These Exotic Fruits Taste Just Like Delicious Desserts
Don’t we all love dessert? A bowl of
chilled ice-cream in the summer months can help brighten the mood as
very few things can. However, as delicious as they are, desserts cannot
be enjoyed regularly as they are unhealthy for the body. But what if we
told you that there are completely natural and healthy fruit
alternatives out there that taste just like creamy desserts? Sounds
unbelievable? Well, you need to check out this list then.
You might have tasted numerous fruits in
your life, but the ones mentioned below are some of the most exotic and
incredibly delectable fruits produced by nature. What really sets them
apart from other fruits is that they are healthy, and have a taste
similar to that of flavored ice-creams. Check out some of these fruits
that taste naturally like dessert. You might just be drooling by the
end.
1. Mangosteen
Imagine having a dessert that tastes like a mixture of peaches and
cream. Mangosteen is exactly that. Found primarily in Sri Lanka,
Malaysia, and Indonesia, this fruit is rich in anti-carcinogenic
properties and its potassium content is known to help in regulating
blood pressure. Furthermore, Mangosteen is also a powerful anti-oxidant
and contains properties that can help against allergies, skin disorders,
and fatigue.
Often called the 'Queen of Fruits', Mangosteen is the national fruit of
Thailand and is widely used in the country for preparing a variety of
desserts and smoothies. While the outer part of this fruit is thick, its
inside is sweet and will feel like you are having a peach-flavored
ice-cream.
2. Blue Java Banana
Bananas are among the most common and most
popular fruits worldwide. While there are plenty of varieties of this
fruit, have you ever tried a banana that literally tastes like vanilla
ice-cream? Yes, the Blue Java banana, also known as the Ice Cream
banana, Hawaiian banana, Ney Mannan, Krie, or Cenzio, is considered the
tastiest banana of the world because of its sweet, aromatic flavor and a
consistency that is amazingly similar to vanilla ice-cream. It has a
creamy and moist texture that makes it a delight to have.
Found mostly in Fiji, California, and Central America, where the fruit
is served as a refreshing dessert, the Blue Java banana also contains
several antioxidants, vitamins B6 and C, along with plenty of potassium,
magnesium, copper, manganese, and protein.
3. Canistel
Though it looks a bit like a mango from the
outside, Canistel is a completely different fruit. Native to southern
Mexico and cultivated in the Americas, Asia, and Africa, this fruit is
also known as eggfruit because of its unique flesh that is bright egg
yolk-yellow in color. When it becomes ripe, the canistel is smooth and
custardy, very much like a hard-boiled yolk. The fruit can be enjoyed
raw but a lot of people prefer having it with pepper, salt, and
mayonnaise.
Like most other fruits, the canistel is rich in vitamins, nutrients, and
antioxidants and is also a great source of fiber. It has a sweet,
mousse-like flesh making it a super healthy sugar substitute. Canistel
also works wonderfully well in custards, ice cream, pie fillings, and
pancakes. However, it tastes best when blended with milk or as a
milkshake.
4. Barhi Dates
Do you have a special liking for the
butterscotch flavor? Then you must try Barhi dates. This unique fruit
resembles butterscotch in taste mostly. However, its degree of sweetness
varies according to its ripeness level. When it is semi-ripe, a Barhi
date will be yellow and firm with a crunchy apple-like texture and will
taste like coconut and cinnamon. As it ripens, the fruit turns brownish
and soft and offers a rich butterscotch-like taste along with higher
sugar content. These fruits are popular not just because of their
special taste but also because of their chewy texture.
One of the best things about Barhi dates is that they add an exquisite
sweet texture to several dishes. Furthermore, they can be refrigerated
for months and can also be savored as tasty little candies. The Barhi
date is generally eaten fresh and very rarely when it reaches its final
dried, wrinkled stage.
5. Cupuaçu
Cupuaçu is a nutrient-rich fruit that is related to the cacao tree. Also
known as cupuassu, this fruit is native to the Amazon and is slowly
becoming quite popular throughout Brazil. It has a fleshy, white pulp
with a chocolaty, fruity flavor. The white pulp of the cupuassu tastes
like a mix of melon or pineapple and chocolate. Because of its rich
chocolaty flavor, cupuaçu is commonly used in desserts and even pressed
into a juice. As it comes from the cocoa family, cupuaçu can be
processed like cocoa to produce a large number of delicious treats.
The seeds of the cupuaçu are beneficial and are known to cure abdominal
pain. The unique fruit is now gaining popularity in other countries as
well because it is a genuinely great alternative to chocolate and is
also very healthy.
6. Cherimoya
This is a green, cone-shaped fruit that has
a scaly skin but is creamy and sweet. Cherimoya is believed to have
originated in the Andes mountains of South America and is grown in
tropical areas with high altitudes. Because of its creamy texture and
sweet taste, the fruit is also called custard apple. Since it is creamy
from inside, the fruit is generally eaten with a spoon and served as
chilled custard.
Cherimoya is also considered a wonderful
alternative for pineapple-mango ice cream, as it offers the taste of
both these fruits in a creamy form. The best way to enjoy this fruit is
to let it ripen at room temperature and then refrigerate it. Apart from
its pleasing taste, cherimoya is also rich in fiber, vitamins, and
minerals.
7. Ice Cream Bean
As its name suggests, the ice cream bean is
a fruit that has a flavor similar to ice-cream. While it looks like a
tamarind pod from the outside, these fruits are more like two-meter long
candy bars. The inside of the fruit contains numerous large
purple-black seeds, lined up in one row, embedded in a tasty,
translucent-white pulp. The spongy pulp has a sweet flavor that
resembles the taste of vanilla ice cream. Its texture is that of chewy
cotton candy with a juicy finish.
The ice cream bean is native to Mexico in the north and the Amazon
rainforest in the south. The fruit tastes best when eaten raw but is
also used as a flavoring agent for many desserts. Apart from its
scrumptious taste, the fruit is also known to help treat nerve problems,
lower bad cholesterol, and boost immunity.
8. Black Sapote
Popularly known as Chocolate Pudding Fruit,
Black Sapote is a round squat fruit similar to a green persimmon. This
delicious fruit has a dark brown, custard-like flesh along with a light
flavor and a rich texture. Found in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central
America, and Colombia, black sapote is often used with fruits like
lemons and oranges to provide a more natural flavor and a nice filling
for pies.
In countries like the Philippines, the fruit is first deseeded, and then
the pulp is served with citrus juices or mixed with milk for pudding.
Mexicans, on the other hand, are known to mash the pulp of the black
sapote fruit, mix it with brandy, and serve it with cream, making for an
appetizing dessert. Once ripe, the black sapote fruit can be
refrigerated for three to four days. Its sweet, custardy, chocolate-like
flavor makes it perfect for having the fruit raw. It is indeed a
healthy alternative for chocolate lovers.