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!

5 comments:

Andrea said...

Wow, they look AMAZING! Such fun to explore all these awesome foods :0)
xxx
A

Berna Venter said...

Cheryl, I find your stories intruiging. We are in the process of getting visas and the works to leave SA. I am really scared about leaving, but our country is really on its knees and it will be better for our children. I am looking for some (emotional) version of the process of settling in in Australia. Websites can give you facts, but only a mother can share the experience through her childrens eyes.

henno said...

Hehe, yeah our local Farmer's Fruit 'n Veg in Fortitude Valley is also carrying all the exotic fruit now.I lived in Vietnam for four years, where all these fruits are the daily staple, before coming to Brissy last year, so it's a nice taste of my previous home!

They've even got blood dragonfruit which I didn't even see in Vietnam. One of the woman who works there is also Vietnamese so I also have a chat to her and drop the Vietnamese names (some of which are absurdly funny, e.g. rambutans = tjom tjoms), which she absolutely loves.

Just before I left, mangosteens were getting really pricey in VN and rare, as the global export market was getting a bigger share. Now I know where they were all going!

Cheryl Goodenough said...

Thanks for the comments. Interesting about the fruit in Vietnam.
Berna, if you'd like to email me any questions or anything feel free to do so. My email is cheryl@sabona.com.au.

Unknown said...

Will definitely have to look out for these out our local Fruit Barn. Found your blog via Sabona site. Just moved from South Africa to Brisbane (well, Ormiston) with my fiance in December so they title caught my eye.