Nature is the most skillful artist, sculptor and cook. Her creations amaze in appearance, cause bewilderment, and delight in taste and aroma. Distant Asia and the tropical forests of South America have become home to many amazing fruits that never appear on the shelves of our stores. You can only get acquainted with their unusual taste by traveling around the world. Round and long, covered with thorns, hairs and scales, fruits painted with all sorts of colors, growing on trees, vines, cacti are the most interesting objects to study. The presented eight exotic fruits of overseas trees are quite popular in the regions where they grow, and some are so tasty that they have won recognition in all corners of the world.

An unusual fruit of elongated shape and bright pink color grows on cacti in South Asia, China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia. On the surface of the peel, growths resembling fleshy petals are visible. The pulp is white and aromatic, it is strewn with small black seeds. This fruit has several names; because of its appearance it was nicknamed dragon fruit or the eye of a dragon, the second option has no connection with legends, it comes from the name of the cactus - pitaya or pitahaya.

The taste of the fruit is not rich, but pleasant and refreshing; it is used in salads and cocktails. The pulp may be raspberry in color and has a more pronounced taste. The fruit is easy to cut, it is eaten in slices like a melon or picked out with a spoon, original look serves as a decoration for fruit salad. Ripeness is determined by pressing; unripe, hard fruit is tasteless and should not be tasted. Pitahaya retains its properties for 6 days, it is difficult to transport, so it is very difficult to try it in countries where it does not grow.

Kiwano looks like a melon with pimples or thorns, and in cross section it looks like a cucumber with large seeds. The fruit is small - 15 cm, grows on a herbaceous vine, its homeland is Africa, now grown in many countries where the temperature does not fall below 0 degrees:
South America, New Zealand, it appeared in Europe and Israel, special varieties are bred for cultivation in cool climates. Its popularity is due to its ease of care and high yield. The pulp is jelly-like and green and is used in sweet cocktails and salads with salt because sweet and sour taste Reminds me of both a cucumber and a banana. Contains few calories, recommended for weight loss.

Akebia quintuple is one of the types of vines; it has beautiful fragrant inflorescences and is common on the Black Sea coast and in the Crimea as an ornamental plant. In China, Japan and other countries East Asia Akebia fruits are eaten. The fruits are small, only 6-8 cm long, the peel is purple with a white waxy coating, and opens on its own during ripening. The taste of this unappetizing fruit is reminiscent of raspberries.

In the tropical jungles of South America, the wonderful platonia grows; its brownish round fruits have a thick skin rich in latex. Their core is white, with large seeds. The pulp is filled with minerals - iron, phosphorus and vitamin C, and is used to make jelly and marmalade. This fruit is practically unknown to the world due to the impossibility of exporting it.

5. African pear - dacryodes

Dacryodes edible grows wild in the tropical forests of Africa; its cultivated version is grown on plantations in Angola and Nigeria. Purple fruits have blue flesh filled with fatty acids. They are very nutritious, contain many vitamins, and fat accounts for half the weight. The fruits are eaten raw, fried and boiled, and the seeds are used as livestock feed. Allocating significant areas for dacryodes plantations would help solve the food problem of starving Africa.

Mammea americana is an evergreen tree native to tropical America. Today it is grown throughout the Americas, South Asia and Africa. The fruits resemble apricots in taste and color of the pulp, but they are larger, up to 20 cm in size, and have a hard peel. Fruits are eaten only after they are fully ripe; it is best for them to fall to the ground. Good varieties Mammei are different rich taste, the rest are either very sweet or sour. Inside are large brown seeds used in medical purposes. Fragrant fruits are canned, jelly and marmalade are made, and wine is made from the juice. The low-calorie fruit is rich in folic acid and iron, which is essential for pregnant women.

Fruit cherimoya tree were already known to the indigenous peoples of South America; over time, it spread further north across its native continent and was transported across the ocean to India, Australia, and Egypt. In Spain and Portugal, the tree has taken root best, in local markets aromatic fruit sold alongside oranges and apples. The fruits are large, reaching from 0.5 to 3 kg, and have an unusual scaly skin. When cooled, the fruit core replaces ice cream and serves as a filling for cakes and desserts.

