Taste of the Tropics

Here are some of the fantastic Tropical Fruits you will find at your neighborhood Food Town.*

As a group, tropical fruits are filled with healthy nutrients – rich in vitamin C, potassium, beta-carotene, and fiber.

Add to your dishes to bring a bit of the sunny tropics to them easily and deliciously!

Dragon Fruit – This fruit is usually pink on the outside with a white or vibrant pink flesh and dotted throughout with tiny black edible seeds. The taste is mild, with sweet undertones reminiscent of a kiwi and pear. Toss it into a fruit salad, or use it in a smoothie or yogurt.

Guava – Has a thick green-yellow outer skin and pink or white center. It is around the size of an apple, and when ripe, it should be very juicy and soft. Fruity and floral with notes of strawberry. Guava is traditionally served simply with salt or chili powder sprinkled on it. Guava also makes a fantastic smoothie or jam.

Lychee – Covered in thin, hard, but easily breakable pink skin with translucent-white flesh underneath. The fruit has a large, inedible seed in the middle. Lychee fruit is usually the size of a grape. A cross between a watermelon and a strawberry, Lychee is great eaten raw or toss it in a fruit salad or smoothie.

Mangos – Mango fruit varies in size, shape, sweetness, skin color, and flesh color, which may be pale yellow, gold, green, or orange. The juicy sweet flesh is usually orange and tastes similar to a peach. They mainly make juices, smoothies, ice cream, fruit bars, Aguas frescas, pies, and sweet chili sauce.

Passion Fruit – This fruit has a hard purple or yellow outer shell with a jelly-like golden pulp and seed-filled center. Passion fruit seeds are crunchy and edible but have a tart taste. Acidic, tart and surprisingly sweet, the pulp is great to eat as is or use in desserts such as pie or cake.

Papaya – A large, teardrop-shaped fruit with a green or yellow, thin, and yielding outer skin. Mild and slightly sweet with a creamy and spoonable texture, the inside is a luscious, soft, and salmon-colored fruit with a cluster of small black seeds that are edible but should only be consumed in moderation. Papaya makes a great smoothie, but you can also use it in yogurt, salads, chopped into salsa, or broken down into a jam.

Rambutan – This fruit has a soft red shell covered with hair-like spikes. Rambutans are plum-sized, and under their red skin is a soft, translucent, grape-like fruit with an inedible brown seed in the middle. Sweet, slightly astringent, with strawberry notes, the Rambutan is perfect for fruit salads, smoothies, or on a toothpick to use as a drink garnish.

Mango Salsa https://www.yourfoodtown.com/recipe/mango-salsa/

Passion Fruit Smoothie https://www.yourfoodtown.com/recipe/passion-fruit-smoothie/

Tropical Fruit Salad https://www.yourfoodtown.com/recipe/tropical-fruit-salad/

*Supplies and availability may vary by store