Thailand Fruits – Part 2

Sweet Orange

Sweet oranges are round and have a hard, bumpy rind covered with oil glands. When unripe, the rind is dark green, turning light green when ripe. The stalk is big. The flesh is dividing into segments filled with little yellow bags of juice, which have a sweetish-sour taste. The seeds are elongated and creamy white. Sweet oranges are in season from July to October. (The fruit is approximately 6 to 7 cm in diameter.)

Durian

The durian is round and elongated and has a hard rind covered with sharp spikes. Inside the fruit is divided into segments or pods, each pod contains 2 to 3 seeds. The hard seeds are light brown. The flesh has yellow and rich taste. The durian season extends from April to August and centers of production are the provinces of Chanthaburi, Rayong, Chumphon, Nakhon Sithammarat and Ranong. (The fruit is approximately 15 to 23 cm in diameter and 20 to 30 cm long.)

Watermelon

Watermelons are large, round or oval shaped fruits. Unripe watermelon has light green rind. The mature fruit turns dark green, or light green, or dark and light green alternating depends on the variety. The flesh can be red or yellow, and sweet. The seeds are blackish brown and flat. Watermelons are available all year and are grown in all parts of the country. (The fruit is approximately 12 to 20 cm in diameter and 15 to 20 cm long.)

Jackfruit

Jackfruits are round or elongated. The husk of the unripe fruits is green, turning yellowish green when the fruit ripens. The husk is covered with small, blunt spikes; and a white sticky sap. The yellow flesh is divided into segments or pods, and is sweet. In some varieties the flesh is crisp, in other varieties, it is tender. Each pod contains a hard, light-brown seed. Jackfruit is available in greatest quantity from January to May. (The fruit is approximately 20 to 25 cm in diameter and 30 to 35 cm long.)

Mangosteen

Mangosteens are round. Young mangosteen has a green husk when unripe and turns dark purple when ripe. The top that is attached to the stalk has a green, sepal-like covering. The flesh is white and divided into segments, the number of segments equal to the number at the base of the fruit. The flesh is sweet or sweet and slightly sour, depending on the variety. Mangosteens have yellow sticky sap. Each mangosteen has two seeds. The peak season is May and June (The fruit is approximately 4 to 6 cm in diameter.)

Cantaloupe

The cantaloupe is round and elongated with a stiff rind. The flesh is juicy and crisp when unripe and become soft when fruit ripens. The color ranges from orange to light green and rank green. The flesh has a pleasant aroma and is sweet. The rind is yellow and smooth, with a wavy or net-like white pattern covering the while fruit. Some varieties have a ridge running along the entire length of the fruit. Some varieties are available all year and some in winter.  (The fruit is approximately 10 to 12 cm in diameter and 14 to 16 cm long.)

Young Coconut

Young coconuts are round and somewhat triangular in shape. They have a hard, smooth shiny green husk covering and hard shell. Inside the shell there is sweet fragrant juice and soft, delicious, creamy-white flesh. They are in season all year round in all parts of the country, particularly in coastal areas. When mature the hush becomes brown and the shell becomes black and harder. (The fruit is approximately 12 to 14 cm in diameter and 15 to 17 cm long.)

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are round and have 5 to 7 sepals at the base. Inside the fruit is divided into five segments filled with seeds arranged in a pattern. The fleshes covering the seeds are translucent and red, pink and light pink in color. The flesh is sweet or sweet and slightly sour. The seeds are hard and elongated. Pomegranates fruit during the rainy season. (The fruit is approximately 7 to 8 cm in diameter and 8 to 9 cm long.)

Passion Fruit

The passion fruit has an oval or round shape, depending on the variety. The fruit is succulent. The unripe fruit is green, whereas the ripe fruit has purple, yellow, or brownish-orange skin, depending on the variety. The skin is smooth and divided into 3 layers. The flesh is sour but fragrant and each fruit has many black, flat seeds. The passion fruit tree thrives in cool climate. The fruit comes into season from October to November. (The fruit is approximately 4 to 7.5 cm in diameter.)

Santol

Santol is a tree. The fruit is rather round or round and slightly flat. The young fruit has a green smooth skin. The ripe fruit has a golden yellow or light brown rough skin. The white fluffy flesh is divided into 3 to 5 sections. Each section has a seed. The taste is sour or sweet, depending on the variety. It is popularly eaten as fruit, santol in syrup, preserved santol, made into jam or jelly. It propagates by seeding or layering. (The size of the fruit is approximately 10 to 15 cm in diameter.)

