Author Topic: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?  (Read 6362 times)

SplorKeLZ

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What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« on: September 18, 2024, 02:49:55 PM »
people often ask, what's the best fruit, or the sweetest, but what about fruits with flavors that aren't found anywhere else and very unique? (of course, to a certain extent everything is "unique")

growinginphoenix

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2024, 03:58:48 PM »
Avocado! Probably not the answer you are looking for though.

SplorKeLZ

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2024, 04:04:34 PM »
Avocado! Probably not the answer you are looking for though.
i mean, you are right…

BloomAndSprout

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2024, 04:10:01 PM »
Tomato 😘

But, more what you are looking for...

Durian
Noni
Nance
Peanut butter fruit
Persimmon
Medlar
Jackfruit, probably

Are more well known ones... Less certain about the lesser known fruits...



culi

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2024, 04:21:42 PM »
Avocado is a good one. It really is unique. Not many fruit with that high of a fat content

Personally I'd say natal plum. Which I've mostly just foraged from the landscaping that uses it liberally in SoCal.

Weird Fruit Explorer did a video earlier on with his top 10 "weirdest": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA4kIQqX2I0

- jentik (Baccaurea polyneura) — describes the flavor as "salsa". Tomato-y with additional savory flavors like onions and herbs and a slight spiciness and even limey. Phyllanthaceae family has quite a few other edibles.
- velvet apple (Diospyros blancoi) — a persimmon. Described as mango yoghurt. Flavor seems to vary widely based on growing conditions. Ebenaceae is the family persimmons belong to.
- dabai (Canarium odontophyllum) — "buttered carrots and olives". Burseraceae is the incense tree family.
- engkala (Litsea garciae) — "Avocados and buttermilk". Lauraceae is the laurel family.
- durian (Durio spp.) — Malvaceae is the mallow family.
- banana varieties (Musa acuminata) — FHIA-18 and Pisang Kilang. Musaceae is the banana family.
- noni (Morinda citrifolia) — Rubiaceae is the coffee family.
- peanut butter fruit (Bunchosia glandulifera) — Malpighiaceae family also contains acerola and many hallucinogens like caapi.
- ginger fruit (Zingiber spp.) — the Zingiberaceae family also contains turmeric, galangal, grains of paradise, cardamom and many more.
- santol (Sandoricum koetjape) — The mahogany family (Meliaceae) also includes neem, lanzones, and chinaberry

SplorKeLZ

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2024, 04:47:42 PM »
does anyone here enjoy eating noni? i have never had it but I have heard its... special. I have heard that velvet apple smells like cheese and socks but tastes good. interesting. i tried a frozen durian once and didn't really like it, we have some durian ice cream and I have been tasting it to try to acquire the taste. i want to get an engkala plant at some point
« Last Edit: September 18, 2024, 04:53:25 PM by SplorKeLZ »

Maypop

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2024, 05:12:31 PM »
I hear Cola lepidota tastes like carrots! It sure looks like it does, anyway. I wish I had the space to maintain a big leafy plant like that (that wasn't already occupied by my Monstera). Maybe someday!
May

BloomAndSprout

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2024, 05:14:57 PM »
does anyone here enjoy eating noni? i have never had it but I have heard its... special. I have heard that velvet apple smells like cheese and socks but tastes good. interesting. i tried a frozen durian once and didn't really like it, we have some durian ice cream and I have been tasting it to try to acquire the taste. i want to get an engkala plant at some point

I've had the same harrowing experience with frozen durian that you have had.  I'm told that it really does need to be fresh to be good.

Jaboticaba45

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2024, 05:42:54 PM »
does anyone here enjoy eating noni? i have never had it but I have heard its... special. I have heard that velvet apple smells like cheese and socks but tastes good. interesting. i tried a frozen durian once and didn't really like it, we have some durian ice cream and I have been tasting it to try to acquire the taste. i want to get an engkala plant at some point

I've had the same harrowing experience with frozen durian that you have had.  I'm told that it really does need to be fresh to be good.
Try the musang king type. it's my favorite.
My friend says it's 95% the same as a fresh off the tree musang king.

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2024, 05:59:33 PM »
I have had excellent whole frozen durians. I have had bland ones. Each of the 5 sections can be different.  In my experience, whole frozen are a better value that flesh and seed packages. And lets not forget the fun of getting the lobes out of the whole fruits.


does anyone here enjoy eating noni? i have never had it but I have heard its... special. I have heard that velvet apple smells like cheese and socks but tastes good. interesting. i tried a frozen durian once and didn't really like it, we have some durian ice cream and I have been tasting it to try to acquire the taste. i want to get an engkala plant at some point

I've had the same harrowing experience with frozen durian that you have had.  I'm told that it really does need to be fresh to be good.
Try the musang king type. it's my favorite.
My friend says it's 95% the same as a fresh off the tree musang king.
Brandon

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2024, 06:12:06 PM »
Durian, frozen, cooked, whatever you do to it, I'll eat it.

