Happy Saturday everyone!I don’t know what the weather is like where you are but here in the Netherlands it is hot and sunny – the perfect type of weather, in my opinion, to eat some fresh fruit. And since I have fruit on the brain, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to provide you with some fruit related vocabulary.

Fruit Galore

Do you recognize all of the fruits in the table? Do you know what they look and taste like? Even better, can you describe them in English to someone else?

I know I wasn’t very familiar with greengage and damson, so let me tell you a little bit more about them. According to Wikipedia:

• greengage – “Greengage fruit are identified by their round-oval shape and smooth-textured, pale green flesh; they are on average smaller than round plums but larger than mirabelle plums (usually between 2 and 4 cm diameter). The skin ranges in colour from green to yellowish, with a pale blue “blush” in some cultivars; a few Reine Claudes – such as ‘Graf Althanns’ –, are reddish-purple due to crossbreeding with other plums. Greengages are grown in temperate areas and are known for the rich, confectionery flavour. They are considered to be among the finest dessert plums.”
• damson – “The damson (fruit) is identified by its oval shape (though slightly pointed at one end), smooth-textured yellow-green flesh, and skin from dark blue to indigo. It is similar to the bullace, also classified as Prunus domestica,which is a smaller, round plum with purple (or yellow) skin. Other types of Prunus domestica are also similar, and can have purple (or yellow or red) skin.”

One fruit in the list that I recently had the chance to try for the first time is durian fruit. I visited a Chinese dim sum restaurant with a friend and we were choosing dishes by looking at the pictures. I wanted something sweet and the picture of the durian pastries looked quite nice. When we opened one to see the fruit, it was a gooey yellow looking fruit. But the strange thing was the smell that the fruit gave off. To both of us it smelled a bit like onion, which is a bit odd in a dessert! To me the fruit tasted really nice (a bit like butter) at times and at other times like a very strong spring onion. Would I eat it again? Yes, I think I would!

Have you ever tried durian fruit? What is your favorite fruit? What fruit wouldn’t you eat even if I paid you $100?