With the ongoing pandemic, the chances for us to travel to other countries with unique botany and foods are low. Well, at least not until everything returns to its normal state. But worry not as we can always learn about the fruits from all around the world through the internet. Shared by Weird Explorer on YouTube, it shows us a list of the weirdest fruits from around the world.
From the Mexican Calabash with the strange texture ever to Stinking Toe, the fruit you probably have never heard of before, these are the weirdest fruits listed in the video.
1) Mexican Calabash
Compared to the Philippines Calabash, the Mexican fruit is smaller in size and filled with black flesh instead of white. It looks unappealing but the fruit itself tastes sweet like vanilla with a hint of licorice. The seeds, on the other hand, taste like corns when roasted. And they come heart-shaped! Even though the texture is not the best as it is similar to soggy leaves, the flavor of this fruit is quite good.
2) Cannonball Fruit
Similar to the previous fruit, both of these fruits are evolutionary anachronisms. This means the original way of dispersal has been lost to time. Cannonball fruits were dispersed by giant ground sloths but nowadays, wild boars are in charge. Living up to its name, the fruit is heavy, hard, and completely spherical. When cracked open, the flesh is white but it would oxidize quickly and then turns into a vibrant blue. The taste of this cannonball fruit is acidic and not suitable to be eaten just like that.
3) Monkeypod
Coming from South American, Monkeypod or also known as ‘camachile’ can also be found in India, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia. It is in the shape of Q’s and the skin would split open when ripe. It looks interesting with the reddish color and the texture is fascinating too! With its small size, the monkeypod is very likely to be a snack.
4) Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a popular Malaysian spice since the 16th century but not everyone is aware that nutmeg is a fruit too! The flesh of the fruit is the third spice after the seed and the aerial around the seed which is called ‘mace’. Of course, the flesh is too astringent to be eaten raw, just like how people would not recommend biting the seed itself. It ends up as another spice and is sometimes processed as candy or a snack.
5) Stinking Toe
Who would’ve thought that there is a fruit with this name? But this fruit really exists! It can be found in the Caribbean and in South America, most of the time used as a medicine. The fruit looks like a big toe and when it’s cracked open, it even smells like one! The flesh is powdery and the taste is similar to melon with a little herbal taste.
6) Ice Cream Bean
The name of this ice cream is sure to fancy but they are actually big green bean pods with fluffy white flesh inside. They are called ice cream because of the flesh that resembles wet cotton balls. They are even creamy with a taste of vanilla! The seeds of this bean are edible and when roasted, it would make a great snack that tastes like chestnut. The Ice Cream Bean fruit is considered ‘weird’ but it surprisingly tastes good!
7) Tapia
Tapia trees produce a small fruit that works best as a travel snack! The taste of this fruit is immaculate. It is a great combination of apple and brown sugar. But besides that, this fruit is also a host of a native silkworm. The fruits are not weird in any way because it tastes good and looks like other small fruits but they are very rare and uniquely useful, so they deserve to be listed.
In addition, there are two other exotic fruits from Malaysia. They are none other than Durian and Jackfruit.
Durian is known to have the most strong smell that results to its ban in public transport of few countries. Even so, in Malaysia, Durian is very much loved by almost everyone. Other than being eaten raw, Durian can be made into some sort of dessert too. This seasonal fruit is so hyped that the locals would often make a fest to eat just this fruit!
Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. or known as Jackfruit on the other hand is a tropical climacteric fruit. It is known to be the largest edible fruit in the world as it can grow up to 100 pounds. The yellow flesh inside is sweet and soft.