Exotic Fruits in Chinatown

So inspired by my Chinatown tour today I thought I would do a blog on some of the exotic fruits you might find in Chinatown.  (For the record - the tour was for a group of second graders - and it was fun watching them try to name all of the unusual fruits as we passed by the shops.)

Durian:

Durian is nicknamed the "stinky fruit" due to it strong odor when cut open.  It is a fruit native to Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.  Despite the rotten onion smell, it has a sweet unique nectary taste and is often used to flavor candies.  It can also be eaten straight from the fruit.  I saw a man cracking open a Durian and scooping out the contents into a styrofoam container to eat raw.  It is also relatively high in Vitamins B and C.

My favorite part of seeing Durian today came when I asked the 2nd grade students if they knew what the name of this fruit:

One of the children shouted "CHICKEN FRUIT!"  Packaged this way - Durian most certainly does look like "chicken fruit."

Lychee:

As long as we are talking about naming fruits - I was once on a match.com date (because I'm classy like that) and was drinking a lychee flavored martini.  The guy had never even HEARD of a lychee before so I let him taste the peeled lychee in my drink and asked him what he could call it if he didn't know it was named "lychee."  He said "moonfruit."  (Perhaps asking questions like this is why I'm not successful at dating...)

I also first heard of the lychee when I was playing the eponymous character in the play "Little Moon."  It was a Chinese fairy tale and Little Moon's family was so hungry that all they had to eat a single lychee nut to split amongst themselves.  

At any rate - the lychee.  The lychee is native to China, Malaysia, and Vietnam.  It is extremely high in Vitamin C.  In traditional Chinese medicine the lychee has "hot properties" and the belief that excessive lychee eating can cause fainting spells or rashes.  A ripe lychee with have a pink not a green skin.  They are often served after being canned, but you can also eat them raw.  Simply break open the skin with your thumb, peel, and enjoy!

Dragon Fruit:

The dragon fruit is also known as Pitaya.  Despite their beautiful exterior (which I describe as looking like a dragon-heart, thought I believe the name comes because the fruit appears to have dragon scales) the fruit is very bland tasting. Apparently it can be used as a substitute for rice, especially for diabetics.  

Interestingly, the Dragon Fruit is native to South America.  It's appearance in Asia is due to European explorers introducing it to the East.

Java Apple:

The Java Apple is also known as a "wax apple" or Syzygium Samarangense.  In Chinatown they were simply advertising it as stone fruit, but a stone fruit has a pit in it - like a peach.  Java Apples do not.  The goal when buying one of these "apples" is to find the lightest or darkest colors you can.  The lightest and darkest have the sweetest tastes and are called "Pearls" or "Black Pearls."  

I also wanted to share something my friend Jolie told me on facebook - that source of infinite knowledge.  She studied holistic medicinal food - and this is her take on these exotic fruits:

Durian: warming. Good if you have a cold when you have chills that are worse than fever, not sweating or frequently feel cold, have fatigue, copious urine etc. 

Java Apple: I think is a chinese date??? (I usually see them dried) are good for low energy, loose stools, post partum, flowery vision, scanty periods. 

Lychee: (dried is actually a gogi berry) depression/stress, dryness, lack of appetite, flowery vision... much the same as the Chinese stone fruit. 

Dragon Fruit: balancing blood sugar levels, protective oral health, prevention of colon cancer, reduce cholesterol, preventing bleeding.