The pulp is sweet and aromatic like cream, it combines the flavors of several fruits at once: pineapple, papaya, banana and passion fruit, despite the fact that half of the names are as exotic as cherimoya itself, believe me, it’s very tasty. In the Japanese market, the price of the fruit is 40 dollars, but demand for them exceeds supply, just like in other countries where the crop is not grown. The difficulty of transportation limits the amount of fruit exported. Huge demand forces us to search possible solutions for the cultivation of cherimoya in other countries and its transportation, soon the exotic fruit, considered the king of desserts, will be available on a par with oranges.

Jaboticaba is an unusual tree; its fruits do not hang from the branches, but grow from the trunk. This Brazilian miracle is first covered with white flowers, and then the trunk and large branches are strewn with small purple fruits round shape. This feature is used by the plant to spread its species; fruits located low on the trunk become accessible to a larger number of animals. Today these are not only wild trees; in Peru, Cuba, and Panama they are grown on plantations. The tree is harvested twice a year. The fruit is soft, under a rough, unedible peel, the core is light, it is elastic and very sweet.

It will not be possible to preserve the fruit for a while; after three days it will ferment and become intoxicating. The main use of Brazilian grapes is to make wine, which is not surprising since our grapes are grown for the same purposes.
Fruits - and in Africa, America, Brazil - fruits, they are healthy and necessary for our body, from them we get vitamins, antioxidants and essential minerals. The fruits that evoke exclamations of surprise from us are familiar in their homeland, not all of them will appeal to their unusual taste, you need to be careful with the exotic, but at least it’s worth trying them.

About the most amazing exotic fruits of the world- my story today.

Lychee

The round, red lychee fruit tastes very much like grapes. You can try this exotic fruit at Philippines, Vietnam, Borneo and Thailand. Lychee is a very tasty and vitamin-rich fruit, for which it is often called a storehouse of vitamins.

Kiwano or African cucumber

Kiwano fruits are yellow, orange or red. The green flesh of this African horned melon tastes like a sweet cucumber with a slight sour aftertaste.

Sabres is a cactus fruit that you can buy at any Israeli market. This mysterious fruit is prickly on the outside, but very sweet on the inside. Israelis often say about sabres that the inaccessibility of appearance is not a hindrance if there is a “sweet” middle.

Noina is known as sugar apple. It is grown in the Antilles, Indonesia, Australia and southern China. This fruit is very different from all the fruits we are used to. The fruits of noina resemble small apple Green colour.

Inside the fruit - creamy juicy pulp and up to 60 black seeds. When the fruit is ripe, you can eat it with a spoon, after cutting it into two parts.

And this is a close relative of broccoli. And if you love cabbage, you will like this fruit. In addition, it is very healthy, because it is full of antioxidants.

Buddha's hand

This fruit is one of the most popular citrus fruits in Asia. Its contents under the thick, rough skin are very reminiscent of lemon.

Mangosteen, or mangkut, is very similar to small apple, but dark purple in color. Therefore, if you manage to visit Cambodia, Malaysia, Liberia or the countries of South Asia, be sure to try this fruit. Inside the mangosteen is edible pulp, very tasty, maybe with sourness, and sometimes with small soft seeds.

Durio

Durio fruits resemble some strange alien fruit the size of a football with a tough, prickly skin. The smell of durio is, to put it mildly, unpleasant, but the taste is amazing and elegant.

The first European explorer to try durio in the 1700s called it the "king of fruits." “It was worth going on a dangerous journey just to try this fruit,” added the surprised traveler.

This unusual plant often decorates our homes. In nature it forms delicious fruits, which taste like... pineapple.

Friend, Have you ever heard of the North American paw-paw banana? This amazing fruit grows in southeast America. Outwardly, it is similar to a regular banana, but somewhat thicker and more flavorful.

Anastasia Sergeeva

Unusual vegetables from all over the world that look like they were processed in Photoshop!

Everything related to unusual food different countries of the world, invariably arouses great interest in us. What is it about this product or dish? What does it taste like? How do they even eat it? You may have the same questions when you see amazing vegetables from different parts of our planet, which most often cannot be found in our stores. It may even seem like these strange and unusual vegetables have been photoshopped, but no - they really exist!

Red cucumbers

If you saw such unusual vegetables on your plate, you would be very surprised, because red cucumbers are not at all what we eat every day! In fact, this plant belongs to the Tladiantha species and bears the botanical name Thladiantha dubia, and it is called a red cucumber because it is too similar to its green counterpart that is familiar to us. This vegetable comes from Southeast Asia, but it is also grown in Far East Russia and in the southern regions. At first glance, tladianta fruits really look like small plump cucumbers, only they are very unusual - bright red in color.

