US?

Edited September 2, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[Laksa]

I bought frozen Thai Monthong (translated as golden pillow, but can you imagine sleeping on a durian?) in NYC for $1/lb, which is almost exactly what you're paying in Bandung, by my reckoning. Doesn't seem logical, does it? NYC is so much further away from Thailand!

Maybe they're not exactly the same type of durians. Do yours come with a blue ribbon and medallion thingie and a "warranty"?

Thai durians are all very good, and are a hell of a lot more consistent in taste than "kampung durian" but for my money, I like to gamble with the local stuff.

Every now and then, just when I'm least expecting it, I would encounter a durian that is so magical, so mind-blowingly good, it leaves all the Thai durians in the dust. Sure, I may have to eat through a truckload of duds and "so-so" durians to find a true gem, but it's worth it.

One the plus side, durians are subject to a clustering effect. Once you've found a really good one, it's quite likely that its siblings from the same tree aren't far away. You could identify them by shape, by size, by divination, or simply by asking the vendor.

[gingerly]

That thing you posted looks like a creature from my worst nightmare.    My immediate compulsion is to run away from it.  You have forced me to rethink my personal food philosophy of "fear nothing, eat everything".

no,no!Laksa-raise the bar! another one we actually had in our garden at one time but were not aware that it was edible was this suitably named for this thread.my fruit book says the pulp is strained through thick cloth to remove the small needle shaped crystals(raphids)that could cause an unpleasant aftertaste.has anyone tried this?it sounds superb.spaghetttti-this one's ripe for the mother of all georgias!

[Al_Dente]

terrifically tantalizing thread!

[Laksa]

another one we actually had in our garden at one time but were not aware that it was edible was this suitably named for this thread.

I saw a Monstera (the name does not bode well, does it?) at a local grocery store recently but didn't buy it because I didn't know if it would taste good.

It was a pretty ripe fruit, and the scales were coming off. Looked like a grass snake that's suffering from a rare skin disease.

[spaghetttti]

You're cordially invited to the wedding of

Ms. Sally Salak & Mr. Monty Monstera

Bridal party:

Maid of Honor: Miss "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride" Daphne Dragonfruit

Best Man : Mr. Thomas Tamarind

Ring Bearer : Master Barry Balimbing

Performing the Marriage Ceremony: The Most Honorable Frederick Fingered Citron (He may look creepy, but he sure smells good!)

heheh

Edited September 3, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[intraining]

use the tamarind to make a drink - not sure how, just use your imagination

they serve these at the end of service in dok suni's in new york, very nice and cleansing (i'm 99.9% sure it's tamarind based). it's like a non alcoholic shot, very nice.

i know of the other two but as yet, i am unaware i have eaten them.

i am going to find them, taste them, and blow your minds with a recipe (such high hopes)

[ronnie_suburban]

I love to use tamarind in a salad dressing.

=R=

[Dejah]

Yetti,

Great thread! I have seen some of the scary stuff you posted here. Didn't know what they were or what parts were edible. Am going to an Asian market in Winnipeg tomorrow, so will be bringing home some goodies. . . . . . . . but NO DURIAN!,

yet. Gotta find me an effective nose plug first!

[spaghetttti]

I love to use tamarind in a salad dressing.

=R=

Oh, yes! Mr. Kaplan, please do share your recipe. I have gobs of tamarind at home just waiting to be put to good, delicious use.

Edited September 3, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[spaghetttti]

Am going to an Asian market in Winnipeg tomorrow, so will be bringing home some goodies.

Sue-On, please come back and tell us what you got, ok?

[spaghetttti]

terrifically tantalizing thread!

Hi Al_Dente, had any weird fruit lately?

Edited September 3, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[spaghetttti]

i am going to find them, taste them, and blow your minds with a recipe (such high hopes)

Fantastic! Can't wait -- blow our minds!!!

[mrbigjas]

i love jackfruit-keep them coming spaghetttti! see if you can get your hands on one of these!

gingerly, although some of the fruits that have been posted hitherto have been pretty scary looking, I could at least imagine eating them.

That thing you posted looks like a creature from my worst nightmare. My immediate compulsion is to run away from it. You have forced me to rethink my personal food philosophy of "fear nothing, eat everything".

the buddha's hand? don't worry, you don't eat it. it's like a lemon with no pulp--all rind. if you ever saw one in person you wouldn't worry about it.

[mrbigjas]

terrifically tantalizing thread!

it is, isn't it?

spaghetttti, i'm curious: did you do any processing on that dragonfruit pic in the first post on this thread? the cut-open version looks so much more fluorescent than the uncut version. or is it actually that bright?

[spaghetttti]

terrifically tantalizing thread!

it is, isn't it?

spaghetttti, i'm curious: did you do any processing on that dragonfruit pic in the first post on this thread? the cut-open version looks so much more fluorescent than the uncut version. or is it actually that bright?

Hi, mrbigjas -- the first picture was shot on my desk at the office, and the cut-open photo was taken at home a couple of hours later. Granted, the lighting and shooting modes were different, but no, I didn't make any post-processing color adjustments. The inner rind of the dragonfruit was really that psychedelic funky, fuschia color. I saved the hollowed out rinds thinking that they would be nice vessels for a mousse I was going to make with some agar-agar, but unfortunately someone unwittingly threw them out.

Edited September 3, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[spaghetttti]

Teeny, tiny fingerling jambu air or rose apples.

The search for freaky continues, but in the meantime, a look into a market or pasar.

Rujak buah, a fruit salad dressed with gula jawa, tamarind, cabai rawit (birdseye chillies) and topped with crushed peanuts.

Edited September 3, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[Pan]

I love fresh, crunchy jambu air, and I love the look of that rujak buah!

Yetty, you realize that with those pictures, you're making people who've never been to Indonesia feel homesick for Indonesia, right?

[Kapuliperson]

Cacao fruit I've never tried, but dragon fruit is good, and as for tamarind- it's the bomb! Especially when it's ripe and right off the tree. :)

[spaghetttti]

Yetty, you realize that with those pictures, you're making people who've never been to Indonesia feel homesick for Indonesia, right? 

←

Michael, what a nice thing to say! Well, if anyone does travel to this part of the world, I'd be very happy to welcome them here in Bandung.