I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t love Thai food and I am no exception. Actually, I like most Asian cuisines from Balinese to Sri Lankan with my favorite probably being Vietnamese and Thai. Even if you are timid around street food or are not a fan of spicy dishes, there are plenty of great foods to try with Thailand fruits being some of my favorites.
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While I knew many fruits in Thailand and South East Asia before I started traveling there extensively I started to appreciate them even more once I went: unbeatable prices, street vendors which will sell you many Thai fruits already cut and skewered, yummy fruit smoothies, and best of all – some fruits I never knew existed.
Whenever I go to a market or a cooking class I am usually that know-it-all that will say ‘been there, eaten that’. But when I recently got invited to do a fruit sommelier class at the Tongsai Bay Hotel in Koh Samui I got to experience some Thailand fruits even I didn’t know about.
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With that knowledge, I want to share some of my favorites with you and what you should try when traveling to Thailand!
An introduction to Thailand Fruits
Rambutan
Rambutans are another one from the lychee family and quite cute and alien-looking. Pick a rambutan with bright reddish furry bits that haven’t gone brown to make sure you get a good one. To open it either use a knife or press them open with your thumbs.
The inside is just like lychee, white with a seed that you shouldn’t eat. The flesh itself is sweet and slightly sour – perfect for a hot day!
As with logans and lychees, there is effort involved to get to the goods so I highly recommend taking advantage of any hotel buffet where they sit half peeled and ready to be eaten.
Dragonfruit
I have a love/hate relationship with dragonfruit mainly because I think they look a lot more interesting than they taste. They are part of the cactus family and thus super weird looking. The two most popular kinds have bright pink skin, one with white and the other one with pink flesh on the inside. Both have tiny black seeds that may remind you of a kiwi. They have a melon consistency but are slightly sourer. If you get one with pink flesh be careful when chopping it – they stain like beetroot!
I think they are lacking a bit of personality when it comes to taste but are definitely one of those Thai fruits you have to try if only in a smoothie for an added dash of color and nutrients!
Durian
Durian, oh durian! The king of all Thailand fruits and evil incarnate for many. Remember when I told you about the Thai hotel manager whose mother threw her a Durian party after she divorced her Irish husband?
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Durian is a polarizing fruit, to say the least – people love it or hate it as goes with other pungent foods like truffles or blue cheese. If you are traveling to South East Asia you will often see signs in hotels or public buildings that look like this:
Image by Hotels & Hand Luggage
It simply means you cannot bring durian inside and might be fined if you do it anyhow. And trust me: chances you will be found are very high because durian is probably best known for its stinky cheese-feet smell.
Durians are huge and quite intimidating looking with their big spikes. On the inside, the flesh is buttery yellow and its consistency is quite creamy as well. The taste is hard to describe but it doesn’t measure up to its intense smell. I first ate durian from a street vendor in Thailand and let’s just say that it wasn’t my favorite. Mind you, it might have been since the durian had been sitting out covered in cling wrap. At the Tongsai Bay, I got to try freshly cut Samui durian. Eating it freshly made a huge difference and apparently, Samui durian is the best one there is.
If you want to ease into the durian experience try sticky rice with durian. This version of the popular sticky rice with mango is widely available in Thailand when durian is in season.
Mangosteen
While Durian is the king of Thailand fruits, mangosteen is the queen and I bow to the queen. Mangosteen is my absolute favorite fruit in Thailand and one I sadly discovered quite late in life. Maybe because they look unassuming and not all that appetizing or maybe because they are a pain in the ass to peel – the skin/seed to fruit-flesh ratio is not the greatest. But maybe that’s what makes eating them all the better. Mangosteen flesh is white and soft, juicy and sweet, and unless the seeds are huge you can just eat them too.
Since peeling and eating them can get a bit messy make sure you have a serviette at hand. You can either slice all around with a knife to open them but that is a bit of a hit or a miss – alternatively, just use your fingernails to squeeze them open and get out all the glorious goodness unharmed in one piece.
Snake Fruit
Salacca or snake fruit was another Thai fruit I was hesitant about. I had eaten a different kind of snake fruit before and wasn’t the biggest fan. But during my fruit sommelier, I learned that they are great against diarrhea and really good for your eyes which is why I decided to give them another try – my eyes need all the help they can get.