Khai Banana

Khao banana is a perennial plant. Each bunch contains about 13 fingers. The banana fruit is oblong. The skin of khao banana is rather thin. The young banana has a green skin and hard white flesh. The ripe banana has a bright yellow skin, sometime with small black flecks. The flesh is light yellow and sweet with a pleasing aroma. The famous khai banana is from Kamphaeng Phet province. The ripe banana is usually eaten fresh as fruit. It may also be eaten with khao Mao khluk (coconut flaked rice), krayasard (rice, sesame and roasted peanut candy) or made into banana in syrup, khao Mao tod (fired banana covered wit ha coconut, rice and coconut sugar mixture) and banana in coconut milk. Khao banana can be progated by separating suckers. (The size of the fruit is approximately 2 to 3 cm in diameter and 8 to 10 cm in length.)

Namwa Banana

Namwa banana is a perennial plant. Each hand contains approximately 10 to 16 fingers. The round and elongated fruit has a rather thin skin. The young fruit has a green skin. The hard flesh is white and acidulous. Upon ripening the skin turns brownish-yellow. When the fruit is over-ripe, the skin becomes black. The namwa banana has creamy yellow and sweet flesh. The matured namwa banana are eaten fresh, flied or cooked in coconut milk. Namwa banana can be grown in all regions of Thailand. It propagates by separating suckers. (The size of the fruit is approximately 3cm in diameter and 10 cm in length.)

Hom Banana

Hom banana is a perennial plant. The fruit is elongated with noticeable ridges. A hand of hom banana contains 8 to 16 a smooth, soft and easily torn skin. The young fruit has a green skin with hard white flesh. It tastes acidulous. When reaches maturity, the flesh is soft. The skin turns golden color or yellowish-green. The flesh is yellow and sweet with a pleasing aroma. The ripe hom banana can be eaten fresh as fruit, eaten with ice cream or cheese. It can be breaded, fried and eaten with syrup. It can be widely grown in all regions. Hom banana is propagates by separating suckers. (The size of the fruit is approximately 3 to 4 cm in diameter and 20 to 25 cm in length.)

Hakmuk Banana

Hakmuk banana is a perennial plant. Each hand contains 10 to 16 fingers. The fruit is large and tapering with noticeable ridges. It has a thick skin. The young fruit is green with hard white flesh. When reaches maturity, the skin turns reddish brown or creamy-pink. The flesh is yellow. It is usually not eaten fresh but grilled or fried and coated with sugar. It can be grown in all regions of the country. Hakmuk banana propagates by separating suckers. (The size of the fruit is approximately 4 to 5 cm in diameter and 11 to 19 cm in length.)

Tubtimjan Rose Apple

Tubtimjan rose apple is middle size tree. The fruit is oblong and has small middle part. The end is enlarged. The skin is red and the succulent flesh is crispy, fragrant and sweet. There is no seed. The ripe fruit is popularly eaten fresh. Tubtimjan rose apple is mostly grown in Ratchaburi and Chanthaburi provinces. It propagates by layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 5cm in diameter and 9 cm in length.)

Phetch Rose Apple

Phetch rose apple is a medium-sized tree. The fruit has bell shape with slightly enlarged in the middle. The skin is green. Some varieties have red veins along the skin upon reaching full maturity. The firm and crispy flesh is sweet and slightly sour. It has a pleasant aroma. The seeds are lean. The phetch rose apple is widely grown in Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces. It propagates by layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 5 to 6 cm in diameter.)

Mamiew Pomerac (Malay Apple)

Mamiew pomerac is a medium-sized tree. The fruit is somewhat round, the end of which enlarged and becomes bigger than the top. The skin is rather smooth. The young fruit is green while the mature fruit is purplish-red. The white flesh is slightly sour. There is a cavity at the center of the fruit containing a round seed. It is popularly eaten fresh. It is predominantly grown in Phetchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces. Mamiew pomerac propagates by seeding layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 7.5 cm in diameter.)

Saraek Pomerac (Malay Apple)

Saraek pomerac is a medium-sized tree. The fruit is oblong. The skin of the fruit is rather smooth with alternate pink and red colors. The firm flesh covers 1 to 2 seeds. There is white membrane covering the seeds. It is popularly eaten fresh, made into jam or jelly. The saraek pomerac is widely grown in Phetchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces. It propagates by layering and inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 6cm in diameter.)

