The Dominican Republic is famous for having the richest selection of fresh tropical fruits. They ripen in the trees under the hot tropical sun and enter the local markets at their best.
If you happen to relax in this country, then take a walk in the local markets and be sure to try the exotic fruits of the Dominican Republic. For example, a very sweet guava is one of the most fragrant fruits in the world.
Many beach stalls sell not only cocktails, but also fruits that are peeled, chopped and presented on a plate before your eyes. If you have never been to the tropics before, you will be surprised by a huge selection of citrus fruits, bananas, mangoes, etc., and, of course, a variety of tastes and aromas: from a gentle longan to a specific noni. Well, in order to make it a little easier for you to navigate, we suggest you find out more about what fruits grow in the Dominican Republic.
Papaya
Papaya is a tropical tree up to 10 m high. The whole world is familiar with its marvelous large fruits of saturated color (from bright yellow to amber) with scattered dark spots reaching 10-30 cm in diameter. The flesh is tender and sweet, it is used, as a rule, fresh. One of the best ways to make a cocktail is to mix papaya with milk, cloves and crushed ice in a blender.
Small black fruit seeds can be eaten, they have a slightly pungent taste. They are dried and ground, and then used as a substitute for pepper. In the Dominican Republic, the fruit is also known as "lechosa".
Avocado
Surprisingly, the fact that an avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable. The fruits grown in the Dominican Republic have rather large sizes and a completely different taste compared to those that can be found in our stores. In mature avocados, the flesh has a creamy taste with a delicate nutty flavor. During the season (June - September), fruits can be found in abundance in any market, on the streets and in most restaurants.
In the Dominican Republic, fruits are used in the preparation of salads, stewed or eaten, simply sprinkled with salt and sprinkled with lemon juice. Avocados are used in many cosmetic products. It contains more potassium than bananas, as well as vitamin E, vegetable fat and the powerful antioxidant glutathione.
Bananas
Bananas are the fruits of the Dominican Republic, the name and appearance of which are familiar to everyone. They are one of the most recognizable fruits in the world. In the Dominican Republic, without exaggeration, bananas are the best, as they ripen in natural conditions, and are not harvested in green, like those imported to other countries. Choose a red, yellow, or green banana that you can eat raw. Or try them fried, boiled. Fruits are very popular in national cuisine.
A pineapple
Pineapple can be bought everywhere in the Dominican Republic. Resourceful sellers are always ready to wrap them for you so that you can bring the fruit safe and sound, or peel and cut so that you can enjoy their divine taste right on the spot.
Pineapple pulp consists of 86% water with simple sugars dissolved in it. The aromatic fruits contain vitamins PP, B1, B2 and B12, numerous trace elements and a complex of proteolytic enzymes (bromelain), which improve the absorption of protein compounds.
Mango
Mango is another fruit from the Dominican Republic, whose name is familiar, if not all, then to many. There are many different varieties of mangoes grown in the Republic. The fruits have a characteristic fibrous structure, a very sweet taste and strong aroma. The peel can be painted in shades of yellow, green or red. The pulp is yellow or orange. The mango season begins in March and lasts until November.
In Asian countries, mangoes are used to strengthen the heart muscle, stop bleeding and improve brain function.
This is a wonderful and refreshing fruit, do not pass by it. From mangoes, great cocktails with pulp and crushed ice and ice cream are prepared.
Spanish lime
Spanish lime came to the Republic in pre-Columbian times and spread throughout the Caribbean. The fruits of Spanish lime are rounded, they are small and covered with a thin green skin. Hidden inside is a juicy, jelly-like flesh of a yellowish or pink-orange color, as well as seeds (1-2 pcs.). These unusual fruits in the Dominican Republic are used to make jams, jellies, marmalade, toppings for pies, etc.
Tamarind
This fruit comes from Africa. Tamarind is a slowly growing evergreen. The sweet fruit has a not very attractive appearance.