Daintree

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2024, 06:30:09 PM »
does anyone here enjoy eating noni? i have never had it but I have heard its... special.

I like noni.  I think the trick is that you need to enjoy "stinky" cheese.  To me, it is a cross between Maroilles cheese (If you aren't familiar with it, then think Limburger...) and banana. 

To get the seeds from which I grew my current noni bush, I was eating one over a trash can in a park in Honolulu, and a lady walked by, sniffed, and said "That is DISGUSTING! You are as bad as my sister!" I took it as a compliment...

I offered one to my four year old granddaughter, who sniffed it and handed it back, saying "No thanks gramma. You know I don't like cheese!"

So there IS a definite "stinky cheese" quality to it.

Cheers,
Carolyn

Rob From Sydney

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2024, 06:42:46 PM »
Cumquat fruits, a tiny citrus, are quite unique.
They're small, bombs of flavour, and you chuck them in your mouth skin and all.
The flesh is sour, the rind is sweet. It's crazy.
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johnb51

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2024, 07:45:35 PM »
Muscat grapes.  Lychees.  Sapodillas.  Mamey sapotes.
John

Rob From Sydney

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #14 on: September 19, 2024, 12:59:13 AM »
Why does nobody talk about Rambutan?
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Maypop

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2024, 01:13:47 AM »
Why does nobody talk about Rambutan?

To me, it tastes kind of like a good lychee mixed with pineapple. It's A. Mazing. but I dunno if it's suuuper unique for a fruit?
« Last Edit: September 19, 2024, 02:02:25 AM by Maypop »
May

ben mango

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2024, 01:35:02 AM »
Engkala are good, unique taste definitely. Still, not better than avocado,
Kesusu , prainea limpato looks like it would have a unique flavor, I would expect some tartness.
Borojo came to mind 

Lumi-Ukko

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2024, 01:48:30 AM »
Definitely hard to define unique as we use other flavours to define new tastes. Clearly avocado is a good pick for truly unique.

I guess describing fruit is like describing art, we all have our own tastes and opinions. I find chupa chupa very unique. Like a bit mango, a bit condensed milk and plain ice cream. Salak also feels familiar (pineapple tones) but then there's something so much more complex that I can't quit describe. Similarly to canistel is hard to define. I suppose this is a common pattern and might even differ from tree to tree.

culi

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #18 on: September 19, 2024, 06:02:07 PM »
To sum up some of the plants mentioned in this thread

avocado ||||
banana (varieties: fhia-18, pisang kilang)
boroj๓
canistel
chupa chupa
dabai
durian ||| (varieties: musang king)
engkala ||
ginger fruit
grape (varieties: muscat)
jackfruit
jentik
kesusu
kumquat
lychee
mamey sapote
medlar
monkey cola
nance
natal plum
noni ||
peanut butter fruit ||
persimmon
rambutan
salak
santol
sapodilla
tomato
velvet apple

culi

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #19 on: September 19, 2024, 06:14:44 PM »
Perhaps a good approach to guesstimating uniqueness can by phylogenetics. Monotypic species (that is, species that are the only species in their genus) have no close living relatives making them unique plants. That doesn't necessarily guarantee that their flavor compounds will also be unique, but it could be a first step.

Some monotypic species from my head or a quick google search: caper, quince, bael (Aegle marmelos), brazilnut, saguaro fruit, kelubi, toyon, elephant apple, oso berry, osage orange (seed kernals are edible), jamaica cherry, nipa, and tamarin

Edit: Oh and zabala fruit!

Edit2: lychee as well
« Last Edit: October 21, 2024, 12:47:32 PM by culi »

SplorKeLZ

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #20 on: September 19, 2024, 06:31:03 PM »
Perhaps a good approach to guesstimating uniqueness can by phylogenetics. Monotypic species (that is, species that are the only species in their genus) have no close living relatives making them unique plants. That doesn't necessarily guarantee that their flavor compounds will also be unique, but it could be a first step.

Some monotypic species from my head or a quick google search: caper, quince, bael (Aegle marmelos), brazilnut, saguaro fruit, kelubi, toyon, elephant apple, oso berry, osage orange (seed kernals are edible), jamaica cherry, nipa, and tamarin

Edit: Oh and zabala fruit!
thats actually a pretty good idea! The ones from the list that i have had certainly were unique

Rob From Sydney

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #21 on: September 19, 2024, 08:37:11 PM »
Jujube are quite unique...
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Kankan

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #22 on: September 19, 2024, 08:57:27 PM »
Rose apple is pretty unique-bell pepper texture, sweet rose flavor.

roblack

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #23 on: September 19, 2024, 09:18:50 PM »
passion fruit

Oolie

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Re: What are some fruits with extremely unique flavors?
« Reply #24 on: September 19, 2024, 11:10:16 PM »
Flavor being aroma, you should explore the variety of mangoes, there's a huge range of turpene possibilities.

 

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