Thai Fruit, from Thai Mangosteen to The Durian

Strange, Exotic, Tasty, Thai Fruit.

For the first 6 months to a year in Thailand I was eating fruit all the time. It was like my body needed it or something. I've talked with other tourists and expats and they all say the same thing. For some reason the first 6 months to year you just can't stop eating Thai fruit. The same thing happens if you leave the country for a long time and come back.

I'm not sure why our body desires fruit so much in the beginning but it might have something to do with Westerners getting use to the constant heat and the fruit may help restore lost energy or just might be as simple as, "it tastes great".

Anyhow, I won't procrastinate any longer. Below you'll find a list of some of the most exotic Thai fruit that the country has to offer. I won't list any fruit that's common to the West; we all know what a banana is and don't need any information on fruit of that nature.

Thai Mangosteen ("mang koot" in Thai)

This "queen" of fruit (also called the "cool" fruit) has a purple outer shell and white fleshy inside. The white flesh contains about 6 black seeds. The fruit taste great, kind of tangy and sweet, very good. They make juice from this fruit and is pretty cheap in Thailand.

Some stores in the U.S. are just starting to sell this juice for very high prices and touting it as a wonder juice. It's great but it doesn't cure cancer or anything.

Some times after buying this fruit you'll see black ants crawling all over it, but not to worry as these are one of the few ants I've seen that don't actually bother you.

This is probably one of the most loved fruits by Thais and for good reason, I like it too.

Durian("thu-rian" in Thai)

Called the "king" of fruit and also the arch nemesis of T.V. showman Andrew Zimmerman. I'm surprised that Zimmerman can't eat this. I too didn't like the smell and texture of the fruit when I first tried it but I got use to it over time. However, I couldn't eat most of the crazy things that he eats on a regular basis.

The fruit does have a rotten hot garbage smell to it and it's not allowed in most hotels in Thailand BUT the taste is quite good. It's very hard to describe the taste as it is very unique. You'll have to try it.

Also this fruit is known as a warm or hot fruit as it has tons of protein and they say it can raise your body temperature as opposed to mangosteen which is the Queen of fruit and is said to lower your temperature.

Durian is expensive even in Thailand.

This fruit has outer spikes like some kind of mid-evil mace. I just have one question... What happens to people that just happen to be standing under this heavy fruit when it falls to the ground???

Jackfruit ("Khanun" in Thai)

This is an interesting fruit. It's as big as a durian but missing the outer spikes. You'll see Thai vendors peeling away the individual yellow pieces of fruit one by one on the streets of Bangkok. Those street vendors turn this fruit inside out and it looks like a great deal of work.

The little yellow leathery fruit you get from each piece sliced and pulled off has a nice flowery smell to it. The taste is mild and pretty good but hard to describe. Don't eat too many on an empty stomach as it can give you heart burn.

Pomelo ("som-o" in Thai)

This is a uniquely Thai fruit and well known by other neighboring Asian countries. It was once desired for long sea voyages because its outer skin can protect its inner flesh with-out spoiling for a very long time.

This fruit is similar to the American Grapefruit but much, much better and sweeter. I'm not a grapefruit fan but I LOVE this fruit. If it's perfectly ripe you can't go wrong.

Rose Apple ("chomphu" in Thai)

This Thai fruit has a bright red outside and white inside. It has a pear shape and low and behold it taste like a pear, although a very mild pear.

The look of the fruit would make you think of stronger flavors but nope. Thais dip this fruit in a sugar, salt, and chili spice combination and for good reason as this fruit has little taste on its own.

Sapodila ("la-mut" in Thai)

An egg shaped piece of heaven. This is by far one of my most favorite discoveries in Thailand. I had never eaten anything quite like this before. It tastes like something like a fig but has the texture of a pear. Some people say it is too sweet but I think it's just right. I ate this fruit for almost a year before I started to slow down.

The outer skin is brown and so is the inside.

The 4 big black seeds inside are easily removed from this fantastic fruit so you can enjoy it without work.

I would really like to see this fruit sold internationally more or put into pies or other creations as I think it would do very well.

This Thai fruit can be hard to find at certain times of the year.

Longan("lamyai" in Thai)

Thai people are crazy about this fruit too and are very particular about the freshness and quality of the fruit. It's thin brown shell easily peels off reveling it's white to slight pinkish flesh. Under the flesh is a single shiny black seed. Longan tastes slightly sweet at first and the after taste reminds me of melon or even a tree.

This fruit was originally brought from Southern China but is now a large export of Thailand.

Rambutan ("ngo" in Thai)

This fruit is hilarious with its furry out side; it's so hairy you can throw them together and they stick like Velcro. The fairly sweet white inner flesh is good and tasty. This fruit tastes a little better than Longan to me as the Longan has a mild tree taste to it.

One annoying thing about this fruit though is that the outer skin of the seed can sometimes stick to the fleshy fruit making it a challenge to take off.

Lychee

This fruit is very similar in taste to Longan and Rambutan but this one is better.

Even though the fruit is similar to the two mentioned, I believe this one is better because it is slightly sweeter, has more juice, you don't get that tree taste of the Longan, and you don't have to deal with the outer seed of the Rambutan sticking to its flesh.

Dragon Fruit

They say this fruit belongs to the cactus species of plants. The fruit has a bright red outside and a white with small black speckled speed inside. The tiny black seeds look like poppy seeds but the funny thing is you barely even notice the seeds when you eat it. This fruits' exotic look betrays its actual taste. To me it tastes like a very mild Asian pear and the texture is the same as well.

You sometimes see this fruit in U.S. stores but not often and most people in the West have no idea what it taste like.

Custard Apple ("noi-na" in Thai)

This fruit actually came from Central America a long time ago but did well here because of the similar climate.

The taste is not bad, hard to describe, but not like an apple.

Guava ("farang" in Thai)

This fruit actually came from the Americas as well. I had to put this common fruit in here because of a couple of interesting things. First, for some reason this fruit ended up with the same name as a white foreigner, farang. I've been told it's because this exact species of guava is white inside and came from the "white Western" countries.

Second, Thais eat this with chili powder and salt on a daily basis. I never would have thought of eating this fruit like that.

Also watch out for the hard seeds toward the center, if crunch down on one of those you'll remember it.

Sweet Coconut

I put this one in here because the taste is very different from coconuts I've had in the West. This is the one they sell on the street and it tastes sweet, is very refreshing, and the white coconut flesh is delicious and edible. It's almost like they added sugar but they didn't because it is sealed shut until they open it with a knife. Some have told me it's sweet because they cook the outside the husk of young coconuts in an open fire but that seems strange to me as it still has liquid in it.

I've also heard that coconut cleans out your urinary tract and is great for constipation. Anyway, most Westerners may not like the taste of it but once you get use to it, you'll never think of Pepsi or Coke the same again.

Be prepared, some Thai fruit listed above is not available at all times during the year, especially Lamoot, but most are easily obtainable at any time.