About This Quiz
Tropical fruits get that category name due to the areas and climates in which they grow. The term exotic fruit can be used as well. Just because these fruits are native to a certain tropical area, doesn't mean they are widely available. If you've ever eaten a banana, you've eaten a tropical fruit. Same with other popular fruits such as kiwi, dates and varieties of oranges. The best part of these fruits is that most of them contain some serious health benefits. Anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, helping with acne and digestion are just a few of the benefits of many of these fruits.
If you're not getting ready to run to the store to pick up a few of these fruits, keep reading. While most of them are juicy and sweet, some of them are more mild and perfect for those who don't have a huge sweet tooth. The textures vary, too, which is actually a big deal to a lot of people. There are creamy fruits, crunchy, soft or seedy. Fruits like the pomegranate are primarily eaten for their crunchy seeds, while a lychee is eaten for its gel-like center. That's a lot of information, but there's so much more to learn. Take this quiz to see how much you know about tropical fruits!
Guava is another very common tropical fruit. You'll see it as a flavoring for things like fruit snacks, juices, popsicles or flavored syrups for mixing drinks. India is actually the largest producer of guava.
The pomegranate. The fruit that no one can seem to agree on the best way to extract the seeds. Everyone has their "hacks" that they think are the best, but the jury is still out on the actual best way to get the yummy seeds out.
You can find star fruits almost anywhere these days. Aside from its deliciously sweet flavor, when you cut into it, you are treated to slices of perfectly shaped stars. That's also a fun way to get kids to eat them.
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If you ever go to a smoothie place, you will most certainly see a pitaya bowl. That is just a fancier way of saying dragon fruit. It comes in a couple of different varieties, and they both have a slightly different taste, but they're both juicy and sweet.
Papaya and its seeds are becoming known as a superfood in the health world, but it's been eaten for hundreds of years. Mostly made up of water, it's a super hydrating fruit similar to watermelon.
When you buy dark chocolate and it says that it contains a certain percentage of cacao, that's a measure of how much pure chocolate is in it as opposed to milk, sugar and other flavors. It grows in a large pod with the smaller beans inside.
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If you find your tongue hurting after you eat too much pineapple, that's an actual thing. The enzyme bromelain breaks down proteins and essentially attacks your tongue. But honestly, it's worth it.
The seeds of a vanilla bean are commonly called the caviar because of their similar appearance to the fish eggs. Vanilla is way more pleasing to the palate, though. The good stuff comes from Tahiti or Madagascar.
If one falls on your head, hopefully it cracks to save you the trouble! Get inside the hard shell to find the coconut flesh, which can be processed to extract the milk, or put a straw in it and drink the coconut water fresh from the beast.
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Avocados are a fruit. There, we said it. They don't have a ton of flavor on their own, so they can hold up to spice, salt and are the perfect accompaniment to eggs, tacos, sandwiches and so much more.
Some people don't really know if you're supposed to eat the seeds or not, and we're not here to tell you how to live your life. The flesh of this fruit is sweet, but not too sweet, and you can impart the flavor on other things if you strain out the seeds from the juice and flesh.
The prickly pear might look adventurous and scary from the outside, but once you get past that, you get to the inside where the flavor is similar to bubble gum and watermelon. Sounds sweet!
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The java apple isn't even an apple! It's a tropical fruit that has a unique bell shape. Because of that, it's often served uncut but with the core removed to keep the shape intact. The darker the skin, the sweeter the fruit.
Breadfruit is in the jackfruit family and grows on a mulberry tree. It's a staple food in many tropical regions, but it usually has to be cooked first. After that, it can be mixed with other things like coconut milk and baked in banana leaves.
Bananas are one of the most well known and commonly found tropical fruits. Did you know that a banana is technically a berry? Don't confuse a banana with a plantain though, because it will be a very unpleasant surprise.
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The date comes from the date palm and can be used in so many ways. They can be the binder for homemade energy balls, stuffed with goat cheese, or eaten right out of the palm of your hand.
