Açaí to Yuzu: my fruit life list

As we speak, my little vacation refrigerator is stocked with a fresh coconut, three mangosteens, eight star fruit (10 for $1 at the farmer’s market!), 10 tangerines, three meyer lemons, two limes, a few papayas and avocados, and weird unknowable plum/cherry/lychee things that I couldn’t finagle a name for from the seller at the Kapa’a farmer’s market except “plum. Don’t eat the skin.” They taste far from any plum I’ve ever had–they have lychee-like seeds and Concord grape-like sour skins. Someone else called them cherries. Who knows. Who cares. I’m just trying to eat them before they start to ferment. (But if they do, no worries. Fruit vinegar!)

When it comes right down to it, all I really care about is fruit.

So let’s get serious about this. Let’s channel our inner David Karp. I’ve copied a list of edible culinary fruits from Wikipedia, and I’m going to start keeping track of, and making notes on, my fruit consumption. Here’s what I’ve got so far. Latin names are listed when possible and easy. All links are to other blog posts of mine with photos of or love poems to said fruits. I’m probably wrong about a few—beach plums, do I remember them from a book, or from actually eating them? Cloudberries I’ve only had in jam, but that counts, right? Sure.

My favorite fruit? Thanks for asking! It’s a two-way tie: mangosteen, the queen, represents the fruit I most love to eat (watermelon being a very close second), but my heart goes out to another, darker, fermented tropical fruit—one I don’t love to eat per se, but that nonetheless fuels my dreams. Number #22, baby, you’re my soulmate.

FRUIT LIFE LIST

1. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea; Arecaceae), or assai
2. Aguaymanto / Peruvian groundcherries (in Peru, July 2018!)
3. Apple
4. Apricot (Prunus armeniaca or Armeniaca vulgaris)
5. Atemoya (see “sweetsop”)
6. Avocado
7. Bananas
   

   banana flower

8. Beach Plum (Prunus maritima; Rosaceae)
9. Betel Nut
10. Bitter gourd
11. Black cherry (Prunus serotina; Rosaceae)
12. Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis or Rubus leucodermis; Rosaceae)
13. Black sapote
14. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra; Juglandaceae)
15. Blackberry, of which there are many species and hybrids, such as dewberry, boysenberry, olallieberry, and tayberry (genus Rubus)
16. Blood Orange
17. Blueberry (Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus; Ericaceae)
18. Bottle gourd also known as Calabash (Lagenaria siceraria; Cucurbitaceae)
19. Brazil nut
20. Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis; Moraceae) (‘Ulu in Hawaiian)
21. Buddha’s Hand Citron
22. Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata)
23. Cacao
24. Calimansi (January 2014, in Hawaii, I tried this tiny little orangey limey darling.) 
25. Cape gooseberry
26. Cara Cara orange
27. Carambola (Averrhoa carambola; Oxalidaceae), also called star fruit or five fingers
28. Carob (Ceratonia siliqua; Fabaceae)
29. Cashew
30. Ceylon gooseberry (the same as a cape gooseberry?)
31. Cherimoya (Annona cherimola; Annonaceae) (See “sweetsop”)
32. Cherry, sweet, black, sour, and wild species (Prunus avium, Prunus serotina, P. cerasus, and others)
33. Chestnut (Castanea dentata; Fagaceae)
34. Chico
    

    The chico is that weird plum-looking round one cut in half–it tastes like brown sugar crossed with a plum. Also pictured: a very messy sweetsop, halved rambutans, a mangosteen, and a grapefruit.

35. Chili pepper
36. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
37. Citron (Citrus medica)
38. Clementine (Citrus reticulata var. Clementine),
39. Coconut (Cocos nucifera; Arecaceae)
40. Coffee
41. Cranberry (Vaccinium spp.)
42. Currant (Ribes spp.; Grossulariaceae), red, black, and white types
43. Custard-apple (Annona reticulata; Annonaceae), also called Bullock’s Heart (see “sweetsop”)
44. Damson plum (Chrysophyllum oliviforme; Sapotaceae), also called
45. Date
46. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera; Arecaceae)
47. Dragonfruit (Hylocereus spp.; Cactaceae), also called pitaya
48. Durian (Durio spp; Malvaceae)
49. Elderberry (Sambucus; Caprifoliaceae)
50. Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana; Myrtaceae)
51. Fig (Ficus spp. Moraceae)
52. Finger Lime (Citrus australasica; Rutaceae)
53. Gooseberry (Ribes spp.; Grossulariaceae)
54. Grape, called raisin, sultana when it is dried. (Vitis spp.; Vitaceae), green, Concord, red, Champagne
55. Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), ruby and yellow
56. Greengage, a cultivar of the plum
57. Guanabana (see “Sweetsop”)
58. Guava (“Psilium”; Myrtaceae)
59. Hazelnut (Corylus americana; Betulaceae)
60. Honeysuckle: the berries of some species (called honeyberries) are edible, others are poisonous (Lonicera spp.; Caprifoliaceae)
61. Horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus; Cucurbitaceae)
62. Hubbard squash, Buttercup squash (Cucurbita maxima)
63. Huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.)
64. Hybrids of the preceding citrus species, such as the Orangelo, Tangelo, Rangpur (fruit) and Ugli fruit
65. Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Moraceae), also called nangka
66. Juneberries, aka serviceberries (June 2013)
67. Kaffir lime (Citrus hystix)
68. Key Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
69. Kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry (Actinidia spp.; Actinidiaceae)
70. Kumquat (Fortunella spp.; Rutaceae)
71. Lady apple (Syzygium suborbiculare; Myrtaceae)
72. Lemon (Citrus limon)
73. Lemondrop mangosteen (tasted January 2013, not that great!)
74. Lime
75. Limequat
76. Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
77. Loganberry (Rubus loganobaccus)
78. Longan (Dimocarpus longan; Sapindaceae)
79. Loquat
80. Lychee (Litchi chinensis; Sapindaceae family)
81. Macadamia, also known as a Queensland nut
82. Mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota; Sapotaceae); also known as mamee apple; abricó in Portuguese
83. Mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
84. Mango (Mangifera indica; Anacardiaceae)
85. Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana; Clusiaceae family)
    