In total, about fifteen species of red cucumbers are known. It is worth noting, however, that the taste of tladiant is ambiguous: for some it resembles the taste of pumpkin with pineapple and kiwi, while for others it seems rather mediocre and bland. If you decide to plant such a bush on your plot, be prepared for the fact that you won’t be able to get rid of it for a long time - the plant is a weed and very aggressive.

blue corn

This variety of corn is also called Hopi corn, named after the Arizona Indian tribe that developed this plant. Depending on the degree of ripeness and lighting, its grains can acquire not only blue, but also dark purple and even black color. Hopi is often used to obtain natural food coloring, it is used to make blue cereal, flour, chips, and chicha morada, a fermented alcoholic drink.

You most likely won’t see such unusual cobs in our stores, but in many countries around the world, especially in the USA, the popularity of Hopi corn has begun to grow. But not only the unusual color of the plant became the reason for its popularity, but also medicinal properties: the increased content of anthocyanins, which determine the color of corn, makes it good source antioxidants, as well as a powerful anti-inflammatory product. Glycemic index Hopi is lower than yellow corn and has 20% higher protein content.

Colorful corn

Blue corn looks very interesting, but even more amazing is corn, whose grains are full of almost all the colors of the rainbow and more! It’s hard to believe that people have actually learned to grow such unusual cobs, but it’s true: multi-colored corn became a sensation back in 2012, when a photo of one cob was posted on social network Facebook.

This variety was originally developed by a farmer from the American state of Oklahoma, Carl Barnes, who gave his brainchild the name Glass Gem corn (“Precious Glass”). Corn kernels really look like multi-colored translucent beads or pearls. At the same time, you will not find identical cobs: as they grow, more and more new combinations of colors and shades appear. New unusual strains can also be obtained by mixing the colorful crop with traditional varieties. However, you won’t be able to cook and eat such beauty in the same way as the usual yellow cobs - its grains are too hard. They are usually made from cornmeal, popcorn, and is also used for decorative purposes - this corn is too beautiful.

Purple potatoes

Other unusual vegetables that at first glance might be suspected of being photoshopped are purple potatoes. Who would have thought that it really exists! The skin of some potato varieties familiar to us also acquires a bright pink, almost purple color, but these potatoes have not only a pronounced purple skin color, but also almost purple flesh! Check out the picture below to see what pretty purple chips and mashed potatoes you can make from these weird and wonderful potatoes!

The most important thing is that these potatoes were obtained by mixing various wild African varieties, and genetic engineering has nothing to do with it. You can also order purple potato seeds online and try to plant them in your garden, although we should immediately note that caring for such a plant is quite troublesome.

Multi-colored cauliflower

And these vegetables seem to be quite ordinary - who among us doesn’t know? cauliflower! - but they look like this, the word was decorated in a graphic editor. And this is natural, because we are accustomed to ordinary cauliflower white, which can be bought at any supermarket or market. But abroad, in Europe itself, multi-colored cabbage with bright purple, orange and juicy green colors is much more popular, because you can make such things from it beautiful dishes! It tastes almost the same as white inflorescences, and it brings no less benefits to the body, but its yield is much lower, so mass cultivation of multi-colored cabbage has not taken root in our area.

Romanesco cabbage

And here is another variety of cabbage that literally fascinates with its appearance! Take a closer look at the photo below: the inflorescences of this amazing vegetable seem to consist of small decorative pyramids, representing a real logarithmic spiral. It’s amazing what unusual vegetables Mother Nature creates!

Romanesco comes from Italy, where it was given this name, meaning “Roman cabbage”. In Israel, it is called coral cabbage, and Poles and Germans know it as pyramidal cauliflower. Comparing the taste of Romanesco and cauliflower, they notice that the former has a characteristic nutty flavor, and the smell when cooked is much less pronounced.

Strawberry spinach

What a wonderful plant! Either greens, or berries, and certainly hardly vegetables, but we decided to add it to this list anyway. Its name is multileaf pigweed, but people call it both strawberry spinach and raspberry spinach, although, in fact, it has nothing to do with either one or the other, or the third. The pigweed is nicknamed spinach because it not only has edible berries, but also edible leaves, which are usually used in the same way as spinach: eaten raw, put in salads, added to soups, pies and stored for the winter. The berries can also be eaten raw, although not everyone likes their mild taste, but they also make unusual desserts and surprisingly tasty jam.

