Wednesday, February 10, 2010

What we've been eating!

I've found some interesting tropical fruits in a local fruit and veg shop and a nearby market recently so we've been trying out some different fruit that's grown nearby. It's been lots of fun!

Not pictured, but probably one of the tastiest that we've had is the pluot, which is a hybrid of plun and apricot -- about 70% plum and 30% apricot. The variety that we had looked much like an apple but really does taste like a plum, with a bit of apricot in it! They are sometimes sold by the name dinosaur egg!

Then there is the achacha (on the left in the picture below), which is apparently a traditional New Year fruit in the tropical Amazon Basin of Bolivia. The ones that we got are grown in North Queensland. You cut the skin with a knife around the middle and then pop the fruit out. They are a bit like a lychee.



We've also had mangosteens (pictured at the top), which have quite a lemony tang. Then there are the rambutons, or hairy lychees, which are also similar to lychees and are quite sweet.



We've also had these dragon fruit or pitaya. The kids quite like them -- I'm sure the name adds to the attraction. Apparently the pitaya plant is a cacti that originated in South America, but was taken to Vietnam from where it spread.

I've yet to find the Black Sapote, which is also called the chocolate pudding fruit. I saw it on TV recently during a Queensland travel program. It apparently tastes really great mixed into a milkshake with some ice-cream! Yummy!