Crazy Yummy Asian Fruit

Ok, so I have been meaning to post something for some time about the wide variety of yummy Asian fruits available in Hanoi. We love eating something new every day based on the season whether it be longans, dragon fruit, custard apple fruit, lychees, or rambutans. Although we continue to stay far away from the durian (which is just plain evil and smells like rotting garbage). The mangoes here are also especially good. Jennie is partial to the mangosteens and Emma seems to love her rambutans (or "chom chom" as they are called in Vietnamese). I personally love the dragon fruit. The best part is that all of this fruit is dirt cheap AND delicious! (If you are wondering what any of these fruits look like just google them to find pictures).



Speaking of kiwis, I thought I would attach two pictures of dragon fruit (see above). I think it is the coolest looking fruit around both inside and outside. From the pictures you can understand where it gets the name dragon fruit. The inside looks a lot like a kiwi, although it isn't as sweet, but you can eat the small seeds. I grew to love this fruit during our time in China and was glad to hear that Vietnam has just started exporting it to the States. So run to your closest Asian grocery store and see if you can find it.



Above you'll see some pictures of the outside and inside of the apple custard fruit. They are about the size of a baseball and from the outside you can see that it looks a bit like an artichoke (use your imagination). After peeling the skin you get to some of the sweetest fruit I have ever tasted. Jennie would like to point out that the picture of the inside looks like some disgusting alien baby - I vote for soggy Chinese dumpling with seeds.

With this overabundance of exotic fruit I have been wondering what is the problem with Americans. Why is it that we settle for the bland apple, orange or banana? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy each of these fruits but there are so many other fruits out there. Interestingly enough, if you insist on eating apples or grapes here in Vietnam they will cost you a pretty penny since most are imported from overseas and kiwis will cost you the most (they run about $3 a lb).