My Latest Craving {trying exotic fruit}

Many times when walking through the produce department (especially at my local Asian market), I wondered if I'm missing out. I see fruits that I've never tasted in my life. Part of me has wanted to be adventurous. The other part of me hated to spend money on something I'd never heard of, especially since I had no idea if I (or my kids for that matter) would like. So this past week, I thought I'd tap into my adventurous side and do an exotic fruit taste test with my children. I thought it would be a fun activity, and my kids were happy to imagine themselves as little food critics. I also thought that posting our results might help out anyone else who has ever wondered the same. So we taste-tested lychee, cactus pear, Chinese yali pear, sweet lime, dosakai, dragon fruit, chayote, and rambutan.


Lychee:

When eating lychee, you need to peel of the tough skin and be sure not to eat the seed (which is supposed to be bad for you to ingest).
Mom's take: I was not a fan; it was a bit slimy with a strange flavor.
Kid's take: One of my kids actually liked this, but the other two gave it a thumbs down. Ava didn't even want to try the fruit because of the consistency.

Cactus pear:


For this fruit, you're suppose to cut off the skin and spit out all the little seeds
Mom's take: The flavor wasn't bad but the amount of inedible seeds made this fruit hard to enjoy.
Kid's take: Kiddos agreed with Mom.


Chinese Yali Pear (also known as Asian pear):

You eat this like any other pear.

Mom's take: It was a very fresh, light pear flavor.
Kid's take: This was a unanimous hit with the kids.


Sweet limes

Sweet limes are supposed to be enjoyed in the same way as a regular lime.

Mom's take: I don't know if I got a bad one, but I thought it was bland and a little bitter.
Kid's take: The boys said they liked it.


Dosakai:

You can eat dosakai with or without the skin, one of the things I read suggested sprinkling it with a bit of salt.

Mom's take: The taste reminded me of a robust cucumber flavor. I like the way the salt brought out the flavor.
Kid's take: The boys thought it was a mix of sweet and sour and enjoyed it.


Dragon fruit:

To eat the dragon fruit, you are supposed to cut it longways and scoop out the flesh. The seeds inside are edible.

Mom's take: This had a fresh, exotic flavor.
Kid's take: They agreed that this was their favorite from the taste test. I'm sure the beauty of the outside and the name didn't hurt their opinion!


Chayote-

Chayote should be cooked like a squash. The skin should be removed before eating.
Mom's take: I served this with butter and thought it was quite delicious.
Kid's take: None of them thought this fruit was a keeper.

Rambutan:

To eat this fruit, squeeze with your fingers until the skin splits. Peel off the skin and eat around the seed.
Mom's take: It was sweet with a different, yet appealing flavor.
Kid's take: They said it was "amazing."

For a final wrap up, I can see myself buying the Chinese yali pear, rambutan, and dosakai; and we most definitely will be getting some more dragon fruit.

So I've made commenting easier than ever with the new Facebook commenting added in. Tell me, what's your favorite "exotic fruit." (since there are many more than what I listed)? Maybe next time at the store, I'll give your suggestion a try...