To peel it you should wear gloves – no, just kidding but the skin is scaley and prickly so you need to pinch the salacca at the top and peel off as much in one go as you can. The flesh is off-white and firm (if it is too soft it is overripe) and segmented with an inedible seed. I am not even sure how to describe the taste but the whole thing was a letdown for me. If you haven’t eaten salacca before give it a go but if you also have bad eyesight go I won’t judge you for eating a carrot afterward!
Mango
Even if you haven’t traveled abroad, mango doesn’t need an introduction. It is a favorite of many people and it is easy to understand why: mangos are sweet, juicy, and quick to prepare. My aunt in South Africa always says a mango in the morning puts a smile on your face and I think she is quite right.
While there are many different varieties of mangos all over the world, I have recently discovered mango as a savory snack: eaten when green as a salad or julienne, mango works amazingly with chili, salt, and fish sauce! Especially the latter was a complete revelation when I had it at my fruit sommelier class and something I want to try – I nice change from the usual papaya salad.
Rose Apple
To be honest, I don’t know why rose apple is called rose apple and not rose pear because it is definitely pear-shaped. Rose apples are ruby red with white flesh inside and you eat it without peeling, just remove the seedy core from the inside.
I like rose apples as they are easy to eat on the go, not too sweet but very crisp and refreshing – a perfect alternative to an actual apple or pear.
Longan
If you like lychees you will probably like longans too. They are smaller and don’t have the signature spikey skin of lychee but they are quite similar in texture on the inside albeit a bit sweeter.
I first had longan juice in Kuala Lumpur when I was battling a cold and a friend had recommended them as a natural remedy – they are super high in vitamin C making them one of the healthiest fruits you can eat.
Papaya
I don’t like papaya at all. There I said it. I find it to have a slightly moldy, stale taste in addition to an already mushy texture. So I was not too sad when there was no papaya for my fruit tasting at hand but to be fair, I know I am an exception and most people seem to adore papaya.
While I am not a fan I do know about the papaya health benefits: papaya is pretty much good for anything inside and out and I am not surprised that I got it as a daily juice during my Ayurveda retreat and as a skin wrap during a spa appointment in Bali.
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If you like papaya, knock yourself out when you come to Thailand – you will find papaya readily available from most fruit vendors, at markets or for breakfast at your hotel. If you are like me, I recommend you try papaya salad in Thailand. Made from young, green papaya it tastes and looks nothing like ripe papaya but will still give you the same health benefits but with chili and shrimp flavor! And if you are really adventurous try the papaya seeds – you can eat them on their own or use as a spice with a slightly peppery flavor.
Longkong
I was excited to try longkong or long-kong as they are called in Thai during my class as I had never even seen them before (and I think the chef got a bit irritated with me knowing most of the fruit already). Mind you, maybe I just overlooked them because they look quite unassuming and a bit like a big version of longan.
However, I was very impressed – an easy-peel and you will find firm translucent-white segments inside which are sweet, sour and just the right amount of juicy and crisp. They are also incredibly healthy thanks to their vitamin A content so definitely one of those Thai fruits I will be on the lookout from now on.
Pomelo
Pomelo is basically a grapefruit on steroids. Or at least that’s how it looks and smells. It can grow as big as a head and has huge light pink colored segments. This is one of those citrus fruits where people who love to take the skin off can go all out.
While it smells amazing, the taste is a bit subdued and not as intense as you might expect. But that makes pomelo the perfect base for savory salads where it adds just a slight citrus note to the dish. It is also great if you want the benefits of citrus fruit but don’t like too much acidity.
In addition, the dried skin is traditionally used as a shampoo in countries like Vietnam and looking at the hair of Vietnamese women I dare say it works damn well.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is one of my favorite Thailand fruits ever. Ever ever. It looks similar to durian since it is huge and spikey (not quite as spikey) but is, in fact, the largest tree fruit in the world.
On the inside, it is nothing compared to durian! Jackfruit flesh is bright yellow and firm and when cut it falls into various sized pieces. I think it tastes like banana but has nothing of the furriness banana leaves on your tongue.
Best of all – jackfruit works incredibly well in savory dishes too: curries, tacos, you name it. Jackfruit is spreading through the world as an amazing vegan alternative for many meat dishes like pulled pork. And you will be glad to hear, jackfruits are healthy as can be since they are full of antioxidants and proteins.
Have you been and which of these Thailand fruits have you tried?
2 comments
Those fruit can find in indonesia and. MAlaysia too,
Very true 🙂