Watermelon radish

This “reverse radish” also looks strange, unusual, but very beautiful: with a white or green edge and a bright pink center - that is why such unusual vegetables received the title of watermelon radish. Otherwise it is known as green radish. Alas, the taste of its fruits is not at all sweet, comparable to a watermelon, but even more bitter than that of the radish we are accustomed to. However, other vegetables of this family also have a similar color, namely a variety of radish - pink daikon, or “Sugar Rose” daikon, and its fruits are very pleasant to the taste, without bitterness.

Chocolate pepper

No, this vegetable is not decorated in Photoshop - it really is real Bell pepper beautiful chocolate color. It acquires this color only in its mature form, and young fruits have the familiar appearance to us. green color. This pepper looks very unusual, as if someone actually cast it from chocolate. Unfortunately, chocolate taste it does not, but it received its name not only because of its characteristic color, but also because of its very sweet taste. Therefore, it is added not only to vegetable salads, but they even experiment and mix it with some fruits.

Chayote edible

But what unusual vegetables are called Mexican cucumbers! Meet the edible chayote. It has been used as food by the Aztec tribes since ancient times, and is now mainly grown in Costa Rica. In shape, chayote is less like a cucumber and more like a pear; if you look at it from afar, it may seem like it's on a quick fix flatbread formed from green dough.

You can eat the pulp, seeds, and even chayote leaves. These are strange and funny vegetables boiled, fried, stewed, stuffed, eaten raw - in general, universal product, anyway. It is said to taste similar to sun-dried tomatoes.

Bitter gourd

As soon as they are not called in different countries these unusual tropical vegetables: Chinese bitter gourd, bitter cucumber, karela... Their botanical name is Momordica charantia, or Momordica charantia. The vegetable looks very unusual, and hardly resembles a pumpkin, but it really does look like a cucumber - when unripe it is green, and when ripe it becomes yellow and then orange.

Momordica juice is poisonous, so unripe fruits should be consumed with caution. The pulp of the green vegetable is watery and tastes very similar to both cucumber and the aforementioned chayote - it is usually eaten by removing the seeds. Ripe momordica tastes bitter, but the seeds can be eaten as they become sweet. In addition, about healing properties Bitter gourd is legendary: it is used in the fight against diabetes, used for diseases of the liver and pancreas, in particular for cancer.

Edible cactus

And finally, we got a cactus among the most unusual vegetables, without even being a vegetable! But it shouldn’t be classified as an outlandish fruit and berry, right? Moreover, in Mexico it is eaten almost as often as potatoes and corn. Naturally, they do not eat any cactus, but a special one - the nopal cactus. It is sold directly in stores, previously cleared of thorns, and lies on the shelves, looking like huge green cakes.

Nopal tastes most like asparagus. It is fried on the grill or simply in a frying pan, cut into salads, and pickled for the winter. Made from nopal great desserts: jam, jelly and sorbet, not to mention various drinks - tinctures, decoctions and cocktails. Moreover, not only the stems of the cactus are eaten, but also its small dark red fruits, which have a strawberry flavor.

And if you are interested in something unusual for us Exotic fruits- you will see them in the next video:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

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Spring vitamin deficiency is no joke! And after a fairly prolonged winter this year, it is simply necessary to please yourself and your loved ones with all kinds of fruits, including exotic ones.

It's hard to imagine our daily life without the main sources of vitamins - apples, pears, oranges, tangerines, lemons, peaches, plums, watermelons, melons and other less popular fruits or berries. But sometimes you really want to try something unusual, discover new tastes. Bananas were once exotic, but now they are sold in every supermarket. But you will rarely find the fruits presented below in a regular store, although they cannot be called rare in the world. Some of them are even symbols of the countries where they are most loved.

