Strangest Fruits: A Journey Through the Exotic and Unique
What are some of the strangest fruits? If you found yourself wondering today, “what is the strangest fruit?”, this article seeks to answer that question for you.
While we are used to the average fruit such as strawberries and oranges, there are many fruits out there in the world with unique properties and tastes. Most of these fruits, you most likely have never even heard of or seen in your life. Let’s take a look at some of the weirdest fruits in the world.
The Strangest Fruits from Around the World
Kiwano
This fruit has horns all over the outside of it. It’s orange in color on its shell and the inside is a lime green color. The interior of the fruit is a jelly type consistency. This fruit actually aids in controlling blood sugar and increasing red blood cell count. The fruit comes from South Africa, and is rich and many different vitamins and minerals.
Oddly enough, you are actually able to buy them online. Check it out here. (Amazon.com)
Ackee
If you are Jamaican or are privy to a great deal of Jamaican information and background, you may be previously aware of this fruit. However, if you are not, then you may have never heard of or seen this fruit before in your life. This is the national fruit of Jamaica. Be careful if you come across this fruit, and don’t eat too much of it. It can cause a sickness known as Jamaican vomiting.
Some people prefer to eat this food in canned form. It apparently pairs well with fish. You can find a can of Ackee here if you want to try it for yourself. (Amazon.com)
Marang
Not to be confused with the dessert dish that goes by a similar sounding name, this fruit is certainly unique in its appearance. The outside is yellowish green with plenty of spiny objects that look like thick hairs. Once you open up the fruit, there are many bulbs of white fleshy fruit on the inside. This is a fall grown fruit, and the white balls on the inside of it have the consistency of cream. This fruit is usually found in locations like the Philippines.
Aguaje fruit
Also known as the Moorish palm fruit, this fruit is grown abundantly in Peru and Brazil. This food is said to have a comparable taste to carrots. The outside of this fruit is covered in a scaly substance that needs to be removed by being scraped off. It is said that this has properties of hormone balancing and can aid in estrogen balance within the female body.
Physalis
This fruit is encapsulated inside of a construction paper like covering. The covering is an orange is yellowish color, and is entirely an edible. Once you get to the inner fruit, it is rich and many vitamins, and minerals. This fruit is grown largely and the surrounding areas of South Africa. The coolest part about this fruit is that it can be found online in freeze dried form. Don’t you just love freeze dried fruits? Well, here is your chance to try a new one in a little bit more of an exotic form than strawberries or apples. You can check them out here. (Amazon.com)
Custard Apple
This fruit sort of resembles a large ear of cauliflower in a way. Most known to naturally grow in the Andes mountains, this fruit has a rough exterior with a sweet creamy inside. This fruit is said to taste similar to bananas and pineapples in a way. There are many antioxidants and positive minerals and vitamins within this fruit. It has been said to have cancer fighting properties and blood pressure lowering capabilities. Not only this, but it is said to be good for cardiovascular health as well.
Just like the last fruit in this article, the Physalis, you can also find the custard apple online in freeze dried form. It’s so great that companies are starting to see the real want from clientele for more freeze dried fruits of different kinds. You can find it for yourself here on amazon.com.
Pepino
This fruit is mostly grown in regions of South America, and it is said to taste similarly to Cantaloupe. It is previously not well known but is catching attention around the world. This fruit turns from a green color when unripe into a yellowish color when fully ripened. it is also grown in Australia, Chile, Perú, and New Zealand.
I attempted to find the fruit in either fresh, dried, freeze dried, or canned forms for you to provide a link. It doesn’t seem as if I was easily able to find one at first, but maybe more interesting is the abundant availability of seeds for this fruit on the internet. Maybe you can grow your own!
Wax Apple or Bell Fruit
Found in great quantities within Malaysia, this fruit is known to be incredibly rich in vitamin C. The same way that many of the fruits on this list in this article are good for immune support, this fruit is a healthy option for consumption. There are many different names that this fruit is known by such as the Jamaican, apple and cloud apple.
