12 Fruits To Enjoy In Southeast Asia

One of the great things about travel is exploring the local fresh food. Southeast Asia boasts an abundance of delicious tropical fruits. Here is a quick guide to some Southeast Asian fruits, their nutritional value, and ways to enjoy them.

12 Fruits To Enjoy In Southeast Asia

1. Dragonfruit

Dragonfruit, also known as pitaya, is the first on my list. It is a highly popular fruit worldwide, particularly in Southeast Asia, due to its numerous health benefits.

Nutrition/Benefits: Dragonfruit is low in calories, high in fiber, and antioxidants. It is known to encourage the growth of probiotics in your gut. It can aid digestion and support your immune system.

Taste: A combination of kiwi and pear flavors. It can have a faint, sweet taste, much like a watermelon.

How To Eat: You can cut dragonfruit into slices, scoop it with a spoon, blend it into a smoothie, or incorporate it into fresh salsa. If you decide to slice it, cut from the stem down to the root, then slice the halves.

2. Passion Fruit

One of my favorite fruits from Southeast Asia is the very tasty passion fruit. It is an exotic purple fruit with soft pulp and many seeds.

Nutrition/Benefits:  Passion fruit is filled with vitamin A, important for skin, vision, and the immune system. It is also enriched in Vitamin C, an important antioxidant.

Taste:  Citrusy, tangy, and tart. Delicious!

How To Eat:   Simply cut the passion fruit in half and eat with a spoon! Mix with your smoothie or add to your water to make a drink.

3. Pomelo

The pomelo, a predecessor of the grapefruit, is frequently utilized during festive events in Southeast Asia. It is a sizable fruit with a rind thicker than that of a grapefruit. At times, these fruits can grow to be quite large.

Nutrition/Benefits: Pomelos are high in potassium and rich in Vitamin C. They are cholesterol-free, fat-free, and low in sodium.

Taste: A sweet-sour taste much like grapefruit.

How to Eat: Depending on the size of the pomelo, most people slice it and cut it into sections.

4. Mangosteen

Mangosteen is the queen of fruits in Thailand. The round, purple, and smooth fruit has a delicious taste and is highly nutritious. These are found in markets all around Southeast Asia.

Nutrition/Benefits:  This fruit is high in fiber, low in calories, and a powerful antioxidant.

Taste:  A slightly sweet and sour taste.

How to Eat:   Mangosteen can be eaten raw and is very juicy when ripe. These are great in smoothies, too.

5. Jackfruit

Jackfruit is popular in Southeast Asia and can often be seen hanging from trees. It's in the same family as figs and mulberries. It is the largest fruit grown from a tree in the world, weighing up to 40 lbs. It has a thick, bumpy, green rind with a stringy, yellow flesh inside.

Nutrition/Benefits:  Like many other fruits, it has very little fat and is high in fiber. It is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B, calcium, and potassium.

Taste:  Unripe jackfruit is popular as a vegan substitute for meat. Its stringy texture makes it resemble pulled pork or chicken. Ripe jackfruit has a sweet, tropical flavor often resembling bananas, mangos, and pineapples.

How To Eat:   Sliced like a watermelon and cut into smaller pieces.

6. Lychee

These little red-ruby fruits are popular and delicious! They appear as hard-shelled strawberries but are a distant cousin of the rambutan family. Lychee can be found around the world, not just in Southeast Asia.

Nutrition/Benefits:  Lychee is a great source of Vitamin C and minerals. They are high in carbs and sugar, and relatively low in fiber.

Taste: Lychees are full of flavor, like a strawberry with a hint of citrus.

How To Eat:   Peel with your fingers, then eat the flesh around the seed.

7. Longan Fruit

Longan fruit is popular in Southeast Asia but relatively rare elsewhere. These fruits are often mistaken for lychees. They are in the same group and appear like large grapes, but are surrounded by a tough, leathery, tan skin.

These fruits are one of my favorites to pick up at the fresh street markets and enjoy.

Nutrition/Benefits: According to Web Md, one serving of longan can provide a day's worth of Vitamin C. It is also high in potassium.

Taste:  A musky, sweet taste, similar to lychee. They have a translucent look.

How To Eat:   Simply peel and eat the flesh from around the seed.

8. Durian

Durian is known as the "smelly fruit", but are suppose to be very delicious. I have never tried this fruit because of the hotel's restrictions. There are signs around Southeast Asia, "no durian allowed", especially in airports and hotels. The smell of the fruit can linger for days.

Nutrition/Benefits: Durian has a long list of health benefits, including immune support, digestion, bone health, anemia, blood pressure, and cardiovascular health.

Taste:  A sweet, custardy vanilla taste with the texture of cheesecake.

How To Eat:   It is best to open a durian's hard, spiky shell with gloves or mitts to protect your hands. You need to cut the shell with a knife, pry it open with your hands, and then gently remove the durian flesh.

9. Rose (Wax) Apples

This pear-shaped fruit is filled with many health benefits. The waxy-skinned fruit can be found in many street markets across Southeast Asia.

 Nutrition/Benefits:  Rose wax apples have many health benefits. One of them is the benefit to the liver and kidneys. Often called a cleanse, this fruit will make you pee. The fruit's juice helps remove toxins. The high potassium and sodium levels in the apples are also known to help cholesterol levels. Add heart and high blood pressure benefits to the list, and this is one healthy fruit!

Taste:  The taste is similar to a snow pear with the juice of a watermelon. The apple's flesh is crisp, with a sweet-sour taste.

How To Eat:   Can be sliced or eaten as an apple.

10. Starfruit

The starfruit has distinct ridges running down its sides and a star shape. This fruit has been cultivated for centuries in Southeast Asia and is readily available.

 Nutrition/Benefits:  Starfruit is 91% water and 7% carbohydrates. These fruits are often cooked and used to make juices, relishes, garnishes, or preserves.

Taste: A mix of apple, grape, pear, and citrus fruit.

How To Eat:   The entire fruit is edible, including the skin. It is very juicy and similar to eating a grape.

11. Rambutan

The rambutan fruit is easy to identify in Southeast Asia. Its unusual, hairy-like skin is unmistakable. It is a common snack for many people in this part of the world, but not so familiar to Westerners.

 Nutrition/Benefits:  Rambutan is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants. They can help with digestion, weight loss, and immune boosting.

Taste:  Similar to the taste of lychee, which is like a grape/strawberry.

How To Eat:   They are ripe when they are bright red. If they are black or have black hair, they are overripe. Simply peel them and eat the flesh around the seed. Some people find it easier to split them with a knife and peel the skin back.

12. Langsat

The last fruit is typically found in tropical Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Langsat is very juicy and refreshing.

 Nutrition/Benefits:  Langsat is full of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. It also contains potassium, iron, and calcium.

Taste:  These are best to eat the moment they are plucked from the tree and are ripe. They have a sweet/tangy taste.

How To Eat:   Peel the fruit with your fingers and pull the segments apart.

That's my list of 12 fruits to enjoy in Southeast Asia that are not only delicious, but so healthy!

XOXO

Marla