ASIANEXOTIC FRUITS - One of the best places to experience Asian culture isin its markets. There, a traveler can glimpse a segment of everyday life, notthrough the isolating insult of a telephoto lens, but through eye to eyecontact. Most of the time, patience and humor are all that is needed to guideyou through a market. Meats, fishes, spices, herbs and fruits are on display, sotoo is the local costume, culture and fabric of the everyday community.The most striking aspect of the tropical Asian market is its nativefruits---some cultivated, others may be gathered from the forest. Fruits are animportant aspect of tropical Asian diet. They are surrounded by tradition andfolklore. The richness of aroma, texture, color and flavor is in extremecontrast to that of the limited fruits in American groceries.
When trying new fruits, some are immediately embraced while others areappreciated by cultivating a taste for them by repeated trials and an open mind.
Oneof the premier fruits of the tropics is the Mangosteen (garcinia mangostona).It has a purple skin and 1/2 inch thick rind encasing a segmented, pearly whiteluminous center resembling a peeled tangerine. The rind is discarded and theluscious center is eaten fresh. Its flavor is sweet and tart, and the pulp meltsonto your tongue. Everyone likes the Mangosteen on the first try, and many feelit is the finest fruit in the world.
"Likefine French custard passed through a sewer pipe" is part of a descriptionof Durian (durio zibethinus) written by an earlyDutch traveler. Undeniably, the Durian is the most controversial of tropicalAsian fruits and one of the most beloved. In fact, the extreme value placed uponDurian is a phenomenon difficult for Westerners to comprehend. Select varietiesare expensive. Fruits range from 6" to 10" long and can weigh up toten pounds. The rind is covered with very sharp spines and the fruit is carriedby the stem or by a string to avoid manual handling of the fruit. Inside eachdurian are five sections with one to several seeds encased within a cream oryellow-colored aromatic, custard-like pulp. Flavor is intriguing and difficultto describe. A custard with almond, onion and cream cheese might begin todescribe this wonderful fruit. The fragrance of Durian is another matter---amixture of pungent, penetrating smell of garlic, sulfur, rotten onions andstrongly-flavored cheese. So strong is the smell of this exquisite fruit that itis forbidden in hotels, restaurants and taxis even in communities most favoringit. A single fruit opened covertly in a hotel room is quickly known in theentire hotel.
Durian legends abound in Asia. It is widely held as an aphrodisiac. It isreferred to as a "heating" fruit that causes the body to feel warm.Over consumption is said to be balanced by eating a "cooling" fruitlike the Mangosteen or the Wax Jambu (szygium), a small bell-shaped, redor pink fruit, with a crisp white interior and mild flavor. A commonly heldbelief is that drinking alcoholic beverages after eating durian can causeillness or death. I have seen many test this belief but no one succumbed. Thoselucky enough to try durian soon cultivate a taste for its luscious flavor andshortly find the odor only a tantalizing invitation to this exquisite southeastAsian delicacy.
Jackfruit(artocarpus heterophyllus) is very common in tropical Asia, being thelargest cultivated tree fruit in the world. It can weigh as much as 70 pounds.Looking like a watermelon dressed in crocodile skin, it is easy to spot. Ofcourse, few people need a 70-pound fruit, so it is sold in pieces. Jackfruit hasa central core from which radiate chestnut-sized seeds each of which isenveloped in a layer of sweet chewy pulp. It might be described as cantaloupecombined with banana and "Juicy Fruit" gum. It should not be missedand is often sold skewered on a bamboo splinter in the market for immediateconsumption.
Chempedak (artocarpus integer) looks like a smaller version of thejackfruit. Although similar in anatomy, the chempedak is smaller with smootherskin, and has a stronger aroma approaching that of durian. It, too, seems to bea "heating" fruit. Like durian, the chempedak is delicious once ataste for it is acquired. But your first encounter could be challenging.
Pummelo (citrus grandis) is the largest commonly cultivated citrusfruit in the world. Grown throughout the hot, humid Asian tropics, the Pummeloreaches its zenith in the swampy tidal deltas of Thailand. In the 1700's, thepummelo was taken to the great mixing bowl of the Caribbean, and, generationslater, the pummelo gave rise to the grapefruit. Perhaps the best way to describepummelo to Americans is that it is similar to a grapefruit without the sour andbitter taste. Flesh color, like grapefruit, can be white, green, red or pink.After the thick rind is peeled away, the large leathery segments are opened andthe juice vesicles are eaten with the fingers. Pummelos are very popular. Theymay appear in the market when they are not quite ripe. Often this occurs priorto Chinese holidays due to its role as a traditional symbol to gift. Pummelo isa citrus fruit and is more familiar to westerners and, therefore, more quicklyappreciated.
Closelyrelated and among the most beloved fruits in Asia are the Lychee (litchichinensis), Longan (euphoria longana), Rambutan (nepheliumlappaceum) and Pulisan (nephelium mutabile). The lychee and thelongan are actually grown in the subtropical zone between the tropic and thetemperate regions, originating in southern China and northern Thai, Africa,India, and Florida.
