Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FRUIT FOR THOUGHT
Thailand is home to an entire repertoire of fruit you probably never knew existed. Many are available year-round
nowadays, but April and May is peak season for several of the most beloved varieties, including durian, man-
goes and mangosteen.
Custard apple
Known in Thai as
no
́
y na
̀
h,
the knobbly green skin of this fruit conceals hard black seeds and
sweet, gloopy flesh with a granular texture.
Durian
Known in Thai as
tu
́
·ree·an,
the king of fruit is also Thailand's most infamous, due to its intense flavour
and odour, which can suggest everything from custard to onions.
Guava
A native of South America,
fa·ra
̀
ng
is a green, applelike ball containing a pink or white flesh that's sweet
and crispy.
Jackfruit
The gigantic green pod of
ka
̀
·nu
̆
n
- it's generally considered the world's largest fruit - conceals
dozens of waxy yellow sections that taste like a blend of pineapple and bananas (it reminds us of Juicy Fruit
chewing gum).
Langsat
Strip away the yellowish peel of this fruit, known in Thai as
long·gong,
to find a segmented, perfumed
pearlescent flesh with a lychee-like flavour.
Longan
Lam yai
takes the form of a tiny hard ball; it's like a mini lychee with sweet, perfumed flesh. Peel it, eat
the flesh and spit out the hard seed.
Lychee
The pink skin of
lín·jèe
conceals an addictive translucent flesh similar in flavour to a grape; it's gener-
ally only available between April and June.
Mangosteen
The hard purple shell of
mang·ku
́
t,
the queen of Thai fruit, conceals delightfully fragrant white seg-
ments, some containing a hard seed.
Pomelo
Like a grapefruit on steroids,
sô m oh
takes the form of a thick pithy green skin hiding sweet, tangy seg-
ments; cut into the skin, peel off the pith and then break open the segments and munch on the flesh inside.
Rambutan
People have different theories about what
ngo
́
look like, not all repeatable in polite company.
Regardless, the hairy shell contains sweet translucent flesh that you scrape off the seed with your teeth.
Rose apple
Known in Thai as
chom·pô o,
rose apple is an elongated pink or red fruit with a smooth, shiny skin
and pale, watery flesh; a good thirst quencher on a hot day.
Salak
Also known as snake fruit because of its scaly skin; the exterior of
sàlà
looks like a mutant strawberry and
the soft flesh tastes like unripe bananas.
Starfruit
The star-shaped cross-section of
má·feu·ang
is the giveaway; the yellow flesh is sweet and tangy and
believed by many to lower blood pressure.
Sweets
English-language Thai menus often have a section called 'Desserts', but the concept
takes two slightly different forms in Thailand.
Kŏrng wăhn,
which translates as 'sweet
things', are small, rich sweets that often boast a slightly salty flavour. Prime ingredients
for
kŏrng wăhn
include grated coconut, coconut milk, rice flour (from white rice or
sticky rice), cooked sticky rice, tapioca, mung-bean starch, boiled taro and various fruits.
