BANGALORE TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

6 FOOD THURSDAY 11 MAY 2017

SUMMER IS HERE, AND BENGALURU GETS

,
A TASTE OF EXOTIC IMPORTED FRUITS
The summer brings with it a host of things to look forward to, and not.
Mohammed.Waseem@timesgroup.com

While the list of not-so-good things about the season might be long, one thing that excites us is
the availability of a variety of juicy fruits ones that we might not get during the rest of the
year. Indigenous, homegrown fruits are regular features, but there is also an influx of exotic
fruits from around the globe around this time. While some of them are grown commercially in
India, they dont come close to their native varieties. Heres a list of exotic fruits imported
during the season that will keep fruit lovers not just healthy, but satisfied as well

DRAGON FRUIT
White-fleshed pitahaya, commonly called dragon fruit, is a strange-looking,
mildly-sweet fruit, with both its juicy white flesh and tiny black seeds being not
just edible, but nutritious as well. Indigenous to Central and South America,
they are also cultivated in Southeast Asia, Israel, Australia,
Cyprus and the Canary Islands.
BENEFITS: Dragon Fruit contains no
cholesterol and almost no unhealthy,
cholesterol-producing fats. Its packed
with beneficial vitamins and
antioxidants, and
is good for
the skin.

BLUEBERRIES
With dark-blue to purple-black skin and semi-transparent flesh with very small, soft edible seeds, blueberries come
predominantly from North America. They have a sweet taste when mature and are known for their multiple health
benefits. Apart from the USA, they are also cultivated in Canada, Turkey, Peru, South Africa and Australia.
BENEFITS: Being high in nutrients, they can slow down the aging process and appear to have significant benefits for
people with high blood pressure.

RAMBUTAN
This is a small, round, alien-looking fruit that is native
to the Malay-Indonesian region and other regions of
tropical Southeast Asia. While its leathery skin is
covered in soft spines, its firm, white flesh is juicy and
sweet, with a seed in the middle. It is about the size of
a lychee and has a pleasant fragrance.
BENEFITS: It is high in carbohydrates and protein
DURIAN content, and also has a lot of water, which acts as a
tasty alternative to avoid dehydration.
This exotic, costly fruit has a nasty smell, but a unique, addictive
taste. Native to Malaysia and Indonesia, the fruit is left to ripen on
the tree and it is harvested only once it has fallen off. With its creamy
surface and ecstacy-inducing flesh, it is considered as the king of
fruits throughout South East Asia.
PASSION FRUIT
BENEFITS: Durians are rich in phytonutrients, antioxidant, protein, Native to South America, passion fruit is known by
vitamins and minerals. many names, such as maracuya, grenadille and
maracuj. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and
subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy fruit. The yellow
or dark-purple fruit is a type of berry, shaped round to
GRAVIOLA / SOURSOP oval, with a juicy interior filled with
numerous seeds.
Soursop fruit, also known as graviola, tastes like a combination of BENEFITS: It is a good
strawberry and pineapple, with sour citrus flavour notes contrasting source of iron, copper,
with an underlying creamy texture, reminiscent of coconut or banana. magnesium and
The fruit is native to the tropical regions of the Americas, adapting to phosphorus.
areas of high humidity and relatively warm winters.
BENEFITS: It is an antioxidant fruit, which is rich in Vitamin C. Its
flesh, when applied to any cut, accelerates the healing process.

PHYSALIS

Known by multiple names such as groundcherry, Inca berry, poha

berry and golden berry, the fruit is indigenous to the Americas, but is
grown in warm, temperate and subtropical regions around the world.
The fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and tastes like
strawberries or pineapple, with a mild acidity. While some varieties
are added to desserts as flavouring, others are used in salads.
BENEFITS: Physalis is a widely used for curing hepatitis, malaria,
rheumatism cancer, dermatitis and asthma. Being rich in vitamin A, it
is also good for improving eyesight and preventing night blindness.

LOQUAT MANGOSTEEN

Indigenous to south-central Believed to have originated in the

China, the oval fruit is very sweet
and the flavour is a blend of
peach, citrus and mild mango. It
is popularly known as Japanese
plum, but is neither native to
Japan, nor is it a plum just
that it is very popular in Japan
and has been cultivated there for
at least 1,000 years.
BENEFITS: It is rich in vitamin A,
which nourishes the skin. It is
also a good source of potassium
and helps reduce the risk of
heart attacks and stroke.
Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of
Indonesia, the fruit is juicy, sweet
and tangy, and has a delicate texture
with a mild aroma. While it is grown
in southwest India, it has been
cultivated in Java, Sumatra,
Mainland Southeast Asia and the
Philippines since ancient times
the best varieties come from there.
BENEFITS: It is a good source of B-
complex, vitamins such as thiamin,
niacin and folates, which act as
cofactors that help the body metabo-
lize carbohydrates, protein and fats.