Author Topic: Overrated Tropical Fruits  (Read 8980 times)

Jaboticaba45

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #50 on: October 20, 2020, 11:54:23 AM »
Yeah...I was excited to try cacao, bacupari, wampee...was dissapointed. Cacao has too little flesh, bacupari has that wierd rind taste that makes me gag, wampee was to sour/acidic. I guess the best way to know what you like is to taste the fruit before you buy the tree...exactly what I don't do >:(  makes me mad that I didn't try june plum before I bought the tree as I dislike the taste. I can see how you don't like the jaboticaba as it doesn't have much flesh, but nothing would be wrong if you have multiple fruits.

Hey Jab45 did you try regular wampee or the pink one? I’m growing the pink one. Thanks
I tasted the regular one fresh off the tree at F and S. I have heard the pink one tastes better though. Hope that helps.

JoeP450

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #51 on: October 20, 2020, 02:02:06 PM »
It surprises me how many people are saying dragonfruit are no good. I had some delicious white-fleshed (red-skinned) DF this year. They get good once they sit on the vine fully red for a few weeks. Don't pick until the connection gets floppy (thanks Spaugh for that tip). Especially good chilled to nearly frozen.

A lot of people have never had a good dragonfruit.  Everyone that tries my purple fruits and S8 think they are good.  They aren't lychees but some are very good.  Many also aren't good, there's a lot of variation in DF and it seems where and how they are grown matter a lot. 

You have to take peoples opinions with a grain of salt.  Like someone in New York city saying cherimoyas are no good etc when all they tried was a junk piece of fruit from the store.

Great points. Also, let’s not forget that while some fruit seems disappointing now, it just means there is room to improve upon. Take for example the mango....started out as turpentine or worse....could only suck the juice out of it....now thanks to Zill and others we have incredible mangos with no fiber and range of flavor profiles. The real challenge is to improve upon what is 👍

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #52 on: October 20, 2020, 03:24:36 PM »
Yeah...I was excited to try cacao, bacupari, wampee...was dissapointed. Cacao has too little flesh, bacupari has that wierd rind taste that makes me gag, wampee was to sour/acidic. I guess the best way to know what you like is to taste the fruit before you buy the tree...exactly what I don't do >:(  makes me mad that I didn't try june plum before I bought the tree as I dislike the taste. I can see how you don't like the jaboticaba as it doesn't have much flesh, but nothing would be wrong if you have multiple fruits.

Hey Jab45 did you try regular wampee or the pink one? I’m growing the pink one. Thanks
I tasted the regular one fresh off the tree at F and S. I have heard the pink one tastes better though. Hope that helps.

Thanks Jab! That gives me hope
Nate

Mike T

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #53 on: October 20, 2020, 04:53:04 PM »
Mangoes were improved centuries prior to Zil coming on the scene. Feral stringies might be closer to the wild type and they are turps free but very stringy. Sometimes after you try fruit and are disappointed, you change and like them better when you try them again.

bovine421

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #54 on: October 20, 2020, 05:48:00 PM »
Mike is this an exercise of futility. This is like asking which vegetables are overrated  I am a Butterbean man but I despise corn unless it's popcorn :)

« Last Edit: October 20, 2020, 05:49:37 PM by bovine421 »
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BonsaiBeast

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #55 on: October 20, 2020, 07:36:24 PM »
Jujube to me tastes like a bad version of an apple. Why would anyone choose it over a bigger, better tasting apple?

shot

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #56 on: October 20, 2020, 07:56:33 PM »
To many factors go into a good or bad reaction to fruit taste.Cultivars stage of ripeness ect.........

CherimoyaDude

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #57 on: October 20, 2020, 10:19:25 PM »
Jujube to me tastes like a bad version of an apple. Why would anyone choose it over a bigger, better tasting apple?

Agree, tastes like mealy apple. Maybe people like then when they are dried out or overripe?

sunny

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #58 on: October 20, 2020, 11:18:26 PM »
Jujube to me tastes like a bad version of an apple. Why would anyone choose it over a bigger, better tasting apple?

Because good jujubes are sweeter, more crunchy, smaller than an apple.. I've never had an apple as sweet/crispy as a chinese grown jujube.

Also we have the green jujubes which are not bad, like a granny smith...we can't grow apples in the real tropics, (also no chinese jujubes) but the green jujubes are refreshing as well.

BonsaiBeast

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #59 on: October 20, 2020, 11:27:47 PM »
Jujube to me tastes like a bad version of an apple. Why would anyone choose it over a bigger, better tasting apple?

Because good jujubes are sweeter, more crunchy, smaller than an apple.. I've never had an apple as sweet/crispy as a chinese grown jujube.