Nectarine

Nectarine is a medium-sized tree. The round fruit has the noticeable grove in the middle. It has a thin yellowish-red skin. The flesh is yellow, white or pink. The succulent fruit is sour and slightly sweet. The oblong seeds are light brown. The fruit is popularly eaten fresh. Nectarine is well grown in the cool climate. It propagates by seeding and inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 5cm in diameter.)

Blueberry

Blueberry is a medium-sized tree. The fruit is round-shaped. The young fruit is green and turns purplish blue when ripening. The flesh is sweet and soft. The fruit is popularly eaten fresh. It may be made into jam, cake topping, added to salads or baked in pie. Blueberry is well grown in the cool climate. It propagates by cutting. (The size of the fruit is approximately 1 cm in diameter.)

Blackberry

Blackberry is a vine or a small tree. Each fruit has many composite fruits covered with long hair. The young fruit is green, turns red when mature and purplish black upon ripening. The mature fruit is succulent, sweet and fragrant. There are numerous small seeds. It is popularly eaten fresh. It may be made into jam, jelly or sauce. Blackberry is well grown in the cool climate. It propagates by cutting. (The size of the fruit is approximately 2cm in diameter and 3cm in length.)

Persimmon

Persimmon is a tree that round and slightly dimpled top and bottom fruit. The fruit has a glossy thin skin. The young fruit has a green skin, hard flesh and acidulous taste. The ripe fruit has orange color. The flesh may be soft or crispy depending on the variety. It has a pleasant aroma and sweet taste. Besides eaten fresh, the fruit can be kept dried. The persimmon tree prefers cool climate. It is mostly grown in China and Japan. It Thailand it is well grown in the north. Persimmon propagates by seeding, budding or grafting. (The size of the fruit is approximately 7cm in diameter.)

Khiew Sawoei Mango

Khiew sawoei mango is a large tree. The fruit is oblong with a thick skin. The young fruit is deep green. The flesh is crispy, yellowish-white in color. The taste is sweet, nutty and slightly sour. When ripe the skin turns yellowish-green. The flesh becomes soft, yellow in color and tastes sweet. The seed is long and flat. The seed is long and flat. The khiew sawoei mango is popularly eaten green. This kind of mango can be grown in all regions of the country. It propagates by seeding, layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 7cm in diameter and 16 to 18 cm in length.)

Nam Dorkmai Mango

Nam dorkmai mango is a large tree. The fruit is big and plump. It has an oval shape with a thin skin. The young fruit has a creamy-green skin. The cream color flesh is sour. Upon ripening the skin turns creamy-yellow. The flesh is yellow with a little fibrous. It tastes very sweet. The seed is long and flat. The green nam dorkmai mango is eaten with sweetened fish sauce. The ripe fruit is popularly eaten with coconut glutinous rice or made into preserved mango or jam. Nam dorkmai mango can be grown in all regions of the country. It propagates by seeding, cutting, layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 8cm in diameter and 16cm in length.)

Choke-Anan Mango

Choke-anan mango is a large tree. The oblong fruit has a smooth skin. The young fruit is deep green and slightly sour. The flesh is creamy-white. Upon ripening the skin turns yellow. The deep yellow flesh is sweet. The seed is flat and rather long. The fruit is popularly eaten both unripe and ripe. Choke-anan mango can be grown anywhere around the country. It propagates by seeding, layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 7.2cm in diameter and 12 cm in length.)

Ok-Rong Mango

Ok-Rong mango is a large tree. The fruit is oblong with a thin skin. The green young fruit has hard creamy-white flesh. Upon ripening, the skin turns golden-yellow or yellowish-green, depending on the variety. The yellow flesh is soft. If it is over ripened, there will be fibrous tissue around the seed. The mango is very sweet and fragrant. The seed is long and flat. The ripe on-rong mango is popularly eaten with coconut glutinous rice, made into jam or preserved mango. The ok-rong mango can be grown in all regions of the country. It propagates by seeding, layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 6 cm in diameter and 10 to 12 cm in length.)

Apple Mango

Apple mango is a large tree. The apple mango fruit is round with dimple area at the top. It looks like an apple. The young fruit has a green skin, firm white flesh and tastes very sour. Upon ripening the skin turn yellow and tastes sweet. The young fruit is eaten with sweetened fish sauce. The ripe fruit is used to make mango juice or preserved mango. The apple mango propagates by seeding, cutting, layering or inarching. (The size of the fruit is approximately 8 cm in diameter.)