The most unusual fruit The most unusual fruits in the world: photo

Kiwano

This strange fruit grows in New Zealand. It tastes like kiwi, melon and cucumber at the same time.

Express info by country

The Earth is in third place in terms of distance from the Sun and in fifth place among all the planets in the solar system in terms of size.

Age– 4.54 billion years

Medium radius - 6,378.2 km

Middle circle - 40,030.2 km

Area– 510,072 million km² (29.1% land and 70.9% water)

Number of continents– 6: Eurasia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Antarctica

Number of oceans– 4: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic

Population– 7.3 billion people (50.4% men and 49.6% women)

Most populous states: Monaco (18,678 people/km2), Singapore (7607 people/km2) and Vatican City (1914 people/km2)

Number of countries: total 252, independent 195

Number of languages in the world– about 6,000

Number of official languages- 95; most common: English (56 countries), French (29 countries) and Arabic (24 countries)

Number of nationalities– about 2,000

Climatic zones: equatorial, tropical, temperate and arctic (basic) + subequatorial, subtropical and subarctic (transitional)

dragon fruit (pitaya)

The homeland of this fruit, which resembles a root crop, is Mexico. This is the fruit of a cactus, it is grown all over the world and even indoors.

durian

The most controversial fruit. It exudes a disgusting smell, which is why it is forbidden to bring it into public places. But those who were able to overcome disgust and tasted it say that they ate nothing tastier.

Buddha hand

An octopus-like fruit with a lemon-like skin. Often, except for the crust, there is nothing in it. No juice, no seeds. It is mainly used as a home talisman.

passion fruit

Passion fruit is called the "passion fruit". Inside is very tasty juice, and the pulp is added to all kinds of confectionery.

pandanus

The plant is called "screw palm". The fruits can be both eaten and made into paint.

Rambutan

Under the prickly peel of this fruit, tender pulp is hidden, from which jellies and jams are made. The seeds are roasted and also eaten.

Akebia quinata

A plant called "climbing cucumber" has fruits that look more like sausages. And their taste is very similar to the taste of raspberries.

Atemoya

The pulp of this fruit resembles mango and pineapple, and the consistency is similar to sour cream - it melts in your mouth.

snake fruit

The skin of the fruit is very similar to the skin of a reptile. Inside, the fruit looks like an onion or a clove of garlic, while having a sweet, fragrant pulp. But getting to it is not so easy, because the peel is very prickly.

Pitanga

Although this berry is wild, it is already cultivated in many countries. Outwardly, it looks like a cherry, but ribbed. The fruit ripens very quickly - three weeks after flowering.

Chinese strawberry

These berries are not at all like strawberries. More like candied round sweets. They have a specific taste, so trees often serve as decorations for parks.

star fruit (carambola)

Where did this name come from - there are no questions, because in the context the fruit looks like a regular five-pointed star. It is both sweet and sour. Sour fruits are added to salads, and sweet ones are eaten just like that - they taste like lemon, mango and grapes at the same time.

forbidden rice

This rice got its name because only members of the imperial family had the right to eat it. It is a type of black rice that turns dark purple when cooked. It is very useful because it contains a large number of trace elements.

Blue corn (hopi)

The name Hopi comes from the people who grew this unusual corn. For some reason, this variety is not very popular, although it has a thousand-year history and is sweeter than ordinary corn.

Romanescu (coral cabbage)

Not cabbage, but a work of art! Similar to cauliflower in family ties, but much more tender and tasty. This vegetable will be appreciated even by those who do not like cabbage.

Kanistel (egg fruit)

Fruits can be either round, oval, or heart-shaped. The color also varies from yellow to pale orange. It tastes like sweet potatoes and is added to salads and soups. They are also consumed fresh, with fruit desserts and ice cream. So decide for yourself whether it is a fruit or a vegetable.

Do you know about the orange, which has red bloody flesh? In this short article, we have described a selection of quite interesting and rare fruits and vegetables.

