Strange Fruit Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mango

Mangoes have been cultivated on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years, and India is still one of the largest producers of mangoes, although they are mostly eaten domestically and not exported. Sour, unripe mangoes are made into pickles and chutneys, or eaten raw with salt and chili. Ripe mangoes may be eaten raw, pulped and added to yoghurt to make the popular drink lassi, added to curries, pickled, preserved, added to cereal foods, or dried and made into a fruit bar.

Answer: Longan

'Dimocarpus longan' is a tropical tree native to southeast Asia. Its fruit, usually about 1 cm in diameter, has a hard shell, from which the edible interior is easily squeezed. The flesh is translucent white and encases a hard black seed which is usually removed, but which can be consumed.

It is eaten fresh, and is used (fresh or dried) in soups, desserts, and as part of sweet-and-sour dishes. It is often canned in syrup for export to parts of the world where it cannot be cultivated. In Chinese herbal medicine, dried longan is used for relaxation.

Answer: Medlar

Ripe medlars form a hard, acidic fruit which is harvested (ideally, immediately after a frost which starts the bletting process), spread on absorbent material somewhere cool, and allowed to decay for several weeks. This causes an increase in sugars, and a decrease in acids and tannins. When the process is complete, the flesh has a sticky, mushy texture, and can be spooned out of the skin. The taste has been compared to a mixture of sweet dates and applesauce, with a hint of cinnamon. They can be eaten raw, possibly accompanying cheese as a dessert, and are often used to make jam and wine.

Other fruits that can only be eaten raw after bletting include persimmons and quince.

Answer: Kumquat

Kumquats resemble small oranges, and are classified by some as a citrus fruit, by others as belonging to the genus 'Fortunella'. They can be eaten raw, but are also commonly made into marmalade and preserves. Candied kumquat peel is considered a delicacy.

The Cantonese often preserve them in salt, and use the salted kumquat as a treatment for sore throats. In the Philippines they are a popular addition to tea.

Answer: Tamarind

The tamarind spread to India from tropical Africa several thousand years ago, where it was first described by European botanists. It grows throughout tropical Africa and Asia, and was introduced to Mexico and South America by Spanish and Portuguese colonists in the 16th century. The unripe fruit is used in savoury dishes, including chutneys, and as a pickling agent. Ripe fruit is sweeter, and can be used in jams and drinks. Tamarind is one of the essential ingredients of Worcestershire sauce. In Mexico, tamarind is used in a variety of forms for snacks - it may be dried and salted, candied, made into fruit bars, or used as a drink.

Ber is also called Indian jujube, and Amla is referred to as Indian gooseberry.

Answer: Rambutan

The rambutan is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago. It is an oval fruit 3-6 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, growing in clusters of 10 - 20. Its leathery skin is reddish, and covered with fleshy spines. Its name in Indonesian, Filipino and Malay literally means hairy, referring to the long tendrils that cover its surface.

In Central America it is known as mammon chino, and in Thailand as ngoh. The skin is peeled before eating the flesh, which is whitish or pale pink, with a sweet and mildly acidic flavour.

Answer: Riberry

There are a number of members of the genus Syzygium which produce edible fruits, including the riberry. It is a pear shaped red berry, growing up to 13 mm long and 4 mm in diameter. The fruit is most commonly used to make a distinctively flavoured jam (called both riberry and lillypilly jam), and is also used in sauces, syrups and candies.

Answer: Quandong

There are actually several related species with similar fruit that are called quandong - this one is properly called sweet quandong or desert quandong. Its name can also be spelled quondong or quandang, and it is sometimes referred to as a native peach.

The Wiradjuri people of New South Wales used the name guwandhang, from which the name quandong was adapted. Although some commercial plantations have been established, most quandong is harvested from the wild. Its flavour is tart, somewhat similar to peach or rhubarb.

It is gaining popularity as a uniquely Australian taste.

Answer: Guava

Other names for this vine include ceriman, monster fruit, monsterio delicio, monstereo, split-leaf philodendron, locust and wild honey, windowleaf and delicious monster. Its fruit is up to 25 cm long and 3-4 cm in diameter, looking much like an ear of corn with hexagonal scales.

In its unripe stage, the fruit contains so much oxalic acid that it is poisonous. When the scales start to lift, the fruit is cut from the tree and placed in a paper bag to ripen; when the kernels begin popping off, they can be brushed away to reveal the edible flesh underneath.

The flesh, with a taste similar to a pineapple or a jackfruit, is cut away from the core and eaten.

Answer: Durian

The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has about 30 species, of which at least 9 produce an edible fruit. The fruit, inside a thorny husk which does not contain the pungent smell even when it is intact, can be up to 30 cm (12 in) long, and half that size in diameter.

It typically weighs about 1-3 kg (2.5-7.5 lb). Flesh and seeds can be eaten, and it is used in a range of sweet and savoury dishes in southeastern Asia. Love it or hate it, you will know when one is in the room!