Think you’ve tried every single fruit on the planet? Think again!
Though rare fruits aren’t usually found at our local grocery store, we can recreate their flavors at home for a fun, stay-at-home culinary adventure with family! Meet our list of 10 rare fruits, and learn how to mimic their taste using common household ingredients.
10 Fruits You’ve Never Heard of and How to Recreate their Flavor at Home
- Cupuaçu: Native to the Amazon rainforest, cupuaçu is like a party for your taste buds. It’s rich, creamy, and tastes somewhere between tropical fruit and chocolate. Get creative at home by blending chocolate ice cream with a splash of pineapple juice to recreate this fruit!
- Salak: Also known as snake fruit for its scaly skin, salak is a fun mix of sweet and sour in every bite. Try mimicking its flavor at home by adding lime juice, honey, and a touch of apple cider vinegar on vanilla ice cream for that fruity kick!
- Ackee: This fruit looks like an apple on the outside and tastes buttery and mild, making it perfect for adding to savory dishes. Try making a faux ackee by mashing fresh avocado with yogurt and a dash of sugar to recreate its rich, creamy texture.
- Buddha’s Hand: This fruit looks like a bunch of yellow fingers reaching out to you! While there’s no flesh or juice in this fruit, it is packed with a fresh zest. Zest some lemon, lime, and orange peels together, and sprinkle over dessert for a similar flavor.
- Lucuma: Rich and delicious, this fruit is from South America. Often used in baked and warm desserts, lucuma has a caramel-like flavor. Try mixing sweet potato purée with a dash of maple syrup on toast to recreate its delicious taste!
- Mangosteen: With its thick purple skin and juicy white segments, mangosteen is like tropical candy! To recreate its sweet and tart flavor at home, try blending peaches and pineapples together into a tangy, tropical sorbet that’s mangosteen-inspired.
- Jabuticaba: This Brazilian fruit grows right on the tree’s trunk, and tastes like a creamy berry that’s often used in jam. Whip up your own “jabuticaba jelly” by mixing blueberries with cream cheese for a sweet spread that tastes just like the real thing!
- Kiwano: Also called the horned melon, this fruit’s spiky orange skin hides a soft green interior. If you’re wanting to try its fresh and citrusy flavor, mix some cucumber juice with banana and a squeeze of lime for a fun recreation of kiwano juice!
- Sapote: Enjoyed fresh or in desserts, sapote is very soft fruit that’s a favorite in puddings and milkshakes. Recreate its creamy goodness with a banana, vanilla yogurt, and a little bit of honey for a smoothie that tastes just like a sapote.
- Cocona: Native to the Amazon, this fruit tastes like a mix between a tomato and a passionfruit. For your own stay-at-home version, mix ripe cherry tomatoes with a splash of passionfruit juice, and you’ve got a tangy salsa ready to enjoy with chips!