Has it ever happened to you that when you went to the store, you did not know the name of a fruit or vegetable?

All over the world there are enough plants that are consumed by the locals, but look very strange at the same time. Some of them have a strange color, others a strange shape. Some plants are used as medicinal plants, while others have incredible legends and myths. Many of these plants have a powerful taste and smell. Did you know that durian, which has a strong smell, is actually prohibited in public places and hotels in Singapore? Because of the smell, this fruit was nicknamed " King of Fruits».

This was one of the interesting facts, let's look at the rest.

Garcinia humilis or achacha grown in Bolivia, but now it is also cultivated commercially in Australia. The fruit has a bitter taste and is sweet at the same time. Honey made from it has a high healing property and therefore costs 10 times more than regular honey.

or also called spanish radish, grown throughout the year. It has a very pungent, pungent taste and a crispy interior. It is added to salads and soups.

got its name from English, which means ugly, but you should not consider it a spoiled fruit, because it has a sweet taste. Ugli is originally from Jamaica, where it was crossed in 1914 with mandarin and grapefruit. It is eaten raw, juice is also squeezed out of it, jam and fruit salads are made.

looks scary and not real. But in reality, this is a real fruit that has the antioxidant anthocyanin, which in turn colors it bloody. They are common in California and the Mediterranean. They are used in salads, and marmalades and juices are squeezed out of them.

Goatbeard poreifolny, or Oat root - it is a vegetable, as already evidently the root of this plant. Tastes like an oyster. It is added to soups and various meat dishes.

Or gourd distributed in Asia, Africa, Europe and the USA. It is assumed that the homeland is South Africa. It has a nutty flavor. The juice obtained from this pumpkin is very useful, it helps with diseases such as diarrhea, diabetes, indigestion, stomach ulcers, flatulence, jaundice, etc.

Romanesco broccoli This vegetable looks too beautiful. It has a pleasant nutty taste. The fruit is rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, carotenoids and fiber. It is eaten raw and or cooked.

Also this named citron finger. It has a fragrant rind with a delicate aroma. The feature of this fruit is that it is used instead of a lemon. In Japan and China, it is used as a fragrance for cabinets and rooms. The homeland of the fruit is considered to be Northeast India or China.

Also known as prickly pear or cactus fig, grows on cacti. It tastes like chewing gum and watermelon.

This fruit grows in Southwest Mexico, California and the Mediterranean. It is used to make lemonades or vodka, as well as for the manufacture of confectionery and jellies.

Has a nutty flavor. It grows in many parts of the world. It is eaten raw or boiled. It is added to roasts, stews, mashed potatoes and blanched.

It grows in Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It is used to make jams and juices. Ripe carom has a sweet taste.

plant flowers sesbania grandiflora or other name agate. It is used as a vegetable in Southeast Asia. It is eaten raw. They also help with headaches and improve appetite.

These are basically green beans hidden in a purple skin. Inside, they have regular green peas and taste like regular green French beans. When cooked, the purple color disappears.

Or dragon fruit is actually the fruit of a cactus. Homeland consider Mexico, South and Central America. The fruit contains a lot of vitamin C, various acids and dietary fiber. Pitaya is consumed raw, only the inner pulp, the peel is not suitable for consumption.

Dark red edible seaweed growing on the northern shores of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It is added to soups and stews. It is also dried and seasoning is made from the resulting powder. It is rich in various proteins, minerals and vitamins. It is used in skin care products.

Or as they call it in Asia " king of fruits". People who have tried it at least once either immediately fall in love with it or are forever disgusted. The smell of durian is very strong, and many people do not like it very much. At the same time, the fruit has a sweet aroma and a pleasant taste. It is eaten raw or made into pancakes, cookies or candies.

horned melon or nod, or african cucumber belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and the Cucumber genus. Originally from Africa, but currently cultivated in Chile, Australia, California, New Zealand. Tastes like cucumber and banana. It consists of 90% water and has a huge amount of vitamin C. Ice cream, salads, smoothies and much more are made from it.

