The Wild Fruits of Asia

Looking for a healthy, yet sweet indulgence on your holidays in Asia? With the endless amount of tropical fruits available all year round, you’ll have plenty of choices to pick from. Here’s a list of some unique fruits found in Asia.

A native fruit exclusive to Java and Sumatra regions in Indonesia, salak is grown in various regions on the archipelago as a food crop. There are more than 30 different varieties of salak, the key distinction of salak is its rough brown skin and sweet and sour flavour. The most popular salak varieties are the salak Bali and salak Pondoh. Try the salak gula pasir cultivar in Bali, a premium grade salak said to be the sweetest and juiciness.

The king of fruits is hardly a stranger to frequent travellers to Asia. Famed for its pungent scent, durians are often banned from hotel rooms for its lingering aroma. That being said, for lovers of durians, there isn’t any other fruit quite like it. The flesh may be bitter or sweet, firm or yielding according to its variety. The most prized and expensive variety is the Musang King Durian, definitely worthy on a spot on your to-eat list.
DRAGON FRUIT (VIETNAM)

A funky-looking fruit, the dragon fruit has grown extremely popular over the past few years, in no small part for its easy cultivation. The fruit actually grows on a cactus, its flesh typically reflecting the colour of the flower which grows on the plant. The most common colour you’ll find are the red-and-white-fleshed dragon fruit, the yellow ones are deemed to be rarer and sweeter. Have a try and let us know if it’s true!

Though you’ll find mango pretty much all year long in Thailand, the peak season for mangoes is April to June, when you’ll find the sweetest and juiciest mango at scandalously low prices. Though there are many varieties of mangoes, the undisputed king of mangoes is the Nam Doc Mai variety, prized for its distinctive aroma, delicious sweetness and fleshy fruit. Mango with sticky rice, anyone?
SANTOL (PHILIPPINES)

One of the most favourite fruits in Philippines, santol (cottonfruit) is a red or yellow peach-like fruit with white flesh, similar in taste to peach and apples. Santol is available all year round, giving multiple harvests, making it the perfect food crop. Santol is used in Filipino cooking such as in Sinantolan, a local favourite where santol fruit is combined with coconut cream, pork, pepper and chilli.