The durian fruit has been banned from airplanes, trains and other forms of closed-in transportation because of its smell. According to hundreds of people, it smells like rotting flesh. However, it really redeems itself with its flavor.
Lychee derives from China and oddly enough looks like a rougher strawberry. The tree itself is an evergreen and the fruit grows right on it. It has a pretty big stone in the middle, so don't bite into it!
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The mandarin looks just like any other orange but is smaller in size more like a tangerine or clementine. It's also a lot sweeter than a regular orange, They're super easy to peel and have few to no seeds.
The horned melon is named so because of the little horn-looking parts of the skin. The taste is similar to a banana and a passionfruit, and it even has seedy flesh similar a passionfruit.
Tamarind is a very popular candy flavor in Mexico, but you'll also see it as a fruit nectar or juice concentrate to be added to other drinks. It's actually a legume that grows on a tree in pods.
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If grown really well, this fruit will be sweet, but if not it will take on a more sour taste. It is a popular flavor in baby food, but can also be used for other purees and juices.
The Spanish lime is different than a normal lime in that inside it is orange-hued in color and has a less juicy texture. It is also known for its many health benefits. It protects the immune system from the reproduction of viruses.
The rambutan isn't the most attractive fruit. It looks incredibly hairy and not like anything else you would eat. But the inside flesh is juicy, sweet and can even provide health benefits like better digestion.
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There's pretty much every necessary vitamin in this small fruit that you could need. They also have many other health benefits like skin health and immune system booster. It has a similar taste to grapes!
It is so widely cultivated that this fruit can be found almost anywhere. It's a common ingredient in fruit juices that are popularly sold by street vendors. They mature on the tree, but ripen in another dark area.
This little fruit packs a big nutritional punch, and it's actually a berry! It's high in vital vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function at its best. Eating them regularly can also help fight signs of aging and improve memory.
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This fruit is like a bunch of other fruits put together. The flavor is a cross between a peach, a citrus and a mango and the shape resembles a papaya or pear as it's oval shaped. When the fruit is orange and soft, the flesh will be the sweetest.
This fruit goes by so many names, it's hard to know what it actually is. Would you believe it goes by the name of fat-pork in some areas? And hog plum in others? We sense a theme, we're just not sure why!
Pretty much every part of this fruit and the tree it grows on can be used for a purpose. The peel can be dried and burned as an insect repellent, the bark of the tree is used to building materials and the fresh peel has medicinal purposes for intestinal discomfort.
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The marang does resemble a durian or jackfruit in appearance and smell, but the flavor is so much better. It's actually best when ripened off the tree, also similar to bananas. It's crazy that something that looks nothing like a banana can be so similar.
This fruit legitimately tastes like peanut butter, and the flavor gets stronger the more of them you eat. Because there is a hint of sweetness to the fruit, it is also commonly known as the peanut butter and jelly fruit.
While not related at all to the mango, it does have a cousin in the purple mangosteen. The flavor is known to be unique but is most closely related to a tangerine, but even that comparison doesn't really do it justice. You'll just have to try it for yourself!
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The leaves are also eaten as seasoning or as a salad green depending on their maturity level. The raw flesh of this fruit has a golden hue and is slightly sweet but does have a hint of acidity.
Native to Cuba and Centra America, it's a great source of Vitamins B6 and C. There really are no limits to what this fruit can do. Make it into jam and swirl it into yogurt, or use the juice to flavor milkshakes.
Where to begin with all the uses? The fruit can be preserved in sugar and used as a flavoring for a drink, the seeds are used in chocolate production and the oily extract from it is used in hair and skin products.
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The fruits are not harvested until a cracking appearance occurs, and if it's picked too early it will never ripen. When it is ripe, the flesh is fibrous near the core, but soft and custard-like near the rind.
The outer skin is brown, but the flesh is a milky white. It has a sour, slightly acidic taste with a hint of sweetness. Because of that, some of the recommended ways of eating it involve things that are sweeter.
The sapodilla fruit has many health benefits. It's high in calories but it also rich in antioxidants and acts as an anti-inflammatory. The fresh, ripe version will provide you with minerals like iron and vitamins like folate.
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