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A. carambola (starfruit)

This fruit is literally star shaped. It's very crisp, crunchy, and tart. I like eating the little star slices. Fun story, my mom loves me so much, she spent the time and effort to peel this entire fruit because she thought that's how to eat it (I didn't realize she did it until after the fact). They are often used as a substitute for apples in recipes. When yellow, they are ripe to eat. Even when not ripe, they can be eaten with salt.

Raelcohen [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

A. heterophyllus (jackfruit)

I LOVE JACKFRUIT. It's the largest tree-growing fruit in the world and can weigh more than 110lbs. When cut open, the fruit is full of yellow "pods" (technically called bulbs). These can be scooped/popped out of the rind and eaten. The bulbs have a very meat-like texture but can be extremely sweet and delicious. Vegans actually use them for pulled pork and other meat substitutes. If it smells strong, it is due to presence of capron acid. I've tried it fresh and whole, fresh and sliced, or canned. For beginners, highly recommend it canned.

Kyle the hacker, WikiMedia Commons

F. carica (figs)

Did you know some vegans won't eat figs? It's because some figs are fertilized by wasps that actually land in the fig and die after trying to lay eggs! You won't find any wasp bits, because the wasp gets absorbed by the fig, but also the common fig doesn't actually use wasp fertilization. More interesting, the "seeds" are actually hundreds of tiny fruits encased in the outer flesh, called a syconium. Figs can be eaten raw, dried, as jam, or other items. They are a great source of fiber and calcium. There are hundreds of fig varieties.

Marco Schmidt [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)]

Z. jujuba (jujube)

I've tried these both fresh and dried, and they just don't do it for me. Fresh, they have a kind of mealy texture and not much taste. Dried, there isn't much meat and there's a seed in every one. Not a fan. It's commonly grown and eaten in China.

Mbdortmund [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]

C. oblonga (quince)

You can't eat these raw. They're cooked/boiled and turned into a jelly-like dessert called "membrillo." I tried to make it once, just turned into some pinkish gloop with way too much sugar in it.

Jean-Pol GRANDMONT [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

E. japonica (Loquat)

I've tried a loquat once, and it was delicious (highly recommend). It kind of looks like an apricot but has a bunch of small seeds inside. It can be eaten whole and raw, it's kind of meaty (also like a fresh apricot) but tastes even better. Don't eat the seeds, they contain cyanide-related compounds.

Silar / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

F. x ananassa (strawberry)

The famous strawberry is actually a hybrid of species from both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The seeds are the real fruit, and the flesh is part of the flower. As most people know, strawberries go bad quickly, so eat them fast! They are delicious raw although some find them too sour and need a little sugar.

George Chernilevsky / Public domain

M. x domestica (apple)

It's the fruit that keeps doctors away! Possibly the most popular fruit in the world, there are loads of cultivars to make this fruit more edible than its sour crabapple-like ancestors. There are thousands of potential cultivars. They can be eaten raw, cooked, turned into cider or vinegar. Which variety is your favorite?

Keith Weller, USDA ARS / Public domain

P. communis (pear)

The pear is actually native to Europe. Excellent raw (I like them on the crunchy side), they can also be cooked for dessert or combined with cheese or chocolate.

Pazuzu, wikimedia commons

P. pyrifolia (Asian pear)

Also known as "sand pears" because their flesh has a noticeably gritty texture, due to higher concentration of lignin. However, I find them cool, crunchy, and extremely refreshing, so they are always my first choice over an apple or pear. The chemical composition is pretty much the same for Asian pears or regular pears.

asitkghosh@yahoo.com Thaumaturgist / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

M. indica (mango)

Mangoes are one of the more famous tropical fruits. There are a whole variety, but usually come in a yellow/orange color. I'm very partial to the Ataulfo variety, which I think tend to be slightly sweeter and easier to eat for some reason. They need to be peeled and the fruit cut off the large flat/ribbed "stone." Mangoes can be eaten fresh (for sure) or as a whole variety of methods. The mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines! Some people are allergic to uroshiol, a chemical found in the mango peel that is also found in poison ivy and poison sumac. I really like the ataulfo variety.

Bcohn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Kaldari [Public domain]

C. medica (etrog, Buddha's hand)

I've never actually eaten one of these, but etrogs are used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. They are supposed to have a little stem nubbin called a "pitom," and they cost a ton of money and if the pitom is broken it's not pure or useable. They aren't really edible, but you can turn them into jam. The Buddha's Hand is one of the trippiest fruits you've ever seen. The peels of these varieties can be candied.

© Salix / Wikimedia Commons

C. maxima (pomelo)

Can't believe I wasted all those years eating grapefruit, when I could have been eating Pomelo, its larger and sweeter cousin. It is the largest citrus fruit and is a good source of fiber.