Also we have the green jujubes which are not bad, like a granny smith...we can't grow apples in the real tropics, (also no chinese jujubes) but the green jujubes are refreshing as well.

I had some california grown ones claiming to be high brix. They were just little mealy dry apples with way less sweetness and flavor.

sunny

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #60 on: October 21, 2020, 12:33:43 AM »
Jujube to me tastes like a bad version of an apple. Why would anyone choose it over a bigger, better tasting apple?

Because good jujubes are sweeter, more crunchy, smaller than an apple.. I've never had an apple as sweet/crispy as a chinese grown jujube.

Also we have the green jujubes which are not bad, like a granny smith...we can't grow apples in the real tropics, (also no chinese jujubes) but the green jujubes are refreshing as well.

I had some california grown ones claiming to be high brix. They were just little mealy dry apples with way less sweetness and flavor.

There are many different jujubes but we get the round ones from China...very nice, i can eat them all day..sure they are sweet.

ammoun

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #61 on: October 21, 2020, 07:48:34 AM »
The one time a fruit exceeded my expectation by very far, is when I had an imported Indian Alphonso, after years munching on commercial store bought varieties.

Gogu

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #62 on: October 22, 2020, 03:03:49 AM »
The best soursop is a perfect balance of sweet and acidic, and the flavor is intensely tropical.  Maybe it's too much work for some, but I've always put the pulp through a strainer to remove the cottony fiber, which I don't enjoy.  I know sapodilla is very sweet, but what other fruit has a caramel/butterscotch flavor?  It blends well with other fruits in smoothies, too.

abiu

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #63 on: October 22, 2020, 03:33:44 AM »
The difference between a good mango, papaya, pineapple,passionfruit, soursop, abiu, jackfruit, lychee, dragonfruit and atemoya and a bad example of these is an immense chasm. If you have been unlucky and sampled a lacklustre example for your first try my advice is don't give up on that fruit. A tree ripened example from a healthy tree of premium variety may be a whole new ball game. I have seen people swear off papaya, dragonfruit and abiu only to change their tune when they have tried something decent. It isn't always the case however as some fruit are always sour, bland, have a disagreeable aftertaste to some palates but I think this is often not the case.

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #64 on: October 22, 2020, 04:28:57 AM »
Guys, if you lived in Russia, then all the fruits you listed would arouse great interest for you, and you would try everything, without thinking too much about the taste. The only question you would have is: Why the hell is nothing growing in my country !?
❀ Sergey ❀

sunny

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #65 on: October 22, 2020, 04:51:55 AM »
Guys, if you lived in Russia, then all the fruits you listed would arouse great interest for you, and you would try everything, without thinking too much about the taste. The only question you would have is: Why the hell is nothing growing in my country !?

Russians in Thailand like to eat much fruit and drink beer at the same time...but they don't buy durian.

Forester

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #66 on: October 22, 2020, 05:09:52 AM »
Russians in Thailand like to eat much fruit and drink beer at the same time...but they don't buy durian.
Apparently the majority of Russians are afraid of this smell. I have never tried durian, but if the opportunity presents itself, I will not refuse.  ;)
❀ Sergey ❀

Mike T

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #67 on: October 22, 2020, 05:22:39 AM »
Durian and alcohol don't mix and operatives wouldn't want to be compromised. I too have tanked up on durian and been tanked afterwards and durian tastes better going down than up.
Anyway part of the rich and varied tapestry of life is diversity and trying new things. Many fruits you learn to enjoy and its good to expand your horizons.

W.

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #68 on: October 22, 2020, 08:26:22 PM »
This thread shows that fruit tastes are extremely varied, and that one person's overrated fruit is another's favorite.

Spanish lime/Mamoncillo/Genip (Melicoccus bijugatus) is one fruit I believe is overrated. I like the taste, but the flesh to seed ratio is appalling.

I find jackfruit overrated. Ones that I have had were likely picked too early and had a slight savory/onion aftertaste with only a mild Juicy Fruit gum taste. Plus, cutting one of them up makes quite the mess.

Other people swear by Gold Nugget mandarins and Minneola tangelos, but while I do like a good Sumo (Dekopon), my citrus tastes run towards grapefruits and pomelos. If I could buy those for the same price as tasteless navel oranges, then my grocery store would not be able to keep enough of them in stock for me.

I have never had jaboticabas, but I walk right past the regular seedless grape section to buy Concords, Thomcords, and muscadines, all grape varieties/species with unique, strong flavors that some people love and others cannot stand. I can see jaboticaba varieties being similarly polarizing.

Other fruits mentioned in this thread, such as mamey sapote and soursop, are ones I like a great deal.

I agree with the original poster, Gone tropo, as well as others who have replied in this thread, that lychee and rambutan are some of the best fruits in the world (both are in my top 10 favorite fruits) and most fruits, even very good ones, suffer in comparison to those.

