List your top 5 favorite fruits.

Eating fruit is vital to having a balanced diet. The benefits of meat like protein and iron are well-documented. However, science has shown us that meeting your adequate fruit intake is necessary in staying hale and healthy. The former is preferable over junk food and processed items. Their high fibre content could fight constipation.

For ages, I’ve been a fruit lover. I got this from my dad, who has a green thumb. He never has a meal without fruit. Often, we would masticate on fruits that he himself had grown. From bananas to avocados, sampaloc to apple guavas, dad knows how to grow. My predilections have changed through the decades. Obviously, there are different fruits in different countries. Picking my five fruit choices is tough, since there are many options out there. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are Topher’s favourite fruits.

1. Soursop (guyabano). If you read my penultimate post, I mentioned my science teacher, calling her Mrs Guyabano. She’s a bit more bitter than your average soursop. Soursop usually thrives in a tropical climate. Hence, it could be found in Florida, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Central American countries such as Mexico and Guatemela are the fruit’s primary producers. It’s normally a larger fruit with a green hide and black spikes. It looks similar to custard apple. Soursop has small, inedible black seeds.

Soursop could grow into 6.8 kilograms or 15 pounds. As such, the fruit is generally regarded as the second largest stone fruit, after junglesop. In the Philippines, the tree’s leaves are used at times to tenderise meat. It is also utilised for smoothies, sorbet, and ice cream. The fruit itself has a juicy flesh that’s absolutely delicious. It reminds me of a ripe jackfruit, only juicier. Living in Sydney, this is one fruit that I sorely miss.

2. Star Apple. (caimito). Another exotic fruit courtesy of the Philippines. A smaller, purple stone fruit, its flesh is similar in texture to lychees. However, it’s closer in size to an orange. The fruit originated from Panama, where it was introduced to Africa and Southeast Asia. Nowadays, caimito could likewise be found in Hong Kong and China. They are known there as milk fruit and golden star fruit, respectively.

The caimito tree could grow to 9.1 metres. As a nod to the fruit’s ubiquity, it is known by various names. Tar Apple, abiaba, Estella, and aguay are just some of the appellations thrown around. While lychees are nice, Star apples are less sweet. Caimitos are best served chilled. They are an ideal dessert after a ‘hard earned thirst’.

3. Tamarind (sampaloc). This is another stone fruit that I savoured while growing up overseas. Unlike the first two entries on this list, tamarind is sour. Its young leaves are often used in both Filo and Indian cooking. It is in stark contrast to caimito, which could be quite sweet.

The fruit is brown and elongated. It is reminiscent of deformed snow peas. Like caimitos, there are inedible round seeds. This fruit is also made into candy, where it is garnished with sugar. Thus, it has a sweet and sour taste. The fruit is high in sugar, B vitamins, and calcium. Another use of tamarind is for soups, where the sour taste is perfect for sinigang. Tamarind originated from Africa before being introduced in the tropics.

4. Cherries. This fruit has been a summer tradition. Once, I remember buying one big box of cherries for twenty bucks. Another time, I asked a cashier if they stocked jelly. She had trouble comprehending.

‘Cherry? Cherry?’

‘JElly’, I told her. I thought about showing her a cup of jelly to clarify.

Over the years, the price of cherry has kept going up. Mangoes, cherries, and watermelons are the most popular summer fruits. Cherries are quite sweet. They have many varieties, but could be split into two main categories: sour and sweet cherries. Turkey is the largest producer of the latter, while Russia exports the most amount of sour cherries.

5. Plums. This stone fruit is relatively underrated as opposed to the first three. In Western society, plums are far from a novelty. Chances are, you’ve just had them yesterday. I like how they taste, though. No secret that they are mostly aqua. If you’ve read through the others on this list, most of them are fleshy. Tamarind is the only dry fruit on this list.

Plums have a long history. It is said that they were the first fruit cultivated by humans. In other words, their past goes as far back as prehistoric times. Plums are likewise readily available. Even as a child, I was fond of plums. China is the largest exporter of plums, followed by Romania and Serbia. According to online sources, they could be converted into jams, wine, or even brandy. They are a good sources of vitamin C and bloom at different times across the world.

So there you have it, my five favourite fruits. Writing this post reminded me of the old days, where I would analyse my five latest reads. Posting about something other than reviews is a nice change. You might know some of them and like them as much as I do. Regardless of our backgrounds, eating fruit is part and parcel of healthy living. Make the change today.