Fruits in the Philippines

Imagine cruising to the Carribbean, basking in the sunlight, drinking fresh fruit juice, eating fresh fruits – but you need to pay a lot of money, right? Well this life is like retiring in the Philippines, where the climate is always like spring, where a beach is always just a few minutes or hours away, where the fresh fruits are in abundance, but where the costs are nowhere near to that of the Carribean!

The Philippines is home to a lot of fresh tropical fruits and vegetables to keep us retirees healthy and strong!

Tropical Fruits

The Philippines is rich in tropical fruits such as:

Mango – The mango is considered “the most majestic of Philippine fruits”. Mangoes have a green, green-yellow, yellow-red or yellow-red-green color. The Philippine mango starts as green and are tart and sour, great for pickling. They turn yellow (not reddish) and sweet as they ripen. Mango is rich in sugar and is a source of vitamin A, C, and D. There are many varieties of mangoes around the world, but the Philippine mango tastes the best, and is also good for drying. The best packaged dried mangoes come from the Philippines.

Jackfruit – Jackfruit is the largest tree-born fruit in the world. The jackfruit can reach 40 kilos in weight and up to 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter! The exterior of the jackfruit is green or yellow when ripe. The interior consists of large bulbs of yellow, banana-flavoured flesh. Opening the fruit, will bring you a nice and soft odor like the pineapple or banana.

Rambutan – Rambutan fruit has a thick skin that is covered with fine, short hairs. It’s a small fruit, not bigger than the size of a hen’s egg. Inside is a small seed covered with half transparent flesh. The color of rambutan is red or yellow. The fruit has a soft sweet taste. The name “rambutan” comes from the Malay world “rambut”, which means ‘hair’.

Durian – The durian is considered as “the king of all tropical fruit”. The durian fruit is very big and heavy. A durian can weigh up to 10 pounds. The whole skin consists of big, sharp and hard spines! The durian is high in proteins, minerals, and fats. The durian is one of the most expensive fruits.

Lanzones – The Lanzones fruit from is seasonal, and usually only found in the southern islands. It grows and is sold in bunches that resemble grapes, but the Lanzones fruit is about twice the size.

The yellowish skin is easy to peel, revealing a whitish, near translucent, segmented flesh underneath. The Lanzones taste is almost akin to that of a grapefruit, though slightly less bitter, and not overflowing with juice.

Inside some of the Lanzones segments are big and small seeds. The Lanzones fruit itself is very refreshing, and not heavy at all. They are eaten with bare hands, however, they can leave the fingers a little sticky.

Duhat – The black, small, sweet, sour and astringent fruit. Green when unripe. Becomes red to red-black when ripe and full black when fully ripe.

Siniguelas – Jocote (Spondias purpurea) is a species native to tropical regions of the Americas. Other common names include Red Mombin, Purple Mombin, or Hog Plum, ciruela in Spanish, siniguelas in the Philippines.

Santol – The santol fruit is round and as big as a big apple. Inside the fruit, there is a white juicy pulp around 3 to 5 brown seeds. The seeds are up to 2 cm long. The pulp is mostly sub-acid or sour. When the fruit is not ripe, the fruit is very sour. The skin and the pulp become sweet when it ripens.

Atis – Many people around the world enjoy the delectable fruit known as cherimoya, or in some circles, it is known as an Atis Fruit. The cherimoya is found in only extremely tropical climates.

Guyabano – Guayabano is a green, soft spine, pear-shaped fruit with a sweet-sour flavor. It weighs about two to five kilos. The skin is thin and its flesh is a white, soft fibrous pulp which has a very agreeable flavor but rather sour. Its mature, green fruit is used as a vegetable and made into sweet meat, while the ripe fruit is eaten raw or for dessert.

Caimito – A caimito looks like a dark fig on the outside, but when you slice it open, it resembles a white creamy plum with a black coffee bean-like seed inside. The white sappy substance is probably responsible for making your lips sticky. It’s not an unpleasant stickiness, but more like a tacky tape feel, which goes away after a few lip smacks. The caimito belongs to the tropical Sapotaceae family and is also known as a star apple.

Cashew Fruit– The fruit of the cashew tree is an accessory fruit (sometimes called a pseudocarp or false fruit). What appears to be the fruit is an oval or pear-shaped structure that develops from the pedicel and the receptacle of the cashew flower.

Tamarind – tamarind has many health benefits and it can help to improve your overall health. The botanical name of tamarind is “Tamarindus Indica”. Tamarind pulp has many culinary, medicinal and ornamental uses.Tamarind fruit is a good source of antioxidants. It rich in vitamins and minerals.

Again these are only a few of the many uncommon fruits (in the US) that they have in the Philippines. We are just showing you that other fresh fruits are plentiful in the Philippines and that retiring there is comparable to going to the Caribbean even on a tight budget!

Mangosteen – Mangosteen has a complex flavor. Inside the thick covering are several cottony white segments (at least one large segment possessing a seed). These segments are sour, sweet, sharp, soft and delicious all at the same time. Besides having a delicious taste, it is a rich source of fibers and carbohydrates, vitamins A and vitamin C, as well as iron, calcium, and potassium.

Star fruit – The fruit has ridges running down its sides; when cut in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. Tart when mature but still green, but turns yellowish and sweet when ripe.