Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Fruitful Malaysia

               Malaysia, being a tropical country, is obviously extremely fruitful, with around 370species of fruits- including some of the most exotic varieties. When one visits Malaysia, his/her motive should not only be sightseeing, shopping and adventure sports such as snorkelling, scuba-diving, trekking, etc. but also savouring the taste of some unique fruits cultivated in the country. In the fruits season i.e. from May to July, several states host fruit buffets where you can fill your stomach with different kinds of fruits, rich in vitamins, fibres and calcium. Besides, all year round, stalls are present along all markets and highways selling fruits.

Some special fruits of Malaysia are:

1)Durian: Coined as 'The King of fruits' it has got it's distinct odour due to which it is forbidden in most hotels and public trasportations. Locals call it 'stinky and delicious'. I just call it 'stinky' as the smell has never let me taste it.
DURIAN - THE KING OF FRUITS

2)Rambutan: Resembling a lychee, the rambutan is sweet and juicy and is often found in jams or canned.

3)Sapodilla: Brown and round/oval, sapodilla or chikoo is a very fleshy and sweet tropical fruit.

4)Dragon-fruit: Belonging to the Cactus family, it has a delicate taste and creamy pulp. Also called pitaya, it is used in juices and wine and its flower in tea.

5)Mangosteen: It consists of a deep-red rind inside which the white, sweet and tangy, juicy and somewhat fibrous flesh is present. They are rich in anti-oxidants and can supposedly lower risks of cancer.

6)Duku or lanzones: They have a thick sappy skin inside which the sweet-scented, sweet and sour flesh is present with small seeds within.

7)Start fruit: The golden-yellow star-shaped fruit is sweet or sour, crunchy and resembles the taste of apples, pineapples and kiwis combined. It is used in juices and wines.

8)Rose-apple: The fruit is oblong-shaped and red or pink in colour and has a faint aroma. The flesh is white and surrounds a large seed. It's used to prepare jams.

9)Snake fruit: Also known as Salak, it belongs to the palm species and has a reddish brown scaly skin. The pulp inside is divided into three lobes and is sweet, acidic and crunchy.

10)Honey-dew melon: Also know as winter melon, it has smooth white rind and sweet white or greenish flesh inside.




 Besides the above mentioned fruits, Malaysia is a huge producer of strawberries (especially the Cameron Highlands). It's guavas, called Jambu are larger than the normal species and in some cases, have red flesh inside. Malaysia also largely produces coconuts, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, water-melons, pears, etc.


Strawberries






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