    Passionfruit (tiny, in front), mangosteen (purple), and soursop (the heart shape), with a coconut in the background for good measure.

86. Marian Plum (eaten 2023 in Bangkok)
87. Manila tamarind (or Monkeypod, Pithecellobium dulce)
88. Melon (Cucumis melo): cantaloupe, galia, and other muskmelons, honeydew
89. Meyer lemon
90. Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum)
91. Mulberry (Morus spp.; Moraceae) including: Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn, zhe
92. Mung bean
93. Muskmelon
94. Neem
95. Noni, aka The Worst Tasting Fruit In The Universe
    

    Noni plant.

96. Nutmeg
97. ‘Ohelo berry
    

    Soft skin like a fig, creaminess like a mangosteen, tart like a ripe tart cherry dipped in sugar, pretty like a mini-pomegranate. My new favorite. The hike we do three times a week in Hawaii is filled with ‘ohelo bushes!

98. Oil Palm
99. Okra
100. Panama berry (2011 in Hawaii, my pal Maresa bought them at the farmer’s market–they taste like Berry Kix!)
101. Papaya, green + orange, Thai + Hawaiian (Carica papaya; Caricaceae)
     

     Thai papayas, as grown by my sweetheart’s stepmom. Perfect for Thai green papaya salad.

     

     Hawaiian-style papayas, eaten when ripe and orange.

102. Passion fruit or Grenadilla (Passiflora edulis and other Passiflora spp.; Passifloraceae) Galendar in some part of east India (Darjeeling) (Lilikoi in Hawaiian)
103. Pawpaw (Asimina triloba; Annonaceae)
104. Peach (of the normal and white variety) and its variant the nectarine (Prunus persica)
105. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea; Fabaceae)
106. Pear, European and Asian species (Pyrus)
107. Pecan (Carya illinoinensis or illinoensis; Juglandaceae)
108. Peppercorns
109. Persimmon (aka Sharon Fruit) (Diospyros kaki; Ebenaceae)
110. Pigeon pea
111. Pink peppercorns
112. Pineapple (Ananas comosus or Ananas sativas; Bromeliaceae)
113. Pineberry
114. Plaintain
115. Plum (Prunus americana; Rosaceae)
116. Plum, of which there are several domestic and wild species; dried plums are called prunes
117. Plum/lychee/cherry things from the Kapa’a farmer’s market, I know not what they were.
118. Poha or Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana; Solanaceae)
119. Pomegranate (Punica granatum; Punicaceae)
120. Pomelo (also known as the shaddock) (Citrus maxima)
121. Prickly pear (Opuntia spp.; Cactaceae)
122. Pumpkin, Acorn squash, Zucchini, Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo varieties)
123. Quince (Cydonia oblonga and Chaenomeles)
124. Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum; Sapindaceae family)
125. Red Elderberry (Sambucus pubens; Adoxaceae)
126. Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)
127. Red Raspberry (Rubus strigosus; Rosaceae) (My raspberry truffle tart recipe!)
128. Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum; Polygonaceae)
129. Rose apple (otaheite apple, malay apple, Jamaican apple), Jamaica February 2024
130. Rose hip, the fruitlike base of roses (Rosa); used mostly for jams and herbal tea
131. Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea; Cactaceae)
132. Sapote (“Casimiroa edulis”; Sapotaceae)
133. Snake fruit (only ok, Thailand, 2023)
134. Sour orange (Citrus aurantium)—horrible childhood memories of my brother and I tricking each other into eating the sour oranges outside our door.
135. Soursop (Annona muricata; Annonaceae), also called guanabana (see “sweetsop”)
136. Star apple (chrysophyllum cainito) in Jamaica, February 2024
137. Strawberry (Fragaria spp.; Rosaceae) (My lemon thyme-pine nut cookies with strawberry frosting recipe!)
138. Strawberry guava (Psidium litorale; Myrtaceae)
139. Sudachi (Citrus sudachi)
140. Summer squash
141. Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora; Myrtaceae) also called Brazilian Cherry, Cayenne Cherry, Pitanga
142. Sweet pepper
143. Sweetsop (I’m beginning to think that sweet apples, custard apples, guanabana, sweetsop, soursop, atemoya and cherimoya are extremely similar, but I’m not positive.)
     

     sweetsop

144. Tangerine
145. Tomato (“Solanum lycopersicum”; Solanaceae)
146. Watermelon (Sigh. My third favorite fruit.)
147. White Mulberry (Morus alba) (these are in my backyard!)
148. Water Apple Syzygium samarangense (eaten 2023 in Bangkok!)
149. Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum, Lycium spp.; Solanaceae)
150. Yellow sapote
151. Yuzu