By Erica Hoffman
Apples are bland, oranges are basic, and blueberries are so yesterday. If you couldn’t tell, I’ve grown tired of the standard supermarket fruit fare. If you too are bored with basic berries and a hunk of watermelon fills you with a sweeping sense of melancholy, then look no further. I’m here to help.
I’ve always been a fan of things that weren’t conventionally “popular,” so it’s no surprise some of my favorite foods aren’t exactly your average grocery list staples. I’m always on the lookout for new hybrid, miniaturized, and exotic fruits (I’m super-cool in that way), and I’m about to help you out of your produce predicament with some of my favorite lesser-known fruits. I invite you to step out of your grocery comfort zone and give something new a try.
The first recommendation is Rambutan. This small, round, spiky fruit is typically grown in tropical climates. If we’re ever allowed to travel again, you’ll find these sweet gems in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia. It’s related to the better-known fruit, lychee. Lychees are sweeter, which makes me like Rambutan a little more. Rambutan (when peeled) produces a white fruit about the size of a ping pong ball. It’s super juicy, and I can only describe the flesh like that of a slightly more gelatinous grape. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. When eating, please mind the seed. It’s about the size of a large almond. I found some today at a flea market/farmers market, but you can find them at your local Asian grocery store.
Next up, Kiwi berries! Kiwi berries are precisely what they sound like: berries that taste like kiwi. It’s also named the hardy kiwi. This delightful bite-sized gift from nature looks a lot like a tiny kiwi sans the little hair and inedible skin. My love of hybrid fruits and miniature versions of everyday objects makes this my new fruit obsession. Kiwi berries reach their peak in fall, mostly September and early October, so you may still be able to try them if you look hard enough. You can find these tasty little morsels growing in Japan, Korea, and Northern China. Personally, I found them in the far away and very majestic land of Trader Joe’s. I’m a huge fan of kiwis, and these are almost identical in flavor. It’s also a little too easy to eat an entire container without realizing it, just sayin’.
Now we will learn about something that they do sell in most local grocery stores. If I can name one positive take-away from 2020, it would have to be when I found Cotton Candy Grapes (at this point, we have to find pleasure wherever we can). The grapes, which taste eerily like cotton candy (seriously, it’s a horticultural miracle) were developed in California by a grower with a name as catchy as the grape itself, “Grapery,” who started selling them in 2011. It took me far too long to find this fruitful anomaly. Grapes that taste like cotton candy, what will they think of next! You can find them at your local grocery store. They are a little pricier than plain ole’ regular grapes, but hey, why not treat yourself? I think we can agree we all deserve a treat right about now.
Last but not least, the Goldenberry, also sold in stores as gooseberries. These are about the size of a small cherry tomato with a golden yellow color. They have a unique taste, often described as a mixture of pineapple, sour cherry, and citrus. There are many flavors packed into this berry, which looks and grows much like a tomato. This superfruit mainly grows in South America, but we are now learning they have the potential to be produced in any climate. Researchers are currently studying how to grow them in North America, an area where they are not yet grown commercially, so I’d say expect to see these more readily available in the future. When you see them, I urge you to try them; you’ve got nothing to lose. You can find these right now at your local Asian grocery store as well as Trader Joe’s. However, we are quickly approaching the end of their season, so if you can find them now and you’re feeling adventurous, go for it.
These are only a couple of my favorite lesser-known fruits, (shout-out to champagne grapes!) but honestly, all fruit is a miracle! A good piece of fruit has lifted my mood on more than one occasion. Is that just me or everyone?
I find great pleasure in learning about new ways nature nourishes us; I invite you to try a new fruit; there is very little to lose. Enjoy!
