Fruits come in all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. While most people stick to common fruits like apples, oranges and bananas, there is a whole world of unique and exotic fruits out there waiting to be tried. Some have strange appearances, odd textures or surprising tastes that will blow your mind.
If you are looking to expand your fruit palate and try something new, here are 15 of the most unusual and weird fruits to seek out. These fascinating fruits will give you a taste adventure and make mealtimes more exciting.
Table of Contents
1. Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is an oval shaped fruit with pink or yellow scaly skin. The flesh inside can be white or red in color with tiny black seeds scattered throughout. Native to Central and South America, dragon fruit has a light sweet taste that is akin to a blend between a kiwi and a pear.
It may look unusual on the outside but dragon fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, calcium and antioxidants. Try adding it to fruit salads, smoothies or enjoy on its own for a tropical treat.
2. Rambutan
Native to Southeast Asia, rambutan gets its name from the Malay word meaning “hair” – likely referring to the fruit’s hairy red and green exterior. Underneath this odd hairy peel is a translucent white flesh surrounding a large seed.
Rambutan has a sweet and creamy flavor, similar to a grape. It can be eaten raw as a snack or used to make jams and jellies. Don’t let the hairy appearance scare you off, this fruit is worth a taste!
3. Physalis
More commonly known as cape gooseberry, physalis is recognizable for its distinctive papery husk. This husk surrounds the bright orange berry fruit and helps extend its shelf life.
Physalis has a sweet and citrusy flavor with hints of pineapple. It can be eaten raw or cooked and used in jams, pies, chutneys and savory dishes too. The next time you spot physalis at a farmers market or specialty grocery, give this intriguing fruit a try.
4. Durian
Durian is a large spiky fruit native to Southeast Asia. Known as the “king of fruits”, durian definitely lives up to this name in terms of its bizarre appearance and overpowering scent. When opened, this fruit has a custard-like flesh and an aroma often described as resembling rotten onions.
But don’t knock it till you try it. Underneath its pungent exterior, durian has a sweet and creamy flavor that has made it an extremely popular fruit across Asia. Due to its potent odor, durian is actually banned in some public spaces. This smelly but tasty fruit is an experience every adventurous foodie needs to have.
5. Miracle Fruit
Native to West Africa, miracle fruit looks fairly ordinary on the outside. However, this small red berry contains miraculin – a molecule that binds to your taste buds, making sour foods taste incredibly sweet!
Eating miracle fruit can turn the sourest lemon into a pleasant sweet treat. The effects last 30 minutes to an hour, so miracle fruit is often used to make typically bitter foods more palatable. It’s a fun and fascinating fruit to try, just don’t overdo the sour foods once the miraculin kicks in.
6. Sugar Apple
Also known as custard apple, this knobbly green fruit is packed with sweet creamy white flesh inside. As the name suggests, sugar apple has a very sweet taste – like a cross between pineapple and strawberry with the texture of creamy custard.
Sugar apple can be eaten raw, made into fruit salads, juices, ice cream, milkshakes and other desserts. It’s hard to find fresh, so keep an eye out for it in specialty grocery stores to get a taste of this unique tropical fruit.
7. Ackee
Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and a key ingredient in traditional Jamaican cuisine. Unripe ackee is highly toxic, but when ripe it opens up to reveal creamy yellow arils that are edible and delicious.
The flavor is difficult to describe but resembles a savory custard. Ackee arils are typically cooked before eating and have a nutty, creamy and delicate taste. Trying ackee is a must in Jamaican dishes like saltfish and ackee. Just be sure to only eat ripe arils to avoid getting sick.
8. Jackfruit
Jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world, weighing up to 80 pounds! Native to South and Southeast Asia, this behemoth fruit has a thick spiky exterior that encases bulbs of edible flesh and seeds inside.
