When you think of fruit, what comes to mind? A nice crisp apple, maybe a bunch of ripe bananas? You’d sooner think of those than a spike-covered melon, or gnarled mass of yellow rind, anyway. That doesn’t mean the aforementioned answers are wrong, they’re just not the sort of thing you’d see at the grocery store. Today, we’re exploring six of the most bizarre fruits that don’t grow in Canada.
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Black Sapote
It’s not hard to tell a ripe black sapote from an unripe one. The skin is a telltale sign, for one; when the olive hue gives way to yellow-green, that’s your cue to tuck in. More importantly, the inedible white pulp becomes soft and brown – akin to chocolate pudding. The flavour isn’t far off, either, hence its nickname of “chocolate pudding fruit.” While undoubtedly strange, there’s no denying the appeal of a fruit that resembles dessert when it’s ripe.
Monster Fruit
With a name like that, you know you’re in for something strange. You’ll come across monster fruit in the tropical forests of southern Mexico. At a glance, you might confuse them for young pine cones, or weird ears of corn. Closer inspection reveals a coat of hexagonal scales, which lend these fruits their name. Said scales slough off as the fruit ripens, exposing flesh that resembles pineapple in both texture and taste.
Horned Melon
Is it just us, or does this African fruit look like it comes from another world? Its spiky orange exterior is far cry from the stuff you’d find at your local grocery store. What’s more, it’s guts look like a cross between a cucumber and lime Jell-O, all gelatinous and chock full of seeds. Thanks to said seeds, eating horned melon can be a precarious task. As for their flavour, it’s supposedly somewhere between bananas and passionfruit.
Blue Java Banana
From the pictures, the Blue Java could easily be mistaken for a Photoshop job. Believe it or not, though, these blue-skinned bananas are 100% real. Found throughout Southeast Asia, Blue Java are a hybrid of two native banana species: Musa balbisiana and Musa acuminata. The result is a colorful fruit, whose flavor and consistency have been likened to vanilla ice cream. Because of this, many know Blue Java by another name: “ice cream bananas.”
Buddha’s Hand
According to some, the protrusions of Buddha’s Hand resemble outstretched fingers. To us, they look more like tendrils, or the petals of an otherworldly flower. The strangeness isn’t only surface level; beyond the citron rind, Buddha’s Hand has barely any flesh or juice. The few times it’s eaten, it’s either candied or added to salads. More often, the fruit is used to perfume clothes and homes, or given as a religious offering.
Miracle Fruit
There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the miracle fruit’s appearance. It’s slightly sweet flavour isn’t anything to write home about, either. What sets it apart is its unique ability to change how other foods taste. Miracle fruit contains a glycoprotein called miraculin; under the effects, your taste buds register sour flavours as sweet. A lemon, for instance, becomes indistinguishable from candy. Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it?