Archive [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]

C. japonica (kumquat)

These little orange fellers are bite sized. They're sour but good. However, I ate them a lot for a while and got sick of them. They don't need to be peeled, you can eat the skin but it's bitter and sometimes leaves an aftertaste. They have tiny seeds but you can eat those too. There are 3-4 main cultivars.

Surukuku (Nelson Ramos-Lopes) / Public domain

Dimocarpus longan (longan)

This is my favorite fruit out of all the others, mainly because the skin easily peels off making the flesh easy to eat. The name "longan" is chinese for dragon's eye, which is what the half-fruit kind of looks like.

I, Luc Viatour / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

L. chinensis (lychee)

Probably the most well known of similar fruits, they have a bumpy outer skin hiding a fleshy white/clear fruit with a single seed. I like to eat them either fresh or canned. They are native to China. Don't eat the seed, it's toxic.

Filo gèn' / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

M. bijugatus (Spanish lime)

These little guys are an uncommon find in the US. From far away they look like tiny limes, but the rind is actually a thin fibrous peel, hiding a squishy, gelatinous yellow/orange fruit on the inside with a sweet taste and small seed. A fun find!

Forest & Kim Starr / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

N. lappaceum (rambutan)

Whoa Black Betty...rambutan. The name comes from rambut, the Malaysian word for hairy. They have a hairy exterior but the inside tastes pretty similar to lychee or longan. They can be eaten raw, with either the outside popped off or cutting through the skin with a knife and taking the top off to use the bottom as a tiny cup.

Pavel Leman / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

R. uva-crispa (gooseberry)

Like grapes, but I like these better. They even look like grapes, but have stripes and tiny little fruit hairs. Delicious. They can be eaten raw or turned into pie, jam, etc.

Нацку / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

R. rubrum (redcurrant)

Tried these a couple times from a farmer's market. Each one is small but packs a tart punch. You can use them for cooking but I like to eat these tiny dudes fresh.

Muhammad Mahdi Karim / GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)

P. americana (avocado)

Ah yes, the avocado, every millenial's favorite food. It comes from the Aztec word for "testicle." They are high in fat, potassium, and protein, great! They have a lumpy exterior hiding creamy buttery green meat on the inside with a single seed. As we all know, they ca be put on anything, seasoned with lime juice and salt, or turned into the ever popular guacamole. Although they go well with most foods, they can become bitter if cooked.

Hans B. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)]

A. cherimola (Cherimoya)

I tried one of these at farmer's market in LA. It was fleshy and sweet. I've bought them a couple times in Dallas, they never seem to taste as good as the original. Whatever you do, DO NOT REFRIGERATE!!! For whatever reason if they go in the fridge, they never ripen and taste ridiculously bitter. I learned this after the fact. The flesh is often described as creamy. It has a relative called a custard apple, so I call this a "mush apple." They also look like artichokes with their scalelike markings. Don't eat the seeds, they are poisonous.

Damien Boilley from suburbs of Paris, France [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

A. muricata (soursop)

I tried this recently and I think it might be even better than a cherimoya. It's also fleshy, and I think it kind of tastes similar to a peach, although other people say pineapple or banana. It's loaded with seeds, but you can easily put a chunk of fruit in your mouth and spit out the seeds. I've tried the juice before, and it also comes canned. However, don't be surprised when you open the can and it's just whitish mush. Apparently this is how it comes, but the first time I bought it, I thought it had rotted or something. Apparently they can grow up to 6lbs.

Number55, WikiMedia Commons

Psidium guajava (guavas - white and red)

Lots of different kinds of guavas, but the most common are pretty small. They can have white or pink flesh with a creamy texture. The skin is a little tart, and there are a bunch of very hard seeds within the fruit. It is popular raw as well as juice. It can be turned into jelly and paste. The fragrance comes from eugenol, an oil also found in cloves. It's a great source of Vitamin C.

Hans Hillewaert

P. dactylifera (date)

Dates grow on a type of palm and are a small sugary fruit surrounding a single seed. They are delicious fresh or dried. Apparently there are three types, hard soft and semidry, with the last being the most popular. Although mostly sugar, they are a good source of potassium and magnesium. They are mainly grown in Egypt and Iraq. The date tree grows 100ft (30m) tall, and can grow 150lb (70kg) fruit per year.

Nick Lott (Nicklott 20:09, 20 Apr 2005 (UTC)) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

A. comosus (pineapple)

I like to make roasted pineapple and blackened salmon tacos, highly recommend. Lots of uses, including pina coladas (virgin or otherwise). The Spanish colonizers thought it looked like a pinecone, hence pina. It contains bromelain, a protein that can act as a meat tenderizer and is apparently approved for use in Europe to remove dead skin from burns. They used to be extremely expensive and were a status symbol. They were also a symbol for hospitality, hence why you may see pineapple emblems on people's doors.