The 10 most exclusive fruits in the world

The 10 most exclusive fruits in the world

 

There are select delicacies found in Nature itself

They grow kissed by the sun and light almost all year round, something that enhances their flavor and sweetness. Exotic fruits are a luxury that comes from distant paradises to more and more specialized stores. And they have names that make the journey begin even before trying a single piece. Kiwano, cherimoya, cape gooseberry, kumquat and so on up to ten select pleasures that must be tried before the temperatures drop.

 

Cape gooseberry, the golden fruit

Round, yellow, sweet with an acid touch and wrapped in elegant beige leaves. The cape gooseberry, also known as Inca berry, Golden fruit/berry or golden fruit/berry, is so beautiful that it is often used in confectionery to give the final touch to a cake.

 

Originally from South America, the cape gooseberry is rich in provitamin A, vitamin C and B vitamins. It also boasts an army of amino acids, phosphorus, antioxidants and pectins.

 

 

It can be eaten raw –and it is a real pleasure– or also dehydrated, in smoothies and desserts. It is said that it helps strengthen the immune system, regulate the carbohydrate cycle, alleviate throat discomfort and maintain the health of the skin, mucous membranes and hair. In other words, it's pretty, good and, like all fruit, it's good for you.

 

 

Custard apple, the natural candy

It is a real natural treat. The white pulp of the cherimoya gives off an intense exotic flavor, halfway between banana and pineapple, and a certain rose aroma. Even its leaves and flowers are fragrant and seductive. Of course, its black seeds, up to 30 in a single piece of fruit, are not eaten.

 

 

On the outside, this tropical fruit native to the Americas – apparently, specifically from Peru – resembles an artichoke. It is also a nutritional treasure, as it is rich in calories, sugars, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin C.

 

 

Mangosteen, the queen of fruits

It is nicknamed the queen of fruits, and with good reason. The mangosteen is a fruit native to Java and Sumatra that is already grown throughout Asia and South America, although it is only harvested in a certain season of the year, from April to October.

 

Its round fruits, hard and purple on the outside and white segments, scented and sweet on the inside, are highly perishable, which makes it difficult to trade. To this we must add that its peel is rich in tannic acid – that is, it has antioxidant properties – and it is credited with the power to regenerate cells, something that has also earned it the fame of the fruit of youth.

 

A full-fledged superfood and, for some, the most delicious exotic fruit in the world. Of course it is one of the most expensive: a kilo of these "queens" can cost 25 euros.

 

 

Red pitaya, the most fashionable

Its name in Antillean means "scaly fruit" and alludes to its characteristic "dragon" skin, which has earned it the nickname Dragon Fruit. The red Pitaya is a fruit of tropical climate and Central American origin that has been going strong lately.

And it is not for less: its appearance is most elegant, with its petals between red and pink and its white and sweet pulp dotted with black seeds (which, apparently, contain substances that help digestion). In addition, it is rich in proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fibers, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and ascorbic acid.

The flowers of the pitaya are also eaten, which are usually prepared fried, roasted or scrambled. The price of this exotic fruit that exudes glamor is around 6 euros.

Kumquat, explosion of freshness

There are few things in life like taking a bite out of a kumquat. Sweet and aromatic, this citrus fruit of oriental origin – also known as fortunella, Chinese mandarin or Chinese orange – explodes in the mouth with all its freshness.

 

There is not even a need to remove the seeds or the skin, which is very fine, aromatic and orange in color; or to cut it, because it looks like a miniature orange and oval in shape.

Obviously, this fruit is rich in vitamin C, but also provitamin A, calcium, magnesium, folic acid and potassium.

Kumquat is the perfect ingredient for any cocktail, to prepare jams and marmalades and is also used in poultry dishes.

Litchi, Chinese delicacy

Originally from China and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, the lychee (also called lychee and Chinese cherry) is a true pleasure for the palate.

Its leathery, transparent white pulp with a sweet flavor and a strong aroma of flowers is hidden, like any respected luxury, under a pink shell full of spikes.

 

The Chinese, who tasted the pleasures of litchi for the first time, reserve a special place for this product in their cuisine, especially as a dessert, in salads or to accompany meat and fish: for this reason they have cultivated it for more than 2,000 years and they have taken it with them wherever they have settled.

 

Litchis are often eaten in syrup or dried as highly scented dried plums. In Madrid, they can be purchased at Gold Gourmet stores.

Maracuyá, the fruit of passion

Few fruits are capable of evoking distant paradises just by naming them like passion fruit. Native to Brazil, spherical in shape and dark (when ripe), the passion fruit is also known by names such as murucuyá, murukkoyá, pasionaria and, the prettiest of all, Passion Fruit.

 

However, although its yellow pulp, made up of leathery seeds, with a sweet and sour taste at the same time and a penetrating aroma could well be an aphrodisiac, that name refers to another passion: that of Christ, since the different parts of the passion fruit flower they resemble nails, hammers and cross.

 

It is a fresh fruit, perfect for cocktails, cold sauces and ice creams, it is also very caloric and rich in water, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, sodium, potassium and serotonin, the hormone of good humor. Earthly passion is within reach of a teaspoon.

Kiwano, the fruit of paradise

The kiwano is an exotic fruit native to Africa that mixes the taste and aromatic notes of melon, cucumber, banana, kiwi and lemon.

On the outside it looks like an orange melon covered in spikes, hence its other name of "horned melon or cucumber", while inside it has a green and gelatinous pulp ideal for eating sweet, with a pinch of sugar, in smoothies. and cocktails, but also to give an original twist to any salad.

 

It contains a lot of water and mineral salts, it is very rich in vitamin C and it has no fats or sugars. The skin, on the other hand, contains antioxidants. It is also called Fruit of Paradise. What more could you want?

Papaya, the perfect dessert

If we had to close our eyes and imagine a tropical fruit, it is quite likely that the first thing that would come to mind would be the papaya. Or perhaps we should say papayas, since more than 70 species of this fruit are known, some as small as oranges, others up to 50 cm long and 2 kilos.

 

Be that as it may, papaya is the quintessential tropical pleasure, with its sweet orange pulp full of black seeds and its endless health benefits, being rich in fiber, iron and vitamins A, B3, C and D, among others. others.

 

It is native to southern Nicaragua, but is successfully grown throughout the year in all tropical countries. In addition, it contains an enzyme called papain that performs a function similar to that of saliva, that is, it dissolves food. For this reason, a few pieces of Papaya are the perfect ending to a good meal, since it facilitates digestion.

It is one of the few fruits that can be bought green and left to ripen at home, and the leaves are often used in cooking to tenderize meat. More natural luxury, impossible.

Guava, vitamin record

Fresh or in juices, ice creams, cocktails, jellies, jams and especially milkshakes, as the pairing with dairy products suits it especially well. Whatever the chosen option, the important thing is to make a hole in our diet for guava, a treasure of vitamins.

 

 

According to the book Frutoterapia, by Albert Ronald, this native fruit of tropical America contains no less than 16 vitamins, as well as various nutrients, proteins, mineral salts and trace elements. Of course, it is quite caloric and some of its varieties can be semi-acid or even acid.

 

The most common is rounded, green-yellow skin and flesh between red and pink with a large number of hard seeds, reminiscent of tomato appearance.

In that small Madrid fruit temple that is Frutería Vázquez, you can buy Guavas –and a few other tropical delicacies– without leaving the exclusive Salamanca neighborhood.