There’s an old saying: You can’t judge a book by its cover. A treasure trove of specialty produce we
recently received from Frieda’s, Inc. (friedas.com)
proved that applies to other things as well.
As we opened the box, some things looked familiar, such as
the Zulu queen baby pineapple. Only 5 inches high, it can be used as regular
pineapple. A co-worker who enjoyed it for breakfast reported it was very sweet.
I have to admit, some of the fruit, while vivid in color,
looked a little frightening. Pieces had lots of horns, thorns and prickly
things. The dragon fruit, aptly named, has green-tipped scales. The fruit
itself has earthy taste, something like a pear, but not as sweet. I’ve tasted passion fruit juice, but never
thought about using it to top ice cream.
I discovered in the box, a treat that brought a flood of
good memories. It was a bunch of red bananas. My great-grandfather worked
selling fruit and my mom had told me about red bananas. Growing up in the
Midwest and only having yellow bananas, it almost seemed like the stuff of
myths. I put it aside to try after lunch. The red banana had more substance and
a little sweeter flavor than a yellow banana cousin.
But the biggest surprise, was yet to come. It was something
called rambutan eyeball -- and it was hairy and strange looking. My Chinese
co-worker was very excited when she saw a bag of them.She said the fruit is
very popular. Interestingly, she didn’t know its name in English. Anyway, she
picked up one, cut it open and insisted I try it. Out of its skin, the fruit
had a slippery texture, but the taste was rich and a little sweet. I could see why
it was so highly prized. She happily took home the remainder of the bag.
That was my introduction to exotic fruit. For gourmet
retailers, I could see a selection of these fruits as a way to bring interest
and color to your produce section. And of course, sampling would be ideal.
Barbara
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