Taste in fruit is subjective, but it is fun to see what some people like and others dislike.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 11:29:52 PM by W. »

sunny

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #69 on: October 22, 2020, 10:49:46 PM »
This thread shows that fruit tastes are extremely varied, and that one person's overrated fruit is another's favorite.

Spanish lime/Mamoncillo/Gunip (Melicoccus bijugatus) is one fruit I believe is overrated. I like the taste, but the flesh to seed ratio is appalling.

I find jackfruit overrated. Ones that I have had were likely picked too early and had a slight savory/onion aftertaste with only a mild Juicy Fruit gum taste. Plus, cutting one of them up makes quite the mess.

Other people swear by Gold Nugget mandarins and Minneola tangelos, but while I do like a good Sumo (Dekopon), my citrus tastes run towards grapefruits and pomelos. If I could buy those for the same price as tasteless navel oranges, then my grocery store would not be able to keep enough of them in stock for me.

I have never had jaboticabas, but I walk right past the regular seedless grape section to buy Concords, Thomcords, and muscadines, all grape varieties/species with unique, strong flavors that some people love and others cannot stand. I can see jaboticaba varieties being similarly polarizing.

Other fruits mentioned in this thread, such as mamey sapote and soursop, are ones I like a great deal.

I agree with the original poster, Gone tropo, as well as others who have replied in this thread, that lychee and rambutan are some of the best fruits in the world (both are in my top 10 favorite fruits) and most fruits, even very good ones, suffer in comparison to those.

Taste in fruit is subjective, but it is fun to see what some people like and others dislike.

I've bought jackfruit from all over Thailand...most of them were not that good, the sloppy ones i won't even write about. But we have one streetvendor who has always perfect very very nice jackfruit...i prefer Thong Prasert but it tastes almost the same as the other varieties she sells.

Getting perfect jackfruit isn't easy at all or all the other vendors would also have the same quality. My own jackfruit tree (grafted) also didn't taste that good. So it's not a matter of genetic material, i live in the same city as that streetvendor so have the same climate...but they taste totally different.

Don't give up on them, try other shops because there sure are very good jackfruits around. And jackfruit tree's can stand very high temps, very much sun so give it all to them.

Mike T

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #70 on: October 23, 2020, 09:04:40 AM »
Because we need an acid/sugar balance I will mention a few fruit that exceeded expectations. Ernie passionfruit, penang 88 durian, Eugenia lutescens, duku langsat, twisted chempedak, alva starapple, juicy pearl starapple, golden soursop, Wan maprang, kwai muk, shathoot mulberries and many others exceeded expectations.

Mike T

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #71 on: October 23, 2020, 09:10:05 AM »



A few dragonfruit have also been sweet with a good taste so I am surprised every time I have a good one as the first ones I tried were bland. The pictured one doesn't even have a name yet.

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #72 on: October 23, 2020, 09:33:43 AM »



A few dragonfruit have also been sweet with a good taste so I am surprised every time I have a good one as the first ones I tried were bland. The pictured one doesn't even have a name yet.

That is a welcome praise report Mike. When i first read thread I thought it was useful .I though  that I wouldn't bother trying most of these fruit. As I continued reading the thread I got this overwhelming feeling like someone just peed or urinated in my cornflakes. So I have decided if I have the opportunity I will try any and all of these fruit. One never knows,  i am a strange bird.Lol :)
« Last Edit: October 23, 2020, 09:52:29 AM by bovine421 »
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bovine421

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #73 on: October 23, 2020, 09:47:32 AM »
The one time a fruit exceeded my expectation by very far, is when I had an imported Indian Alphonso, after years munching on commercial store bought varieties.

I can relate to that. Cuz that's pretty much was my experience for years. I thought store-bought mango were putrid. Then one day I had a fresh Florida Mango off the tree and things have never been the same. I did give a store-bought mango a second chance thinking that maybe I just wasn't purchasing ripe ones. But after one bite it went straight to the rubbish can
« Last Edit: October 23, 2020, 09:50:12 AM by bovine421 »
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ammoun

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Re: Overrated Tropical Fruits
« Reply #74 on: October 23, 2020, 05:21:09 PM »
The one time a fruit exceeded my expectation by very far, is when I had an imported Indian Alphonso, after years munching on commercial store bought varieties.

I can relate to that. Cuz that's pretty much was my experience for years. I thought store-bought mango were putrid. Then one day I had a fresh Florida Mango off the tree and things have never been the same. I did give a store-bought mango a second chance thinking that maybe I just wasn't purchasing ripe ones. But after one bite it went straight to the rubbish can

Let me give you a tip, if you find a moderate size organic Kent from Peru with nice coloring, get it! And report later :)