When it comes to fruit, we Australians don't usually stray far from our bananas, apples and oranges. If we're feeling exotic, a golden kiwi fruit might get your vote but, really, we're pretty boring fruit eaters.
Enter these fruits you have likely never heard of -- and if you have, you probably haven't tried them.
Advertisement
Most of these fruits are native to southeast Asia, while others are available at your local fruit shop (and your garden) but often get completely overlooked. Some of these strange fruits taste amazing, while others are... well, they are an acquired taste.
1. Rambutan
These little sea urchin looking things are an exotic fruit of southeast Asia. The word 'rambut' translates to 'hairy' in Malay and you can see why. However, once you peel the soft rind it looks exactly like a lychee, which is because they are in the same botanical family.
The small, plump fruit has a sweet, creamy flavour with a hint of floral. The point being, don't judge a fruit by its cover because it probably tastes delicious inside -- except, perhaps, for this next fruit.
Advertisement
2. Durian
Durian, aka the smelliest fruit in the world, is an acquired taste... for garbage juice. No, really, this spiky fruit actually smells like rotten eggs, sweaty socks, wet garbage and underlying notes of sweetness.
This southeast Asian fruit has a pong strong enough to stink out a whole apartment building. However (and this is a reluctant 'however'), apparently ripe durian tastes good. Once you get past the putrid smell, the creamy flesh on the pods inside its thorny shell taste sweet. We're game if you are.
3. Fruit salad plant
We don't know which name we like better -- fruit salad plant or its Latin name, Monstera deliciosa. One sounds delicious while the other bad arse.
Native to the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico, Monstera deliciosa actually grows in Australia -- pretty much everywhere. You might unknowingly even have it as a house plant, and the fruit it bears on larger plants is edible and tastes like a combination of different fruits.
Advertisement
So, the next time you see a Monstera deliciosa while you're wandering the streets, take a peak and look for some fruit salad.
4. Longan
Longan is a tropical tree fruit also known as 'dragon's eye'. The taste of longan is similar to rambutans and lychees, but with a more tart and distinctive flavour.
Longan fruits have also long been part of traditional Chinese medicine to boost sex drive and for anti-ageing -- double whammy.
Advertisement
5. Banana passion fruit
While passion fruit are popular in Australia during the warmer months, banana passion fruits are much less known. Native to the Andes of South America, these yellow, elongated passion fruits contain an orange, sweet pulp and are lovely in juices.
6. Mangosteen
If you've ever visited Indonesia, Thailand or anywhere in southeast Asia, you will have seen these cute, cartoonish purple fruits piled up on food carts.
If you've never tasted one you really must next time you travel there. Once peeled, the inside pods are reminiscent of a garlic clove but taste like anything but -- the pods are sweet, creamy and moreish, just remember not to eat the bitter seed.
Advertisement
7. Jackfruit
They might look somewhat similar to durian but are 1000 times less stinky. As the largest tree borne fruit in the world, a jack fruit can weigh as much as 35 kilograms.
Once ripe, a jackfruit smells like a mixture of pineapple and banana and, after wrestling to open it, is full of fleshy pods or "lobes". A jackfruit has a mango, pear, peach and pineapple flavour. Sounds like heaven.
8. Snake fruit
Snake fruit (Salak) is a species of palm tree native to Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Its scaly appearance reminds us of snake skin or even a dragon egg, but beneath its surface is flesh which is delicious combo of sweet, sour and juicy. It's like a dragon fruit tingle.
Advertisement
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.