Fruits are available in a fantastic array of forms, colors, and tastes. While many of us enjoy familiar fruits like apples, oranges, and bananas, there’s a vast array of weird and extraordinary fruits just waiting to be discovered. Some of these fruits may look odd, feel different, or have unexpected flavors that will amaze you.
Are you ready to broaden your horizons with new fruits? We’ve got 15 of the weirdest and most wonderful fruits you can find. These fruits are sure to shake up your taste buds and add some excitement to your meals.
Table of Contents
1. Dragon Fruit
The dragon fruit, or pitaya, is easy to spot with its bright pink or yellow skin that looks like scales. Inside, the fruit has either white or red flesh dotted with tiny black seeds. It originates from Central and South America and tastes mildly sweet, similar to a mix of kiwi and pear.
Despite its strange appearance, dragon fruit is full of goodness like vitamin C, calcium, and antioxidants. You can toss it into salads, blend it into smoothies, or just eat it as is for a slice of the tropics.
2. Rambutan
The rambutan is a tropical treasure from Southeast Asia, with its name coming from the Malay meaning “hair” because of its furry coating. Peel back the hairy skin and you’ll find juicy white flesh that surrounds a sizeable seed.
With its sweet and creamy flavor reminiscent of grapes, rambutan is great as a fresh fruit or in jams and jellies. Don’t be put off by its quirky look; this fruit is definitely worth tasting.
3. Physalis
Physalis, or cape gooseberry, comes wrapped in a unique paper-like covering that naturally preserves it. Once you uncover the vibrant orange fruit, you’re in for a treat with its sweet, tangy flavor that hints at pineapple.
You can savor physalis raw or cooked and use it in everything from jam to pies and even savory meals. Keep an eye out for this fascinating fruit at local markets or specialty stores.
4. Durian
With its large, spiky shell, the durian from Southeast Asia certainly stands out. Called the “king of fruits,” durian has a reputation for its strong smell, often compared to rotten onions, and its soft, custardy flesh inside.
Though the scent might be off-putting for some, the taste of durian is rich and sweet, earning it a beloved status in Asia. Just be aware it’s so potent that it’s banned in some public spaces! If you’re up for an adventure, this fruit is a unique culinary experience.
5. Miracle Fruit
The miracle fruit from West Africa may look simple, but it has an incredible power. It contains a substance that transforms how you taste sour foods, turning them sweet when you eat them.
When you eat miracle fruit, even the sourest lemon can taste delightfully sweet for up to an hour. People use miracle fruit to enjoy sour foods or to help them eat foods they normally wouldn’t like because of their bitterness. It’s a cool, taste-changing berry, but remember not to eat too much sour stuff while under its spell!
6. Sugar Apple
The sugar apple, also known as custard apple, looks bumpy on the outside, but inside it is full of creamy, sweet flesh. Living up to its name, sugar apple combines flavors like pineapple and strawberry with a custardy texture.
This luscious fruit is lovely on its own and can be turned into smoothies, shakes, ice cream, and desserts. It might be hard to find fresh, so keep your eyes peeled at specialty stores to taste this unusual treat.
7. Ackee
The ackee, Jamaica’s national fruit, plays a significant role in Jamaican cooking. It’s important to wait until the ackee is ripe and its protective pods open naturally, revealing the edible yellow flesh inside, as the unripe fruit can be toxic.
With a unique flavor that’s like a savory custard, cooked ackee is nutty, creamy, and subtly flavored. If you have the chance to try authentic Jamaican dishes like ackee with saltfish, don’t miss out. Just ensure you’re eating the safe, ripe parts of the fruit.
8. Jackfruit
Jackfruit takes the crown for being the biggest fruit that grows on trees, sometimes reaching up to 80 pounds. Hailing from South and Southeast Asia, it’s hidden behind a thick, bumpy skin which protects its fleshy fruit pods and seeds inside.
The young green jackfruit has a mild taste and becomes like meat when you cook it. When it’s ripe, it’s sweet and tastes like a mix of pineapple, banana, and mango. Even though jackfruits are really big and can be messy to cut up, they’re worth trying because they’re a special kind of fruit from the tropics.
9. Sakurajima Radish
Some unusual fruits aren’t even sweet. Take the Sakurajima radish, for instance, which is a huge radish from a volcanic Japanese island with the same name. It can grow to be about 15 inches long and weigh as much as 13 pounds!
This giant radish tastes quite mild and has a crunchy white inside. People usually eat them pickled or sliced up in salads. If you ever find a Sakurajima radish, don’t hesitate to slice it open and enjoy a unique taste experience.
10. Mangosteen
Mangosteen stands out as an unusual tropical fruit with a tough purple exterior and juicy white pieces inside. It comes from Southeast Asia and is loved for its very sweet and slightly tangy taste.
The parts you eat, called arils, are soft and can be taken out easily when it’s ripe. People often eat mangosteens fresh or use them in things like jam, juice, or puree. Mangosteen has a complex taste that’s a little like citrus and very delicious.
11. Cherimoya
Cherimoya, also known as the custard apple, is a green, heart-shaped fruit with bumpy skin. Inside, it has a creamy white inside that tastes very refreshing, a bit like sherbet. Cherimoya comes from South America and has a flavor that’s a mix of banana, pineapple, and strawberry.
Mark Twain once called cherimoya “the most delicious fruit known to humans.” You can eat it just as it is or add it to fruit salads, ice cream, or shakes to enjoy its unique taste.
12. Soursop
14. Horned Melon
The horned melon, or kiwano melon, comes from Africa and is easy to see because of its yellow skin with spikes. It has a clear, jelly-like inside with seeds.
It tastes a bit like cucumber, banana, and lime, combining sweet and tartness, with a slight melon flavor. You can eat the horned melon just as it is or mix it with chocolate, coconut, or citrus tastes. This fruit looks strange for sure, but its taste is totally unique.
15. Finger Lime
Finger limes are small citrus fruits from Australia that really look like fingers. They’re full of juice that pops in your mouth, kind of like caviar.
Their taste is sour, like regular limes, and they’re great in drinks, desserts, dressings, and when eating seafood. You can also use the tiny juice vesicles from inside the limes as a fun topping for tacos or sushi, like little beads of “caviar”.
Conclusion
While we usually think of fruits as sweet, small, and round, the world is full of fruits of all shapes, textures and colors, with some really amazing flavors. If you’re ready to try something different than your usual apples and bananas, these 15 weird fruits are perfect to explore.
From durian, which sort of smells like onions, to cherimoya with its creamy sweet taste, there’s a huge variety out there. Even if they look strange, don’t just judge them by how they look. If you try something new, you could discover a fruit you really love! There are so many interesting fruits to try, so why not step out of your comfort zone?