Florida's emerging lychee and longan industry is expanding rapidly. Thelychee fruit is about 1 1/2" long and is covered with a thin red, rough,brittle and leathery skin that encases a sphere of translucent white pulp withthe texture of a peeled grape and a succulent sweet flesh. A single large brownseed easily slips from within the fruit pulp. The longan has light brown skinand is smoother and more round than lychee. It has a translucent gray pulpsurrounding a round seed which is easy to spit out. Both are eaten fresh anddried and are among China's most beloved fruits. Although they grow in thecooler subtropics, imported fruits are found at larger markets in the extremeAsian tropics as well. The tropical cousins to the lychee and longan are therambutan, pulisan, and the Mata Kuching (Malay for cat's eye). Rambutan (a Malayword meaning hairy lychee) is very much like lychee but its rind is covered withlong flexible prickles. Its color ranges from dark red to bright yellow. Unlikethe lychee, its pulp often clings to the seed and makes eating more difficult.Pulisan is less widely known but is superior to the rambutan in quality. It iscovered with thick blunt spines and varies in color from red to purple, black orgreen. Mata Kuching from Malaysia and Indonesia is a smaller tropical form ofthe Longan. All of these fruits are immediately enjoyed upon their firstencounter and are highly recommended.
Carambola(averrhoa carambola) or "Star Fruit," can be very sour, blandor mildly sweet according to ripeness and variety. In most markets, dark yellowfruits will be sweet and pleasant for eating fresh. Green ones are sour and areused for cooking and making pickles. Extremely sour varieties are high in oxalicacid and have been used to clean the tarnish from brassware. The fruit is slicedto make five pointed star shaped sections. Carambola is now grown in SouthFlorida commercially and is available in U.S. markets. A close relative to theCarambola is the Bilimbi (averrhoa bilimbi) which looks like a greenpickle and is used in curries and to make pickles.
Langsat (lansium domesticum) is a wonderful little fruit about 11/2" long. It hangs in bunches. The thin tan colored skin is easily peeledto reveal a pearly sectioned interior like a tangerine. One or more green seedsmay be present. Duku is another variety of Langsat and is also held in highesteem. The flavor of both is like a sweetened non-bitter grapefruit with agrape texture.
Highlyregarded in its homeland, the Philippines, the Mabolo or Velvet Apple (diospyrusphilippensis) achieves only moderate fanfare elsewhere in the Asian tropics.This persimmon relative is the size and shape of a tomato with a beautifulcopper fuzzy skin encasing a cream-colored, mealy, slightly dry sweet pulp. Inthe market, fruits often have had the fuzz rubbed off of the skin yielding abrick red color.
Bael Fruit (aegle marmelos) is native to and most favored in India andSri Lanka. It is larger than a baseball and has a very hard shell. Inside thegummy pulp is like a combination of citrus oil and flower with a citrusfragrance. It is eaten with palm sugar at breakfast. The trifoliate leaf has aspecial significance to Hindus and is associated with Shiva. Trees and plantsare often found around Hindu temples.
Mango (mangifera indica) is one of the most widely eaten fruits in thetropical world. Originating from India to the Philippines, most mangos intropical Asia are not the brightly colored varieties found in the U.S. but areslim, pale green or yellow. Usually eaten when still slightly green, they areexcellent although perhaps different from the mangos you have tried in the U.S.
Awooden spinning top covered with snake skin is a good description of the SalakPalm fruit (Zalaccia edulis). Fruit of a small thorny palm with a crispcream colored dry flesh and an acidic flavor, it can be quite refreshing.
Travelers are sometimes reluctant to drink anything but bottled drinks. Agood, safe and nutritious alternative in the native market is Coconut Water. Nomatter where a coconut grows, the water within the center of the nut is pure andsafe. Vendors selling drinking nuts will open them for you and even give you astraw. After the water is consumed in a coconut, the shell is broken open andthe immature, jelly-like meat is scraped out and eaten (it is called "spoonmeat"). A pocket knife is useful to peel fresh fruits which will be safe toeat. Of course the outside skin of any fruit might be avoided by the travelerunless you can wash it off in chlorinated water at your hotel.
Rambutansare a deep crimson or bright yellow. You open the fruit by splitting the toughskin with a thumbnail and peeling it off. Or you can draw a knife around itsmiddle and pull the top off to reveal a lovely firm white fruit in its ownminiature egg cup that's easy to hold or hand to a friend. In size and taste,the rambutan most closely resembles the lychee. To eat, pop the rambutanwhole into your mouth and chew your way around the single seed that you'll findin the centre.
Tasting fruits throughout the market is a great way to absorb some of thefundamental aspects of Asia. Don't be shy, ask about what you see. Vendors areusually pleased to share your first experience with their fruits. Let them showyou the way to eat them. Be positive and inquisitive and you will make friendsand enrich your visit.
