PlanetHop! Travel Blog

On my travels throughout the world, I've seen many, many great sites, met a lot of interesting people, and tasted lots of food (some good and some not so good.) Although I certainly am not a fruitarian, I do have a keen eye for fruit – and on my travels to Asia and Australia, I came across lots of unique and strange fruits that left a very strong impression upon me. In the UK, at one time the most exotic fruit on the produce shelves was the mango! Nowadays, if you visit any Chinatown, you're bound to come across tasty treats like lychees, jack fruit, dragon fruit, star fruits and the like. But there are some other fruits that are not easily found on local super market shelves, which I remember vividly from my trips...

I came across the noni fruit in India. Sometimes it's called the Indian mulberry or cheese fruit or even dog dumpling (that's a ghastly image!). I didn't eat it for its taste, mind you – it's bitter and pugent. It's a bit strange looking and usually squeezed into a juice, which is supposed to be medically beneficial. They claim it treats a whole host of irregularities, like urinary tract infections to menstrual cramps – like cranberry juice; but some also claim that it stimulates the immune system and helps with diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, etc., etc. I can't testify to any of these claims; but it did cleanse my pallet, though I'm not sure I would seek it out a second time.