This is one of the coolest things that I have ever found on Amazon! In my search for a link to provide you to grab one of these unique fruits, I found a full tree that produces them instead. I am so excited to plant this in my backyard and produce these for myself whenever I want them. Here is the link incase you want to join me in being odd. (Amazon.com)
Mangosteen
This fruit looks like a cross between a plum, pomegranate, and mango. It is known to grow in great quantities within the south east Asian parts of the world. Sometimes considered as the queen of fruits, this fruit has also been shown to be high in antioxidants. In the same fashion that some of the other fruits in this article do, it has been shown to have positive affects on cardiovascular health and blood pressure as well.
This fruit can also be found on amazon in freeze dried form. Here is a link if you are interested in checking it out. (Amazon.com)
Australian Finger Lime
This fruit can come in a myriad of different colors. It can be found to be green, orange, purple, or black. The insides of this fruit can be yellow, orange, or white. It tastes sort of like a sweeter version of limes and lemons. The insides are sort of like those little bulbs in Boba tea. This fruit is grown mostly in rainforest areas, and thus are sometimes colloquially named rainforest pearls. this fruit can be eaten raw right off of a tree or put into many dishes. It is usually used in desserts of all kinds.
For this one there is also a live tree being sold on Amazon, but it is only available to those that live in California. It is easy to find if you do live there.
Black sapote
This fruit looks very similar to tomatoes with a different coloring. The outside of this fruit, the skin, is actually an edible. This particular fruit has been known to aid in digestion and increase red blood cell count. It is indigenous to the country of Mexico.
This fruit is said to taste similar to chocolate pudding, and there are an over abundance of trees in varying size on Amazon as well as the actual fruit itself. There seems to be an influx of this fruit and it is incredibly easy to find online.
Hala tree fruit
This fruit certainly has a unique appearance. This fruit aids and cardiovascular health and decreasing chronic headaches. Across the world, this fruit has been known to grow mostly on the coast and near sea level areas. It is rich and many vitamins and minerals. It sort of looks like what one would imagine an alien soccer ball to look like.
There doesn’t seem to be a readily available and reliable source to purchase these from online at first glance.
Cloudberry
In England, Scotland, and Alaska this fruit is known as different terms around the world. This fruit is a berry, and usually grows in mountainous regions. The supply and demand for this berry is very low on the end of supply. This means that on average, the berry sells for around five dollars a pound. The taste is said to be tart and it is often used in toppings on desserts.
What sets this fruit apart from the others in this article mostly is the way in which it can be found online to buy for yourself. You can actually try this fruit in jam form. There are cloudberry preserves on Amazon that surely brings a whole new meaning to peanut butter and jelly. You can check out for yourself if you want to right here. (Amazon)
Buddhas hand
This fruit looks like a lemon came to life into a creature with many tentacles. It looks like Davy Jones face from Pirates of the Caribbean, mixed with fruit. It looks like a 12 fingered scary movie character with a fun paint job. This fruit is found in northern India, as well as China. This particular fruit has been known to help in blood pressure, regulation, and aid and respiratory health.
There is both the tree and the actual fruit to be found on Amazon if you want to try this for yourself. It is ranked in the top 50 on amazon for exotic fruits. You can find it here if you want to take a look. (Amazon)
Akebi
This fruit grows mostly in the northern areas of Japan. It looks sort of like a cross between a pear and a banana with a purplish color. This fruit has anti-inflammatory properties and can help aid individuals in many ways. Another name that this fruit can go by is the chocolate vine. It is sad that this fruit smells like candy when it blooms. You can actually eat this fruit both in its raw form and cooked. The leaves from this fruit are often made into tea as well.
There is not a lot in the way of Akebi fruit online available for purchase. Some of the other fruits on this list are much easier to find.
Recap
We came into this article, wondering what some of the strangest fruits in the world where. Now you know, some of the most odd and satisfying foods that grow naturally around the world. Getting close to nature is fun, and this is a unique way to visit the different regions of earth with your taste buds. What did you think is the strangest fruit in this article?
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this article! : )