Auricularia ear("Jew's ear") is a rough growing all year round. The name comes from the biblical legend of Judas hanging himself from an elder tree. There is also a Chinese name, hei mu er, which means black tree ear. In Japanese, kikurage means tree jellyfish. This mushroom is eaten raw or added to salads, stews, and pasta.

This fruit is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. The fruits are rich in vitamin C, manganese and copper. Rambutan is eaten raw or added to fruit salads.

Other name german turnip which can be eaten raw or boiled. Its shape is similar to broccoli or cabbage core. Has a sweetish taste. It is added to salads.

Tropical fruit grown in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. The fruit is the size of a small apple. The fruit tastes only slightly sweet.

Or monstera delicious it is a fruit whose ripe fruit has white, edible flesh. The fruits ripen very slowly and unripe fruits are poisonous. Ripe fruits have a banana-pineapple taste and are used as a dessert.

Morinda citrus leaf, or is a tree belonging to the madder family. It is cultivated in the tropics, but Southeast Asia is considered the homeland. The fruit has a bitter taste and a pungent smell. This fruit has medicinal properties, is used for respiratory diseases, diarrhea, fever, sore gums, etc.

The fruit is inedible. Grown in the USA and Ontario. The fruit has rough skin. They say that the seeds are edible (I think that without experienced people it is better not to eat anything).

Also her called Dutch parsley. This root vegetable is eaten raw or cooked. The root has a very rich flavor, so you need to add only the required amount of this root vegetable to food.

It is a fruit that is cultivated in many parts of the world. It is used to make juice. From passion fruit make various desserts.

purple sweet potato is a type of common sweet potato. This root vegetable is low in calories and high in fiber. They are also rich in antioxidants. Cook just like regular potatoes.

Pink apples are native to Malaysia and East India. As soon as the fruits ripen, they become pink. The fruits are very juicy.

Belongs to the genus Soleros. Sea beans are a vegetable that is added mainly to various salads. It should not be confused with algae and cacti.

They are edible. They can be used like a vegetable, so they are fried or baked. They are also added to sauces and soups. The flowers have a sweet delicate taste. Forward

About the most amazing exotic fruits of the world- my today's story.

Lychee

The round, red lychee fruit tastes very much like a grape. You can try this exotic fruit in Philippines, Vietnam, Borneo and Thailand. Lychee is a very tasty and vitamin-rich fruit, for which it is often called a pantry of vitamins.

Kiwano or African cucumber

Kiwano fruits are yellow, orange or red. The green flesh of this African Horned Melon tastes like a sweet cucumber with a slight sour aftertaste.

Sabres is a cactus fruit that you can buy in any Israeli market. Outwardly, this mysterious fruit is prickly, but very sweet inside. Israelis often say about sabres that the inaccessibility of the appearance is not a hindrance if there is a “sweet” middle.

Noina is known as the sugar apple. It is grown in the Antilles, Indonesia, Australia and southern China. This fruit is very different from all the fruits we are used to. Noina fruits resemble a small green apple.

Inside the fruit - creamy juicy pulp and up to 60 black seeds. When the fruit is ripe, it can be eaten with a spoon, previously cut into two parts.

And this is a close relative of broccoli. And if you like cabbage, you will like this fruit. In addition, it is very useful, because it is full of antioxidants.

Buddha hand

This fruit is one of the most popular citrus fruits in Asia. Its content under the thick, rough skin is very reminiscent of a lemon.

Mangosteen, or mangkut is very similar to a small apple, but dark purple in color. Therefore, if you manage to visit Cambodia, Malaysia, Liberia or the countries of South Asia, be sure to try this fruit. Inside the mangosteen - edible pulp, very tasty, maybe with sourness, also sometimes with small soft bones.

Durio

Durio fruits resemble some strange alien fruit the size of a soccer ball with a tough, prickly skin. The smell of durio is unpleasant to say the least, but the taste is amazing and elegant.

