You’re used to eating apples and oranges, but have you ever seen a horned cucumber? Around the world, there are many unique fruits that most people have never heard of.
Here are some of the rarest fruits that you didn’t know existed.
01) Buddha’s Hand
This unusual fruit, Buddha’s hand, given its name for its finger-like appearance, are found in the far east, in countries like China, India, Malaysia, and Japan. It is often used as a perfume for rooms and clothes. What is more, In Buddhist temples, they’re used as an offering. Tradition has it that Buddha prefers the “fingers” of the fruit to be in a position where they resemble a closed hand, symbolizing an act of prayer. When eaten, you’ll enjoy a taste similar to citrus fruits, but it contains no pulp or juice. It can be used in desserts, dishes, or alcoholic beverages.
02) Miracle Fruit
Originating from tropical west Africa, the miracle fruit can perform a unique trick on your sense of taste. After eating this delicious red berry, your taste buds get temporarily rewired, making sour fruits like lemons taste like sweet candy. The effect lasts for about 30 minutes until your saliva washes away the protein that causes this. The berry itself has low sugar content, with a mildly sweet tang.
03) Ackee
Ackee fruit is known as the national fruit of Jamaica, It is a pear-shaped fruit considered one of the best delicacies on the Caribbean island. Make sure to only eat this fruit when it is ripe, which is when the fruit has a bright red to yellow-orange look, naturally opening and revealing the black seeds. Otherwise, Eating the fruit when it’s green and not ripe will poison you. The inside of this rare tropical fruit can have a mild buttery flavour and a texture like scrambled eggs.
04) Jabuticaba
This grapelike fruit can be found in Brazil and other parts of South America. Jabuticaba gets its name from an extinct language called Tupian. Jabot means tortoise and caba means place, combined to mean the place where you find tortoises. These rare exotic fruits can be eaten raw, or be used to make jellies, jams, juice, or wine. The flesh of the fruit can taste sweet, and the skin has a sharp, acidic taste.
05) Hala Fruit
Native to Eastern Australia and the Pacific Islands, the Hala fruit has a sweet taste to it. In addition to being tasty, it also makes for great dental floss with its green tips. But beware about leaving these fruits out in the sun long. It can ferment and produce a foul odour, which has earned it the nickname of “stink nut”. You can feel free to eat the fruit raw or cooked.
06) Noni fruit
Common across southeast Asia, noni is a fruit that’s known for having a strong smell and a bitter taste. This fruit has been used for making powders, cosmetic products, oil, and juice drinks. Indigenous groups also once used this fruit during times of famine, giving it the nickname “the starvation fruit”. Noni can also be used to create a yellow-coloured dye. While sometimes used as traditional medicine,
there’s no known clinical evidence to support any medicinal benefits.
07) Camucamu
If you ever take a trip to the lowlands of the Amazon, you might spot this fruit. Camu Camu is known to be very acidic. For that reason, the flavour is often masked by being mixed with milk or water and having sugar added to it. Camu has a subtle aroma that’s not as noticeable in comparison to other fruits on this list. Unfortunately, the fruit is at risk of being endangered due to overharvesting.
08) Monkey Fruit (wood apple)
No, we’re not talking about bananas. In fact, We’re actually talking about a fruit that’s native to India and Sri Lanka. It’s sometimes referred to as the wood apple or the elephant apple. what is more, Hindu temples will sometimes have the monkey fruit trees within their compound as sacred trees. The worshippers may use it to give an offering to their gods Shiva and Ganesha. furthermore, These fruits, though sugary, often have a sour taste. But they can be eaten raw, or used for making fruit drinks
09) African Horned Cucumber
What do you get when you combine the taste of a banana and a passion fruit? You get the African horned cucumber. Just as the name indicates, this interesting fruit has horns on the outside of it, and when ripe has orange skin with a lime green jelly-like flesh. It’s one of the only sources of water during
the dry season in the Kahalari desert. In general, it can be eaten as a snack, and the flavour can be enhanced with a small amount of salt or sugar.
10) Cupuacu
If you like chocolate and pineapple, you’ll love the smell of this fruit. Cupuacu can be found deep in the Amazon, in the jungles of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Northern Brazil. The fruit happens to be the national fruit of Brazil. People describe the taste of the fruit as being a mix of pear, banana, passion fruit, and melon. Brazilians often use it to make sweets such as chocolate and ice cream.