(Total 20 photos)

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1. Lychee. The most popular fruit in Southeast Asia. Lychee fruits are used as food in fresh, prepare various sweet dishes from them (jelly, ice cream), and make traditional Chinese wine. Canned lychees with sugar without peel and seeds are exported to many countries, including us. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

2. Lychee's homeland is China. Locals They were consumed as food already in the 2nd century BC. e. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

3. Tamarind. The pulp of the fruit is used as a spice in Asian and Latin American cuisines. It is also an important ingredient in the popular UK Worcestershire sauce And fruit sauce HP. Pulp green fruits very sour in taste and used in cooking spicy dishes. Ripe fruits are sweeter and can be used to make desserts, drinks, and snacks. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

4. Tamarind is native to eastern Africa, including the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar. It grows wild in Sudan, but currently the plant is widespread in most tropical countries of Asia, where it came thanks to cultivation several thousand years BC. In the 16th century it was introduced into Mexico and South America. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

5. Psidium (guava). Guava fruits are widely used in food (jelly, jams, juices) and manufacturing alcoholic drinks. Popular in North and South America, Asia, Oceania. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

6. The homeland of psidium is the Western Hemisphere, from the tropical regions of Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

7. Pitaya (dragon fruit). To prepare pitaya for consumption, it is usually cut vertically into two halves. After this, you can either cut these halves into slices (similar to how you cut a melon), or scoop out the pulp with a spoon. Although pitaya seeds are rich in valuable lipids, they are generally indigestible unless chewed. The peel is inedible and may contain pesticides. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

8. Plants whose fruits are called pitaya are climbing epiphytic liana-like cacti, common in Central and South America. Popular in the USA, Israel, Northern Australia. Currently, these plants are also cultivated in a number of countries in Southeast Asia, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and Japan. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

9. Passion fruit (passion fruit, passion fruit). The sweet and sour juice of passion fruit has high tonic properties (usually mixed with orange juice, added to yoghurts, etc.), and is also used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetology. Passion fruit plants are often grown for ornamental purposes. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

10. Passion fruit comes from South America (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay). Nowadays it grows in Israel, the USA, New Zealand, and Macaronesia. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

11. Jackfruit (breadfruit). These are the largest edible fruits growing on trees: 20-90 cm long and up to 20 cm in diameter, they weigh up to 34 kg. Jackfruit is widely used in cooking. Unripe fruits are prepared like vegetables - they are boiled, fried and stewed. Ripe fruits They are eaten fresh and used to make salads and desserts. Jackfruit is very nutritious and contains about 40% carbohydrates (starch) - more than bread. The seeds are also nutritious - they contain 38% carbohydrates, 6.6% protein and 0.4% fat; they are most often roasted and eaten like chestnuts. Jackfruit wood is not damaged by termites and fungi and is used for buildings and furniture making, musical instruments. Jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

12. India and Bangladesh are considered the birthplace of jackfruit. It is planted in eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda) and southeastern Asia (Malaysia, Philippines). On the islands of Oceania and in the tropics of the New World, in addition to northern Brazil and Suriname, jackfruit is quite rare. In South India, it is comparable in prevalence to mango and banana. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

13. Acerola (Barbados cherry). The fruits of the Barbados cherry are edible fresh or dried. They are often added to fruit salads. They are also used to make syrups, jams, jellies and other preserves. These fruits are extremely rich in vitamin C: its content in the edible part of the fruit ranges from 1000 to 3300 mg per 100 g of weight, which is 15-100 times higher than that of oranges. In addition, acerola contains provitamin A, B vitamins, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. It has an antioxidant, tonic and restorative effect. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

14. The birthplace of the Barbados cherry is the Lesser Antilles, including the island of Barbados. The plant is cultivated in Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Philippines, Central America, USA, Australia, Ghana. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

15. Sapodilla (chiku, ahra). Ripe sapodilla fruits are edible fresh. They are stewed with lime juice and ginger, put into pies, and fermented into wine. The sapodilla tree is also grown to produce milky juice - latex. From it the so-called chicle is obtained - the basis for chewing gum. The unripe fruits are rich in tannin and are used as a remedy to stop diarrhea. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

16. The homeland of sapodilla is southern Mexico. Currently cultivated throughout Central America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

17. Papaya. It is usually eaten raw, without skin or seeds. Unripe fruits are stewed and also used in curries and salads. In some countries, papaya fruits are baked over fire, which causes the fruit to smell like bread. Papaya contains a lot of an enzyme called papain (meat tenderizing protease) and other proteins. Papaya juice's ability to break down tough meat fibers has been used in South America for thousands of years. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

18. Papaya, like sapodillas, is native to southern Mexico. Now it is grown in all tropical countries. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

19. Purple mombin (spondias, Mexican plum). Mombin fruits are eaten raw and used for canning. A decoction of the bark is used to treat diarrhea and flatulence. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)

20. Purple mombin is found both wild and cultivated throughout Central America. Currently also cultivated in Venezuela, Nigeria and the Philippines. (Jennifer Podis/The Palm Beach Post)