The first European explorer to taste durio in the 1700s called it the "king of fruits". “It was worth going on a dangerous journey just to taste this fruit,” the surprised traveler added.

This unusual plant often decorates our homes. In nature, it forms delicious fruits that taste like ... pineapple.

Friend, have you ever heard of the North American paw-paw banana? This amazing fruit grows in the American Southeast. Outwardly, it looks like a regular banana, but somewhat thicker and more aromatic.

More than one generation of people is convinced that carrots are only orange, but purple is the original, primordial color of this vegetable.

The Times reports that the color of carrots is due to beta-carotene with some addition of the pigment alpha-carotene. They contain the purple pigment anthocyanin, which acts as an antioxidant.

Purple carrots are depicted in drawings made in an Egyptian temple as early as 2000 BC. In the tenth century, purple carrots were grown in Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern Iran. In the fourteenth century, crimson, white and yellow varieties were imported into southern Europe. Black, red and green carrots were also grown.

Recently, Dutch growers have studied the beneficial properties of purple carrots. They believe that the purple-colored vegetable provides the body with additional protection against cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

black tomatoes

A unique variety of tomatoes appeared on sale in the British market. According to some experts, the vegetable contains a certain substance that greatly enhances sexual desire.
The new variety of black tomatoes was named "Kumato". It is a relative of the wild plant Lycopersicon cheesmanii. It is the same size as regular tomatoes, but sweeter and has a brownish-black skin. It took six years of scientific research to improve this vegetable and start selling it in Europe. When tomatoes were first grown by the Aztecs and Incas in the 8th century, they were not only red, but also yellow, green, red, white, and black. They were grown in what is now Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Mexico.
This mixture of tomato and blackberry can prolong the life of mice prone to colon cancer by 30%. In addition to the benefits that ordinary tomatoes have, high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants.

rainbow cabbage

"Rainbow" cauliflower originated in England. The British company Syngeta has launched a new variety of cauliflower, Rainbow Cauliflowers, on the market, the inflorescences of which are painted in bright orange, green and purple. To taste, this is exactly the same cabbage, but it adds color to cooked dishes - the new variety does not lose its rich color even after cooking.

Another advantage of the most cauliflower in the world is that the orange variety contains 25 times more beta-carotene than ordinary cauliflowers, and purple is loaded with anthocyanin, which is good for the prevention of heart disease, as it slows blood clotting.

The representative of the company, Andrew Cocker, emphasized that the unusual colors of cabbage are not at all a product of genetic engineering, but the result of traditional selection, which took more than a dozen years.

strawberry pineberry

The berry, whose name comes from pineapple (pineapple) + berry (berry), will go on sale in UK Waitrose stores today. Gourmets will have to hurry: Pineberry will only be on the shelves for the next five weeks.
The fruit, which has the same genetic structure as the common strawberry but tastes and smells like a pineapple, originated in South America. There it was discovered by Dutch farmers and has been successfully grown in greenhouses for seven years. The unique species was on the verge of extinction when Dutch farmers revived it in greenhouses. When unripe, the berries are green, and their ripeness is indicated by a white skin and red seeds.

purple potatoes

In the UK, a new variety of potatoes with a rich purple color has gone on sale. All derivatives from this vegetable also remain purple - chips, mashed potatoes, etc. Called the Purple Majesty, the potato tastes just like its more familiar counterparts, but is loaded with anthocyanins, which give blueberries, blackberries, and eggplants their distinctive flavors.

A new variety is grown in Scotland. This year, about 400 tons of crops were harvested, which is not very much, but next year the producers plan to increase the figure.

