Fruits in the UAE: what are they and where to find

Lychee

Lychee — also known as Chinese plum, is brought from Asia. Fruits are covered with a peel of a red-pink shade which needs to be cleared before eating. The flesh has a sweet and sour taste, something between a grape and a strawberry.

Rambutan

Rambutan — very similar to lychee, only on its shell are the villi because of what the fruit is called hairy. The filling is sweet and juicy. When buying, pay attention to the color of the fruit was more saturated, and the tips of the shoots - greenish, very dark rambutans it is better not to take.

Carambola

Carambola — the fruits are often called "tropical star" and "old fruit". It has a bright yellow and greenish-yellow color. It tastes sour and rich in vitamin C. Fruit is usually used to decorate desserts and cocktails.

Petahaya

Pitahaya (Pitaya) — the British called it a dragon fruit and it is under this name that you will find it on the market or in a store. The color of the pitaya can be either pink-red or yellow; the second is grown in small quantities, so it costs much more. The pink-red fruit has white or red flesh (difficult to grow, therefore rarely sold) with black seeds. Typically, the taste of the filling is compared with kiwi, however, it is far from being so saturated.

Mangosteen

Mangosteen — the fruit is covered with a dark brown shell, when buying, pay attention to it being elastic, not hard and not very soft. Inside, there is a white pulp in the form of garlic, very sweet and jelly-like.

Mango

Mango — juicy fruit, which is known to all and tasted it as most of us. However, in the UAE, you will find an abundance of mango varieties from different countries, from very sweet yellow fruits from Asia to greenish and sour from Africa.

Guava

Guava — common in all tropical and subtropical countries. Fruits have a very rich and specific smell, and the taste and texture resemble a pear. There are also many varieties of fruit with pink and pale yellow inside the markets.

Papaya

Papaya — is a fruit from Mexico and South America. Most often eaten raw, pre-peeled and peeled seeds. Underripe papaya looks more like a vegetable, so green fruits are usually stewed and used to make salads or curries. And when baking on fire, the fruit starts to smell of bread. The ripe fruit has a bright sweet taste and resembles a mixture of melon and pumpkin.