Joanna James
Thailand is a tropical island paradise and one of the most magical things about a tropical island is the fresh and juicy fruits that come in all shapes and sizes adding a wonderful sense of colour to the eyes and tastes delicious. If you are planning a trip once travel restrictions are lifted, here's what you should be eating!
You don't cook anything in South and Southeast Asia without coconut so it is often called the king of fruits. Coconuts are also considered one of the most nutritious fruits in Thailand that are available for harvest all year round. There are plenty of ways coconuts can be used; for oil, grated and coconut water.
In Thailand, the mangosteen is called the Queen of Fruits. It is purple with a green stem and a white flesh around the seeds which come in five to eight segments and are sweet and delicious. They are often served as a dessert in some of the best restaurants in Chaweng when they are in season.
Rambutans are similar to mangosteens where the hard or fuzzy exterior has a soft fleshy interior covering the hard seed inside. Eating a rambutan is a little harder than mangosteen for the pieces of flesh tend to get stuck between your teeth. The taste is sweeter and milder than mangosteen and makes for a delicious fruit to snack on.
The pomelo is almost indistinguishable from a grapefruit but is smaller and sweeter with that same refreshingly tangy taste. Called Som-o in Thailand, the pomelo is large and full of health benefits including improving your body's ability to fight infections and digestive health. Pomelo juice is a refreshing drink often served as a welcome drink at hotels like Tree Tops Restaurant.
With Durian it can go either way. You could either love it very much or completely hate it. The acquired taste comes from it being smelly. It can be quite a novel sensation if you have never had it before. It is supposed to be able to raise your body temperature and is popular not just in its fruit form but also as a smoothie and an icecream flavour.
Lychees are a great addition to some ice cream and they are somewhat similar to the rambutan. because they are a very seasonal fruit you can only get them once a couple of months a year. Canned lychees are available all through the year, however.
In Thailand out of all the kinds of bananas, the most popular are called Gluay Khai and Gluay Hom. They will be available all year round and are great in various preparations – banana chips and fried; ice cream and milky smoothies. The leaves were used to wrap rice, fish and chicken for grilling.
Dragon fruit looks like something aliens had brought to the planet. It is called Gao Mung Gorn in Thai and has a soft inside white with tiny black seeds. The outer shell is purple or red with little green spikes. it is sweet and soft to taste.
The other king of fruits in Thailand is the mango. A staple in local diets across the country, it is added to salads, soups and served as a breakfast dish with sticky rice.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
