Red bananas, commonly referred to as Red Dacca bananas in Australia, are basically a variety of banana that boasts a reddish-purple skin of sorts. They're slightly smaller and more plump than the common Cavendish banana. When they're fully ripe, raw red bananas have a cream-pinkish flesh
No, the tomatoes above weren't Photo shopped, but rather are a new variety dubbed "Indigo Rose" - a cross-breed between red and purple tomatoes. As you can see, the fruit is jet black on the outside and purple-red on the inside. These are supposedly more rich in antioxidants than their red counterpart. They were first bred by Jim Myers, a professor at the University of Oregon, during a graduate study about the health benefits of tomatoes. When purple tomatoes were discovered to contain anthocyanin, which provides color to blueberries, he decided to cross them with some wild red ones. This eventually lead to the black strain.
Bottle Gourd
The bottle gourd, calabash, or in the Philippines we called it Upo grows on a vine. It can be used as a vegetable, but when left to ripen further it can be dried and used as an actual bottle. Certain dishes in Indian and Chinese cuisines use the vegetable, while the gourd is often used as a container in Japan.
This fruit may look like a frightening Halloween prop, but it is actually part of the citron family. Its "fingers" can be segmented for consumption; however, it is typically used for its citrus-like fragrance or for zest. Buddha’s hand is native to Northeast India and China.
Chayote
While the chayote is technically a fruit, it is often cooked like a vegetable. It is compared to a potato or a cucumber and can be boiled, fried, baked, for soup or pickled. The plant is native to Mexico and Central America, the Philippines but locals in Australia and New Zealand grow chayotes in their gardens.
Cucamelon
Cucamelon are native to Mexico and Central America. They taste like sour cucumbers but look like miniature watermelons, which has led to nicknames such as sour gherkin and Mexican miniature watermelon. They grow on vines and are about the size of grapes.
Dandelion Greens
Dandelion greens are more commonly known as a particularly bothersome weed. However, it turns out that these “weeds” are edible and delicious too! They are typically paired with rich, bold foods because of their bitter flavor and are eaten around the world.
Dulse
Veggies don’t only grow on land; they also grow underwater. Dulse is a red- and brown-hued sea vegetable, which can be purchased as whole leaves or in powdered form. The leaves are chewy and slightly salty, but when cooked dulse becomes crispy.
Jicama
This veggie isn't the most attractive of tubers, but when peeled it is crunchy and mild. It can be used in place of potatoes or water chestnuts and is commonly used in Mexican cooking, but has spread to Asia as well.
Kalamansi or Key Lime
Kalamansi, Calamondin or Key Lime, look like a cross between a tangerine and a lime. They are native to Asia and are popular throughout the Philippines. Like lemons and limes, kalamansi are used for their tart, acidic flavor. Typically the fruit is picked before ripeness, when it is green; if left on the tree longer it will turn orange.
Kohlrabi
Despite its strange-looking, thick outer layer, the inner flesh is juicy but crisp. Under the double layering of skin lies the best part of the kohlrabi, which can be eaten raw or cooked. The flavor of Kohlrabi can be compared to a cabbage heart, which isn’t surprising since the two veggies are related.
Romanescu
The romanescu looks like a lime-green cauliflower gone very, very wrong. However, this vegetable, which hails from Italy, tastes exactly like your average cauliflower and can be substituted for the plainer looking veggie in most recipes.
Rose Apples
Rose apples are bell-shaped fruits that can be eaten much like regular apples. They are crispy and crunchy, like your typical apple, but they taste and smell like roses. Rose apples are now popular in Asia although they are native to the East Indies. The fruits spoil quickly so they are not typically sold in supermarkets.
Salak
Salak, or snake fruit, as they are also called, are native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The small individual fruits are covered in a scaly skin that looks disturbingly similar to a snake. Once peeled, the inner lobes are sweet and acidic and their texture is similar to an apple.
Salsify
Salisfy is a tan-colored root vegetable that looks like a parsnip. When peeled and cooked the veggie is thought to taste like an artichoke.
Santol
The flavor of a particular santol (some are extremely sour, while others are sweet) depends on which part of the fruit is consumed. Sometimes the outer orange part of the fruit underneath the skin is eaten and in other cases it’s the inner white pulp. Typically the pulp is thought to be the sour part of the fruit. Today the santol is enjoyed in countries such as India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Sapodilla
This fruit was originally found in Mexico although it is also popular in the Philippines. The super sweet interior, which looks similar to a potato, is often compared to candy.
Sea Beans
This green veggie, known by a variety of different names, including sea pickles, sea asparagus, and pickleweed, grows on salt marches and beaches. While sea beans can be eaten raw, they are very salty so they typically need to be cooked in water to tone down the saltiness. The finished product tastes and feels similar to asparagus.
Starfruit
The starfruit, or carambola, is especially fun to serve because its slices are star-shaped. The fruit has a waxy skin and can be eaten unripe for a tarter flavor or ripe for a sweet and sour taste. It has been compared to apples, citrus fruits, and plums. Starfruits are now a common find in the tropical fruit section of American supermarkets. To serve, simply cut off any brown edges and the bottom, where the fruit was picked off the tree, then turn it horizontally and cut into star-shaped pieces.
No comments:
Post a Comment