Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER: THE STRANGEST LOOKING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Hands up, how many of us believe that we eat with our eyes first?
Almost everything we see in the media or in super markets portray the ideal image of what fruit and vegetables should look like. But what’s wrong with being different?

Us at Born Tasty are flavour pioneers who embrace the uniqueness of every fruit or vegetable, and we’re no stranger to strange looking fruit. Quite often these turn out to be the most delicious or most nutrient dense, making it a win with dieticians and those living the clean eating way of life.

Take a look at our list of strange fruits and vegetables and tell us if you’ve been brave enough to try them.

1. Durian – Also known as Jack Fruit

This spikey, green looking fruit, has to be without a doubt one of the most offensive smelling fruits known to man – that is if you unfortunately pick one that has gone off. However, don’t be put off by this. If you get one that is ripe and in season, it tastes amazingly creamy, almost avocado like. Normally found in South East Asia (but you can get it from any good exotic grocer here in the UK.) this fruit known as ‘The King of Fruits’ are an excellent source of energy and contains up to 20%i of your recommended daily servings of carbohydrates.

2. Romanesco

Also known as the Roman Cauliflower, (which is rather confusing as it looks like it’s actually a part of the broccoli family!) looks far too pretty to eat. But this earthy green vegetable can help maintain your cholesterol and keep your blood sugar in check.ii

3. Dragon Fruit

This beautiful attention grabbing fruit is hard to ignore whilst browsing through the fruit and veg aisles during your weekly shop. With a vibrant pink skin and green scales, this fruit is a great source of fibre and vitamin Ciii. Its consistency resembles a pear and a kiwi. Crunchy in its taste with black flecks of seed embedded in its membrane.

4. Purple Sweet Potato

This unique purple spud is native to Okinawa, Japan. Known for being high in anti-oxidants, the pigment which is responsible for the vibrant purple colour of the flesh, is the same pigment that gives blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage their colour.iv

5. Cassava

Hailing from South America and with ties to Africav, this starchy brown root vegetable is popular among many ethnic groups. From being full of fibre, magnesium and copper which can help reduce the risk of osteoporosisvi. This vegetable is best served cooked. A particular favourite is to peel it, boil it for 20 minutes then cut it in half and whack it under the grill for 15 minutes with a sprinkling of salt, chilli powder and a squeeze of fresh lime – yummm!

These are just five from a long list of strange looking fruits and vegetables available around the globe, but we’re making it our mission this year to explore more of the unknown and less mainstream fruit and vegetables. Why? Because who wants to eat the same thing day in day out? Keep an eye on our blog for more of the weird and wonderful fruits and veggies we come across this year.