Colombia is an amazing place for exotic fruit.We all know about pineapples and passion fruit, but in Colombia you can find lots more different and exotic fruits! As we said in our article Five good reasons to go to Colombia, you won’t find such a huge variety of exotic fruit anywhere else. We’ll show them to you in the video below and try to describe their aromas, flavours, tastes and textures: basically everything about them!
But if you haven’t got time to watch the video, keep reading… And if you want to try these fruits in the country where they grow, contact us.
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Once you arrive in Colombia, you’ll be faced with a huge variety of different fruit. There’ll be the same things you find in Europe like apples, pears and strawberries, and tropical fruit including bananas, pineapples and mangos, but you’ll also come across an impressive range of other fruits that you’ve never seen or, more importantly, tasted before.
Although you may have already come across some of these exotic fruits in Asia or other Latin American countries, there’s no way you’ll have seen such a huge variety in any other place.
Pitahaya
This exotic fruit is believed to originally come from Colombia. The pitahaya generally has yellow or red skin with white flesh and black seeds. Only the flesh is edible, its texture is gelatinous and the seeds are crunchy. The pitahaya boosts bowel function and tastes refreshing and sweet.
Granadilla
This yellow/orange fruit has smooth, hard skin that looks like wax. The slightly sticky white/yellow flesh is edible and contains greenish pips. It has a sweet/tart taste and is rich in vitamins A, C and K as well as iron, calcium and phosphorus.
Bocadillo banana
These little bananas are just a third of the size of their normal cousins. They are also much sweeter: more like actual sweets! There are various different types of bocadillo bananas (also known as baby bananas) and they are rich in vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and B6, plus magnesium, iron, potassium, fibre and other nutrients.
Carambolo
This fabulous exotic fruit is star-shaped and perfect for decorating dishes. But it can also do so much more! The fruit has a thin edible skin (which doesn’t actually taste of much so isn’t worth eating). The carambolo is slightly sour and really refreshing. The fruit can be eaten as it is or made into a juice. It also works well in cocktails (especially with Colombian aguardiente liqueur) and has excellent astringent properties.
Mangostino – Mangosteen
This purple-skinned fruit looks like a plum. Only the inside is edible, apart from the black stone which should be thrown away. The flesh is white, plump and juicy with a smooth texture a bit like a lychee. It tastes sweet and delicious. The mangostino is rich in potassium, calcium, vitamin C, sodium, niacin and other nutrients.
Maracuyá – Passion Fruit
Known as “passion fruit” in Europe, this fruit has a few different varieties. The type you find in Europe is small and purple and called the Gulupa (purple passion fruit) whereas Colombia is home to a large yellow fruit around 10 cm in diameter. The edible inside, a type of aromatic, sour yellow or orange gelatine, is full of black seeds. It is usually drunk as a juice with water or milk. The maracuyá is rich in vitamins A and C.
Lulo – Naranjilla
Visitors to Colombia love this fruit. The lulo is round, orange/green in colour and covered with a light fuzz which gets on your fingers. Inside, the pulp is green and looks like a tomato, but tastes completely different! It’s sour with a flavour that’s hard to describe because it’s unique. The lulo is mainly used in juices and puddings. It helps you sleep, is diuretic and helps cleanse the blood.
Guanábana – Soursop
This huge green prickly fruit looks a bit like a crocodile, so it’s a surprise when you open it up to find white flesh dotted with black seeds. It can weigh up to 4 kg! The juicy flesh is sweet/sour with a texture like damp cotton. It’s rich in vitamins A and C as well as phosphorus, iron and calcium.
To stop the video being too long, it only features the Colombian exotic fruit mentioned up to here. But if you want to know more about the exotic fruit you can find in Colombia, keep reading!
Badea
Only the pulp of the 10 to 30 cm badea fruit is edible. It has hard, flat seeds covered with a type of translucent salmon pink gelatine and is juicy and sour, drunk as a juice with soda.
Borojó
Known as an aphrodisiac, this fruit is often found on the Caribbean coast. It’s round with brown skin and its orange/brown pulp is packed full of energy. It’s used in juice, puddings, preserves, ice creams, sauces and more, and is rich in vitamin C, iron and protein.
Chontaduro
This fruit comes from Colombia’s Pacific region. It’s orange, egg-shaped and rich in protein, essential oils, vitamins and minerals. Every part of the Chontaduro plant is used by humans: the fruit, flesh, seeds, stems and leaves. The last two are used in building construction. The fruit should be cooked before being eaten.
Curuba
This elliptical fruit is generally green/yellow. When it ripens, it has an intense aroma. The pulp is made up of grey pips in orange cases. It’s sour and dry in flavour and mostly used to make juice.
Feijoa
This green fruit is produced by a plant with bright red flowers. It’s part of the guava family and has a mild aromatic flavour a bit like pineapple. The pulp is fleshy and delicious, rich in vitamins A, C and E as well as protein.
Nispero
The white/yellow flesh of this fruit is plump and edible with a surprising flavour somewhere between sweet and sour. The leaves have astringent properties, the wood is used in crafts and the fruit can be found in juice, puddings, preserves and more.
Pomarosa
The pomarosa has the same shape and texture as an apple but its aroma is rose-like. The flesh is juicy and generally contains two or three pips. The fruit is often used as a decoration, eaten as it is or added to puddings.
Tomate de árbol
This fruit has a smooth skin that is orange and red when ripe. The intense orange pulp is fleshy and contains lots of edible pips. It tastes a bit like a tomato and is rich in vitamins A, C and E as well as iron, potassium and magnesium.
Uchuva
This round yellow/orange fruit is semi-sour, about 2 cm in size and grows inside a pale yellow flower. It purifies the blood, strengthens the optic nerve and is effective against throat, mouth and cataract problems.
Zapote
This fruit’s green skin has a texture like sandpaper with a light fuzz like a peach. Inside, the large inedible pips are covered in an intense orange pulp that’s fleshy, sweet, creamy and mild in flavour. It can be eaten as it is or drunk as a juice and is rich in vitamins C and B6 as well as riboflavin, niacin, fibre and potassium.
As you can see, Colombia has an incredible range of fruit for you to indulge in! And the list goes on: mamoncillo, corozo… You can try all these different fruits during our unmissable Colombia Tour!
Know any other Colombian exotic fruits? Tell us about them in the comments!
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