Young green jackfruit has a subtle taste and meat-like texture when cooked. Ripe jackfruit is sweet with a taste resembling a cross between pineapple, banana and mango. Due to its huge size and messy preparation, jackfruit can be difficult to process. But it’s worth the effort for a taste of this exotic tropical fruit.
9. Sakurajima Radish
Not all weird fruits are sweet! The sakurajima radish is a gigantic radish grown on the volcanic island of the same name in Japan. This radish averages around 15 inches long and can weigh up to 13 pounds!
Don’t let the size fool you, the flavor is surprisingly mild and pleasant with a crisp white flesh. Sakurajima radishes are typically pickled or shaved raw over salads and other dishes. If you come across one of these monster radishes, grab a knife and dig in for a taste adventure.
10. Mangosteen
Mangosteen is a unique tropical fruit with a hard purple rind surrounding moist white segments inside. Native to Southeast Asia, it is revered for its exquisitely sweet and tangy flavor.
When ripe, mangosteen arils (the fruit segments) are soft and easily removed from the interior. Mangosteen is commonly eaten fresh and also used in jams, juices or purees. This queen of tropical fruit has a deliciously complex citrus-like taste that melts in your mouth.
11. Cherimoya
Cherimoya, also called custard apple, is a green heart-shaped fruit with scaly skin. Inside is a creamy white flesh with a sherbety custard-like flavor. Grown in South America, cherimoya taste like a exotic blend of banana, pineapple and strawberry.
Mark Twain once referred to cherimoya as “the most delicious fruit known to humans.” Enjoy it fresh, in fruit salads, ice cream or milkshakes to experience this uniquely flavored fruit.
12. Soursop
Soursop is a large green fruit covered in soft spikes, native to Mexico and South America. Also known as graviola, the flavor of soursop pulp is often described as a combination of strawberry, pineapple, citrus and coconut.
Despite its tangy name, soursop is sweet and juicy when ripe. It can be enjoyed raw but is commonly used to flavor beverages, ice creams, smoothies and desserts. Soursop is not only weird-looking but has a distinctive, pleasantly complex flavor profile.
13. Pepino Melon
Shaped like a pear with streaks of purple/yellow skin, pepino melon is native to South America. The flesh inside has a mild sweet flavor reminiscent of a honeydew melon crossed with a cucumber or pear.
Pepinos are usually eaten raw, added to salads, or blended into beverages like smoothies and cocktails. While the flavor is not exotic, the pear-like shape and striped coloring make this melon unique.
14. Horned Melon
Also called kiwano melon, this African native is instantly recognizable by its bright yellow spiked exterior. Inside the horned melon is a translucent jelly-like flesh studded with seeds.
The flavor is a mixture of cucumber, banana and lime – sweet and tart with a very mild melon overtone. Horned melons are typically eaten raw and pair well with chocolate, coconut and citrus flavors. This odd-looking fruit is a visual stunner and tastes like nothing else.
15. Finger Lime
Native to Australia, finger limes are small citrus fruits that literally look like fingers! Each fruit contains juice-filled vesicles that burst like citrus caviar in your mouth.
The flavor is tart, sour and lime-like – basically a smaller juicier version of regular limes. Finger limes work well in cocktails, desserts, dressings and seafood dishes. For a fun twist, use the fruit vesicles as edible finger lime “caviar” on tacos or sushi.
Conclusion
While most common fruits are sweet, round and compact, nature has created all kinds of uniquely shaped specimens with weird textures, vibrant colors and surprising flavors. For those seeking an edible adventure beyond apples and bananas, these 15 bizarre fruits offer an opportunity to tantalize your taste buds.
From the rotten onion notes of durian to the sweet custard flavor of cherimoya, you’ll be amazed by the diversity. Though they may seem unapproachable at first, don’t judge these unusual fruits by their appearance alone. Keep an open mind by giving something exotic a try – you might just find a new favorite! With so many fascinating fruits to experience, it’s time to go beyond the basics.