Blue potatoes are divided into several types. So, for example, the Franzosische Truffel-kartoffel and Linzer Blaue varieties do not lose their color during cooking, remain dark blue and boil very softly. Whereas the other two Linzer Roze and Kipfler cook for a long time and do not boil soft, but, during the cooking process, they lose their unusual color. They are usually used raw with Jerusalem artichoke in the preparation of salads.

red cucumbers

These vegetables are only conditionally called "red cucumbers". In fact, they have nothing to do with classic cucumbers. They do not have their own taste and are used more for decorative purposes.
This vegetable is very similar in appearance to a cucumber, although it has a bright red color. But it just tastes "none". In fact, this fruit belongs to the family of gourd plants and is called "red cucumber" or "doubtful tladianta". This miracle was brought to Europe from Southeast Asia, and is considered more of an ornamental plant than an edible one. However, if you plant this beauty in your dacha, then in a couple of years your entire garden will be solid thickets of red cucumber.

Romanescu

It is a close relative of broccoli and cauliflower. If you love cabbage, then you will surely enjoy this fantastic vegetable. In addition, this amazing vegetable is literally crammed with antioxidants.
Romanescu, or Romanesque broccoli, cauliflower. Designers and 3D artists are raving about its exotic fractal-like shapes. Cabbage buds grow in a logarithmic spiral. The first mention of Romanescu cabbage came from Italy in the 16th century.

Romanesque broccoli has the most subtle taste that cabbage can have. Romanescu is not crumbly, tastier than broccoli, sweetish with a nutty rather than sulphurous flavor. A fresh head of Romanescu cabbage should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days. Since the cabbage is hard, the head is cut into pieces with a serrated knife.
A casserole is prepared with pieces of Romanescu cabbage, served with bechamel sauce and Roquefort cheese. Romanescu cabbage is rich in antioxidant carotenoids, vitamin C.

This exotic vegetable is easy to grow for those who have experience in growing broccoli, as the farming technique is identical.

Kiwano melon (Cucumis metuliferus)

Kiwano melon (Antillan cucumber, horned melon, anguria). Kiwano, the fellow kiwi, is originally from New Zealand. Outwardly, the fruit resembles a yellow-orange cucumber with numerous horns. In fact, the nod is not as formidable as it seems: the spines are soft, the crust is loose. The best way to eat a fruit is to cut it in half and sip on the green flesh. Kiwano is like a cucumber and a lemon at the same time - refreshing. It contains vitamins of the PP group, and there is more than enough vitamin C in it.
The average fruit weight is 300 g, the average length is 12 cm. The fruits are extremely decorative and can be used to create original compositions and even as Christmas tree decorations.

Buddha hand

These are the fruits of one of the representatives of the citrus subfamily (the Rut family), popular in Asia. The content of this fruit under the thick skin is very much like a lemon. It has the largest of all citrus fruits. Their length is 20-40 cm. Diameter - 14-28 cm.

Durio

The durio fruit resembles some kind of "alien" fruit the size of a soccer ball, covered with a hard prickly skin. The flesh inside the fruit is pale yellow. The smell is like dirty, worn socks, rotting meat, or sewage (take your pick). However, this fruit tastes amazing and elegant. The first European explorer who tasted this fruit for the first time in the 1700s called it the "king of fruits". “It was worth going on a dangerous journey just to taste this fruit,” added the brave traveler.

Monstera (Monstera deliciosa)

Monstera grows in many homes. In nature, this plant produces delicious fruits. The ripe core of the monstera fruit, despite the unpleasant pungent smell, is tasty and tastes like pineapple.

star fruit

The cross section of this fruit forms an almost regular star. This fruit is juicy, sweet with a sour tinge. It tastes like grapes, mango, lemon - all in one. It contains a lot of oxalic acid in its composition, so it is not recommended to abuse this fruit for people with kidney failure. The homeland of the fruit is Sri Lanka

goat beard

Goat beard root. It tastes like oysters.

Anastasia Sergeeva

Unusual vegetables from around the world, which seem to be processed in Photoshop!

