I love when I'm out shopping for fruit at the grocery store or the farmer's market and I stumble on something I've never heard of before. If you're tired of apples and oranges and are looking to spice up your fruit intake a bit, here are eight of the tastiest, most nutritious exotic fruits I've come across!
Red Banana
Incredible source of Vitamin C! Red bananas have a slight mango flavor with a flesh that's cream to light pink in color. (1)
Kiwano Melon
Also known as horned melon, jelly melon, African horned cucumber, hedged gourd, melano, and blowfish fruit. The flavor is a cross between cucumber, zucchini, and kiwifruit (though as it ripens, it tastes more like a banana). (2)
Pomegranate
The pomegranate is a great source of Vitamin C and potassium. It contains the most of every type of antioxidant. (3)
Kumqusat
With a sweet skin and a tart flesh, kumquats provide potassium and vitamins A and C. You can eat the whole thing- skin and all―though you may want to pass on the seeds! (4)
Ugli Fruit
Relative of the grapefruit and tangelo, but a bit sweeter than both. Just 1 serving has 70% of your daily recommended Vitamin C! (5)
Pepino Melon
The flesh is yellow, juicy and soft. Pepino has a sweet flavour and tastes like melon and pear. The centre of the fruit contains many flat, round, edible seeds. (6)
Feijoas
Sweet, aromatic flavor that tastes like a blend of pineapple, apple and mint. The fruit pulp resembles the closely related guava, having a gritty texture. (7)
Golden Papayas
One papaya has more than triple the recommended daily value of Vitamin C! Papayas have a wonderfully soft, butter-like consistency and a sweet, musky taste. The seeds are edible, but can be peppery and bitter. (8)
Have you tried any of these exotic fruits? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Sam Swensen & Suja Juice
SOURCES: 1. "Red Bananas - Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits - Healthy Food House." Healthy Food House. September 22, 2013. http://www.healthyfoodhouse.com/red-bananas-nutrition-facts-health-benefits/. 2. Horn Melon." Information, Recipes and Facts. 2015. http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Horn_Melon_656.php. 3. "Pomegranate Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits." Nutrition And You.com. 1993. http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pomegranate.html. 4. "Kumquat Fruit Fruit Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits." Nutrition And You.com. 2015. http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/kumquat-fruit.html. 5. Nutrition Data - UGLI." Nutrition Data - UGLI. 2014. http://www.ugli.com/nutrition.html. 6. "Pepino." Natures Pride. 2015. Accessed August 14, 2015. https://www.naturespride.eu/products/pepino. 7. Facciola, Stephen. "FEIJOA." Fruit Facts. 1989. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html. 8. Stanton, Meredith. "Papaya: Rich in Vitamins C and A." WebMD. May 21, 2009. http://www.webmd.com/diet/for-flavor-and-vitamin-c-try-a-papaya.
