Fruit Series: Pithaya (Dragon Fruit)

Hey! Check this out.

It's called a Pithaya, and it's delicious. In other countries, it's called a Dragon Fruit, and I'm sure they taste equally as delicious in those parts of the world as well. But how does one eat this fruit?

It's easy! Just cut it in half. 

The cool thing about this fruit, like many others, is that it comes with its own serving bowl. The taste is sweet and very refreshing. The seeds inside give this fruit a nice little texture.

For me, this fruit tastes outstanding and is one of my favorites, especially without a shirt.

Fruit Series: Rambutan

Steph and I have been on a new fruit kick and every time we go to the store, we sift through the produce section for things we haven't seen or tried before.

Here's an interesting one...it's called a "Rambutan". It's part of the lychee family and tastes pretty much the same as a lychee nut (very sweet). We were walking by one corner of the produce section and a we saw a man stocking these on a shelf and we asked him if we can try it.

At first sight, it looks pretty intimidating, and it looks like the taste is questionable. But after we tried the first one, we were hooked and we bought a small case of them.

Squeezing the outside of it with little effort, you crack it open...

... and reveal the fruit

Now it looks a little more appetizing. The soft juicy white flesh makes you want to jump right in a start chewing on it, but wait!!

Don't just bite into it like this guy. There is a nut on the inside and biting it full force may result in tooth loss (warranty not included).

So just eat around the nut and everything will be okay.

Just a little cleanup afterwards, but it's well worth the effort. 

Fruit Series: Uchuvas

As far as fruits go, Uchuvas are really little gems. They are also called in some other countries "ground cherries", and they are as delicious as cherries without the big pit in the middle. They are very versatile little fruits and can be eaten as-is for a quick no mess snack, or they taste great on different types of salads. We almost always have a fresh stock of these little things in our home.

The Uchuva can come in a little pod like this....

...but they are more commonly bought in bulk and pre-husked.

You might ask, "What flavor do they have?"

The answer is that they have a really unique flavor. Nothing else tastes like an Uchuva, and an Uchuva really tastes like nothing else.  So it does NOT have the flavor of whatever fruit I use to describe it. The first time I tried them at Parque Arví, I was shocked at how different and good they tasted.

Before they ripen, they have a really tangy flavor which some people enjoy. As they ripen, they develop a sweeter berry-like flavor.

There are little edible seeds on the inside which aren't a hassle at all (for those of you who don't like seeds). The inside is kind of meaty, so they are not as watery as a grape. 

I highly recommend trying this little fruit out if you ever get a chance. Hey! Why not try them out the next time you visit Colombia?

Colombian Fruit Series: Guanábana

This installment of the Colombian Fruit Series is the Guanábana, or Soursop. I have been waiting ever since we got here to pick one of these things up. The first time I had one, it was a very different experience for me!  It's packed with vitamins, and research shows that it may have cancer fighting properties (statement not approved by FDA). It's very hard to describe how this fruit tastes, but the taste is as unique as it looks. 

Average size Guanábana (Hand inserted for size comparison). Some look cooler than others with bigger spikes on the outside.

Wikipedia gives an excellent description of the taste: "a combination of strawberry and pineapple, with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana." It really is all of those flavors put together. I think I found a bag of Guanábana juice at Publix in Florida one time in the frozen ethnic section (Goya packages it). I highly recommend going to pick some up and making some juice, or a cocktail out of it ;-). We bought this from the Minorista today (more on that place to follow), and it cost us about $6,500 Colombian Pesos, or about $3.50 USD.

 Here's what to expect when you crack one of these bad boys open....

Brace yourself for action! They're actually pretty easy to cut open. The outside skin is sort of leathery. 

Aaaand here's the first look at the inside. Braaaaaains! It looks almost alien on the inside. The seeds are pretty organized throughout the inside. I wonder how the Golden Ratio ties in to this fruit.

Sometimes you can just buy the fruit from a store like this pre-cut in to quarters, or in a bag already juiced.

In this case, we are going to juice it, so we cut off the outside skin. 

On the inside, there are individual pods that are pretty easily separated. 

If you're looking to just eat the stuff animal style, you can simply pick these pods out and eat them!

Just another shot of the seed pods. You eat the outside and spit out the seed. Yes they are slimy, so you can use a spoon instead of your hands to eat them unless you  don't care if things get messy.

The pods separate quite easily from each other. Here's a lineup of some pods with one of the seeds.

This is how you will feel when you try this delicious fruit! 

The Guanábana that we bought was about average sized, and there is a LOT of fruit to go around.

Colombian Fruit Series: Granadilla

One of the best parts about being here is the amazing variety of fruits that you can try. We'll document some of the cool ones that aren't so common to the rest of the world.

First up is the Granadilla (kinda reminds you of the word grenade huh?). One sister told me that they get their name because when you throw them, they explode all over with their seeds like a grenade (don't quote me on that one, but it sounds legit)! Steph was raving about this fruit on our last visit, and when I tried it, I was amazed! I thought it was such a cool fruit because it's so unique and delicious from any other fruits I've had before. Here's why....

This is a Granadilla. Round, about the size of an apple, and a hard outer shell

Start opening it by cutting around the top of the fruit (hands are also an acceptable tool)

Almost there...

Eureka! Not really what you expected to be in there huh?

The seeds kinda remind us of fish eyes, and they are slimy too :-P

Don't be afraid though. If you can get past the visual, they are incredible! The black seeds are crunchy, and the slime/snot is deliciously sweet and jucy!

It's amazing how Jehovah created a perfect little bowl to eat these out of.

Yep....There's a lot of them in there. 

And when you're done....it still looks cool. I mean...look at it...what are those tentacles all about on the inside?

This is how you will feel after you eat one! 

Make sure to ask for one when you visit us. You won't be able to experience this in too many places.

Ciao!