Everything that is connected with unusual food from different countries of the world invariably arouses great interest in us. What is in this product or dish? What does it taste like? How is it generally eaten? You may have the same questions when you see amazing vegetables from different parts of our planet, which most often cannot be found in our stores. It may even seem as if these strange and unusual vegetables are processed in Photoshop, but no - they really exist!

red cucumbers

Seeing such unusual vegetables on your plate, you would be very surprised, because red cucumbers are not at all what we eat every day! In fact, this plant belongs to the species Tladianta and bears the botanical name Tladianta dubious (Thladiantha dubia), and it is called red cucumber for being too similar to the green fellow we are used to. This vegetable originates from Southeast Asia, but it is also grown in the Far East of Russia and in the southern regions. Tladianta fruits really look like small plump cucumbers at first glance, only very unusual - bright red.

In total, about fifteen species of red cucumbers are known. It is worth noting, however, that the taste of tladiant is ambiguous: for some it resembles the taste of pumpkin with pineapple and kiwi, but for others it seems rather mediocre, insipid. If you decide to plant such a bush on your site, get ready for the fact that you won’t get rid of it for a long time - the plant is a weed and very aggressive.

blue corn

This variety of corn is also called Hopi corn, after the name of the Arizona Indian tribe that developed this plant. Depending on the degree of maturity and lighting, its grains can acquire not only blue, but also dark purple, and even black. Hopi is often used to make natural food coloring, blue cereal, flour, chips, and chicha morada, a fermented alcoholic drink.

In our stores, you most likely will not see such unusual cobs, but in many countries of the world, especially in the USA, the popularity of Hopi corn has begun to grow. But not only the unusual color of the plant became the reason for its popularity, but also its medicinal properties: the increased content of anthocyanins, which determine the color of corn, makes it a good source of antioxidants, as well as a powerful anti-inflammatory product. Hopi has a lower glycemic index than yellow corn and a 20% higher protein content.

colorful corn

Blue corn looks very interesting, but even more amazing is corn, whose grains are full of almost all the colors of the rainbow and more! It’s hard to believe that such unusual cobs have actually been grown, but it’s true: multi-colored corn became a sensation back in 2012, when a photo of one cob was posted on the social network Facebook.

This variety was originally developed by a farmer from the US state of Oklahoma, Karl Barnes, who gave his brainchild the name Glass Gem corn (“Precious Glass”). Corn kernels really look like multi-colored translucent beads or pearls. At the same time, you will not find identical cobs: when growing, more and more new combinations of colors and shades appear. New unusual strains can also be obtained by mixing a multi-colored crop with traditional varieties. However, it will not work to cook and eat such beauty in the same way as the usual yellow cobs - its grains are too hard. Usually they are used to make cornmeal, popcorn, and they are also used for decorative purposes - this corn is painfully beautiful.

purple potatoes

Other unusual vegetables that at first glance can be suspected of being photoshopped are purple-colored potatoes. Who would have thought that it really exists! The peel of some potato varieties familiar to us also acquires a bright pink, almost purple color, but these potatoes have not only a pronounced purple skin color, but also an almost purple flesh! Look at the picture below to see what beautiful purple chips and mashed potatoes are made from such a strange and wonderful potato!

The most important thing is that these potatoes were obtained by mixing various wild African varieties, and genetic engineering has nothing to do with it. You can also order purple potato seeds online and try planting them in your garden, although we will immediately notice that caring for such a plant is rather troublesome.

colorful cauliflower

And these vegetables seem to be quite ordinary - who among us does not know cauliflower! - but they look like this, the word was decorated in a graphic editor. And this is natural, because we are used to ordinary white cauliflower, which can be bought at any supermarket or market. But abroad, in the same Europe, multi-colored cabbage of bright purple, orange and juicy green color is much more popular, because you can make such beautiful dishes from it! It tastes almost the same as white inflorescences, and it brings no less benefit to the body, but its yield is much lower, so in our area the mass cultivation of colorful cabbage has not taken root.

Romanesco cabbage

And here is another variety of cabbage, which literally fascinates with its appearance! Take a closer look at the photo below: the inflorescences of this amazing vegetable seem to consist of small decorative pyramids, which are a real logarithmic spiral. You just wonder what unusual vegetables Mother Nature creates!

