Fruity FOOD FRIDAY

Fruity FOOD FRIDAY

Posted on 29. May, 2009 by Jason in food

As promised, Friday is about food! And this week, I want to show you some fruits we don’t see in the US.

Lychee

The lychee is a fun little fruit. They have a thin reddish rind that is very easy to peel, that reveals the flesh which surrounds a large seed. Ya gotta pop the whole thing in your mouth (kinda like sushi)! It’s crisp white flesh is both juicy and sweet. If you eat one, you’ll want more.

Ming of Tang

Ming of Tang

Originally from China, the lychee was a favorite fruit for a concubine of Emperor Ming of Tang. The emperor had the fruit, which was only grown in south, delivered Pony Express style for his lover to enjoy. We, however, just get them around the corner.

Now being grown in Southern California, I predict they’ll become more popular in America. If you see them, definitely try them out!

I give the lychee two thumbs up!

Durian

Let’s get this straight right now; the durian is the worst fruit I’ve ever tasted! That being said, it has a huge fan base here in SE Asia, where they call it the “King of Fruits”. Before you see it, you smell it. It’s SO potent. It’s the only fruit that is banned from some airline cabins, hotels, and public transportation. When I bought some to take home for a taste test, we had to keep it on the balcony.
Some famous naturalist, Alfred Wallace, described it fairly accurately:

It is like a buttery custard flavored with almonds, intermingled with wafts of flavors that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, brown sherry, and other incongruities…

I’m sorry, but I can not get on board with a fruit that can be described that way.

I give the durian two thumbs down.

Mangosteen

mangosteen

The mangosteen is called the “Queen of Fruits” because it is thought to balance out the flavors and effects of the durian, and their seasons perfectly coincide.
Before 2007, it was banned from America, but no more! I’m told you can find it for $45 a pound in NYC… or just save up to buy 25 pounds and visit Thailand!
The mangosteen is such an amazing fruit! It is both acidic and very sweet. It has a woody shell, that when cut away reveals several whitish segments. I’m not going to say that it’s worth $45lbs., but as a new mangosteen fan, it’s close!

I give the mangosteen two thumbs up!

Have you tried any of these fruits? If so,what do you think?

8 Responses to “Fruity FOOD FRIDAY”

  1. Tina

    29. May, 2009

    I love mangosteen. It is my favorite fruit in Thailand. I am only sad that I am missing part of the season while in America. I agree that Durian tastes aweful and smells even worse, but I do like Durian chips. Lychee is okay, just okay in my opinion. I don’t like the seed inside. Keep enjoying all the tasty fruit of Thailand.

    Tina´s last blog post..Baptism in Thailand 4

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  2. Kassie

    29. May, 2009

    WOW. That durian is SPINY!!!! Isn’t that nature’s way of warning us? Its saying “stay away…don’t eat me!” I think that would give me my first clue about that fruit. :)

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  3. Jason

    29. May, 2009

    Tina, it’s sad that you’re missing all the mangosteen… and mangoes… I haven’t tried the durian chips yet. You’re not the first person I’ve heard of who dislikes durian, yet likes the chips.

    Actually Kassie, the first clue you’d get would be the smell! I’m not exaggerating when I say its smell is POTENT! :) But yeah, they’re pretty huge too. They can get up to 7 Lbs…. It wouldn’t be fun to have one drop on your head!

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  4. Beth

    30. May, 2009

    I saw the Durian on Bizarre Foods once, and hard-core Andrew Zimmern had the same reaction you did. Looks disgusting. Glad there’s other tasty food to delight your taste buds, though!

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  5. Kassie

    30. May, 2009

    We went to the Oriental Grocery store on Coldwater today. Tim picked up some Peppero sticks and I found some lychee candy! (Except it was spelled litchie I think….) I am going to bring the candy to small group Tuesday so everybody can try it! :) Cool huh?

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  6. sTim

    30. May, 2009

    I had to kinda laugh at the mangosteen one. They advertise that on the radio here all the time (on the ESPN Radio station’s horrible ads). Given the kind of ads it’s mixed in with, I was beginning to wonder if it was even real. According to them, it has amazing magical powers to heal every medical ailment from cancer to being a little bit tired. Funny stuff.

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  7. Cherith

    31. May, 2009

    I drink Mangosteen!! LOL.. it’s a liquid vitamin that was HIGHLY recommened. It’s a power fruit! I love the juice, and I would probably love the fruit. And the Lychee, I think I heard Charl talking about it one night wishing we had them here in the U.S. I have heard great things about that one too and discribed that it looks like a grape, or something like that… yumm.. this is making my tummy rumble!

    Cherith´s last blog post..Here I am Lord… Send Me

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  8. Jason

    01. Jun, 2009

    Kassie, that’s fun! I bought some lychee concentrated syrup for smoothies! Thanks for keeping people thinking of us!

    Yeah Tim, I think I heard that it was being marketed as a “power” fruit. Although I can’t vouch for it’s amazing magical powers to heal every medical ailment, I can vouch for it’s taste!

    Cherith, that’s awesome! Vitamins are so much better when they’re tasty! Yeah, I read that the mangosteen has really taken off in S. Africa.

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