7 Unusual Fruits You Might Not Have Seen Before

7. Dragon Fruit

A pitaya is the fruit of several cactus species. “Pitaya” usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus, while “Pitahaya” or “Dragonfruit” always refers to fruit of the genus Hylocereus. These fruits are commonly known as “dragon fruit” as in the Chinese huo long guo, “fire dragon fruit”, and long zhu guo, “dragon pearl fruit”. The Vietnamese thanh long meaning “green dragon”, the Malay buah naga, the Lao mark mang gohn, and the Thai kaeo mangkon or “dragon crystal”. Other vernacular names are strawberry pear or nanettika fruit.

6. Snake Fruit

Salak is a species of palm tree native to Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia. It is a very short-stemmed palm, with leaves up to 6 metres (20 ft) long; each leaf has a 2-metre long petiole with spines up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long, and numerous leaflets. The fruit grow in clusters at the base of the palm, and are also known as snake fruit due to the reddish-brown scaly skin. They are about the size and shape of a ripe fig, with a distinct tip. The pulp is edible.

5. Star Fruit

Carambola, also known as starfruit, is the fruit of Averrhoa carambola, a species of tree native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides; in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. The entire fruit is edible and is usually eaten out of hand. They may also be used in cooking, and can be made into relishes, preserves, and juice drinks.

4. Horned Melon

The horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus), also called African horned cucumber or melon, kiwano, jelly melon, hedged gourd, or melano, is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family. It is considered to be the ancestor of the other cultivated melons. Often known by its nickname in the southeastern United States, blowfish fruit, it is grown for its fruit, which look like oval melons with horn-like spines.

3. Rose Apple

Syzygium samarangense is a plant species in the Myrtaceae, native to an area that includes the Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but introduced in prehistoric times to a wider area and now widely cultivated in the tropics. English common names include Jamaican apple, water apple, mountain apple, cloud apple, wax jambu, and rose apple.

2. Monstera Deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa is a species of flowering plant native to tropical rainforests of southern Mexico, south to Colombia. Common names include ceriman, Swiss cheese plant (or just cheese plant), fruit salad plant, monster fruit, monsterio delicio, monstereo, Mexican breadfruit, locust and wild honey, windowleaf, balazo, banana pineapple and Penglai Banana.

1. Miracle Berry

Synsepalum dulcificum, also known as the miracle fruit, is a plant with a berry that, when eaten, causes sour foods (such as lemons and limes) subsequently consumed to taste sweet. This effect is due to miraculin, which is used commercially as a sugar substitute. Common names for this species and its berry include miracle fruit, miracle berry and in West Africa, where the species originates, agbayun, taami, asaa, and ledidi.

Source: techeblog