Romanesco comes from Italy, where it was given this name, meaning "Roman cabbage". In Israel, it is called coral cabbage, and the Poles and Germans know it as pyramidal cauliflower. Comparing the taste of Romanesco and cauliflower, they notice that the former has a characteristic nutty flavor, and the smell during cooking is much less pronounced.

strawberry spinach

What a wonderful plant! Whether greens, or berries, and certainly hardly vegetables, but we still decided to add it to this list. Its name is multi-leaved marshmallow, but the people call it both strawberry spinach and raspberry spinach, although it, in fact, has nothing to do with either one or the other, or the third. Mary spinach was nicknamed because it not only has edible berries, but also edible leaves, which are usually used in the same way as spinach: eaten raw, put in salads, added to soups, pies and harvested for the winter. Berries can also be eaten raw, although not everyone likes their mild taste, but they also make unusual desserts and surprisingly tasty jam.

watermelon radish

Strange, unusual, but this “radish on the contrary” also looks very beautiful: with a white or green edge and a bright pink center - that is why such unusual vegetables received the title of watermelon radish. Otherwise it is known as green radish. Alas, the taste of its fruits is not at all sweet, to match the watermelon, but even more bitter than that of the radish we are used to. However, other vegetables of this family also have a similar color, namely, a variety of radish - pink daikon, or Sugar Rose daikon, and its fruits are just very pleasant in taste, without bitterness.

chocolate pepper

No, this vegetable is not colored in Photoshop - it is really a real sweet pepper of a beautiful chocolate color. It acquires such a color only in its mature form, and young fruits have the usual green color. Such a pepper looks very unusual, as if someone really cast it from chocolate. Unfortunately, it does not have a chocolate taste, but it got its name not only because of the characteristic color, but also because of the very sweet taste. Therefore, it is added not only to vegetable salads, but even experimented and mixed with some fruits.

Chayote edible

But what unusual vegetables are called Mexican cucumbers! Meet the edible chayote. Since ancient times, it has been used as food by the Aztec tribes, and now it is mainly grown in Costa Rica. In shape, chayote is least like a cucumber, but rather like a pear; if you look at it from afar, it may seem as if it is a cake hastily formed from green dough.

The pulp, seeds, and even chayote leaves can be eaten. These strange and funny vegetables are boiled, fried, stewed, stuffed, eaten raw - in general, a universal product, whatever one may say. It is said to taste like sun-dried tomatoes.

bitter gourd

As soon as these unusual tropical vegetables are not called in different countries: Chinese bitter gourd, bitter cucumber, karela ... Their botanical name is momordica charantia, or momordica charantskaya. The vegetable looks very unusual, and almost does not resemble a pumpkin, but it really looks like a cucumber - when unripe, it is green, and when ripe, it becomes yellow and then orange.

Momordica juice is poisonous, so you need to be careful when using unripe fruits. The pulp of a green vegetable is watery and tastes very similar to both cucumber and the aforementioned chayote - it is usually eaten by pulling out the seeds. Ripe momordica tastes bitter, but the seeds can be eaten because they become sweet. In addition, there are legends about the healing properties of bitter gourd: it is used in the fight against diabetes, used for diseases of the liver and pancreas, in particular, for cancer.

edible cactus

And, finally, a cactus got into the most unusual vegetables, even without being a vegetable! But it’s not related to outlandish fruits and berries, right? Moreover, in Mexico it is eaten almost as often as potatoes and corn. Naturally, they do not eat any cactus, but a special one - the nopal cactus. It is sold directly in stores, previously cleaned of thorns, and lies on the shelves, similar to huge green cakes.

The taste of nopal is most reminiscent of asparagus. It is fried on the grill or just in a pan, cut into salads, salted for the winter. Excellent desserts are made from nopal: jam, jelly and sorbet, not to mention various drinks - tinctures, decoctions and cocktails. Moreover, not only the stems of the cactus are eaten, but also its small dark red fruits with a strawberry flavor.

And if you are also interested in exotic fruits that are unusual for us, you will see them in the following video:

Take it, tell your friends!