The so-called exotic fruits are imported from distant countries or islands. They mainly come from tropical or sub-tropical climate zones. Some are well known such as bananas, passion fruit, coconut, persimmon, pomegranate, pineapple… and others are much less so. For example, do you know durian, jackfruit, loquat, rambutan, Andean blackberry, Ceylon gooseberry? “There is something for everyone to have fun”, emphasizes Fabrice le Bellec, agronomist who presents in his book produced with his wife more than 80 tropical fruits!*
In addition to bringing exoticism into our daily lives, exotic fruits have health benefits. They are particularly important in winter to stock up on vitamins, especially vitamin C, when our seasonal fruit offer is limited. They are indeed all rich in vitamins and mineral salts. Example of vitamin C champions : acerola, papaya, guava, kiwi, lychee.
Many of these exotic fruits are part of what is called super fruit, for example pomegranate, passion fruit, kiwi, lychee… Rich in antioxidants, they fight against free radicals that make us age faster and are responsible for many diseases. Some exotic fruits also have a health benefit due to their low calorie content. This is particularly the case of starfruit or papaya. To make the most of their benefits, you have to choose exotic fruits carefully. The organic guarantee is the first guarantee to have products not treated with synthetic pesticides. It is also advisable to choose them ripe, which requires knowing their appearance when ripe.
* Valerie Le Bellec and Fabrice Le Bellec, tropical fruitsEditions Quae, 2020.
Read also:
- 12 quick recipes with bananas
- The top fruits with the lowest calories