In fact, the fruits of the plant are large brown beans, reaching a length of 20 cm, they contain many seeds inside, it is they who eat. On the palate, the fruits are sweet-sour with a slight sharpness. They contain a loading dose of B vitamins and calcium. They can be used both fresh and cooked, for example, as part of sauce, jelly and sweets.
In Mexican slang, because of the characteristic color of the form, traffic controllers are called "tamarinds."
Noni
What fruits in the Dominican Republic should I try first? Of course, the most unusual and specific fruits, if only for the sake of interest. Noni is one of them, and it can be found in the markets of the entire Dominican Republic.
The fruits have a very specific pungent odor, reminiscent of the one that exudes old, moldy cheese. They are edible, but their taste is also very original.
Noni juice is said to be very healthy, a valuable source of energy and, for example, on islands such as Fiji, it is drunk almost from the cradle. In addition, it is believed that noni is an excellent antioxidant, the compounds contained in it stimulate the natural process of wound healing, rejuvenation.
Pitaya (pitahaya)
Fruits with such an interesting name and appearance are quite common and common in sunny Dominican Republic. The fruit is also known as dragon fruit in English-speaking countries. They are the fruits of several types of cacti, covered with leafy growths and smooth skin. Depending on the type, the skin may be red, red-pink or yellow, and the flesh may be red or white. Sweet pulp is used in food, which may resemble kiwi to someone, but it is not so fragrant and more fresh. In addition, juice or wine is made from pitaya.
Passion fruit
Passion fruit has an oblong-ovate or oval shape, they are covered with a thin peel of saturated purple or yellow color. Inside is a delicate pulp with many seeds. It has a sweet and sour taste and a characteristic pleasant aroma. The season of fruits in the Dominican Republic falls in the spring and the beginning of summer, at which time they can be bought on the market for mere pennies.
Passion fruit juice has tonic properties, it is often used in a mixture with orange juice and added to yoghurts. Only 236 g of pure product contains 36% of the daily intake of vitamin C.
Sometimes passion fruit is mistakenly called the fruit of passion and attributed to it the properties of an aphrodisiac. This is probably due to an erroneous interpretation of the official name of the plant - edible passionflower. It does not come from the word passion, but from the word suffering (in a religious sense).
Guava
The birthplace of the plant is America, and it was introduced to Southeast Asia and Oceania. In the Dominican Republic, you can find guava in any grocery market. These are large fruits of a round or oval shape with a pronounced aroma resembling the smell of lemon peel. The peel of different varieties is different, it can be both dense and bitter, and sweet and thin. The pulp is quite hard with very hard seeds, has a sweet and sour taste.
Guava is eaten fresh and used to make juices, jellies, marmalades, jams, ice cream, and immature fruits are used by indigenous islanders as a side dish for meat.
Longan
Longan is impossible to confuse with something else. Juicy and aromatic fruits are covered with a strong shell and collected in large clusters. The skin color ranges from brown-yellow to reddish. Inside there is a translucent sweet pulp of a peculiar taste and a solid black or dark red seed.
Longan is rich in ascorbic acid, iron, phosphorus and calcium, as well as organic acids that improve skin condition. Chinese traditional medicine recommends the dried fruits of Longan as a sedative.
Rambutan
If at fruit markets you will see small oval fruits of red color gathered in large clusters, the peel of which is covered with many hard hairs with curved ends, do not pass by. This exotic fruit is called rambutan. Under an unattractive skin, a white or slightly pink gelatinous flesh is hidden. It has a pleasant sweet and sour taste and a delicate aroma.
Rambutan is mainly consumed fresh or canned in sugar syrup. A seed is hidden inside the fruit. You can’t use it raw. Seed oil is the raw material for the manufacture of candles and soaps.
Carambola
The fruits of carambola are called tropical stars, once you look at the fruit once, you will understand why. Fruits are pentahedral, glossy, bright yellow, and sometimes with a touch of green. With transverse cutting, a five-pointed star is formed. The carambola pulp is crispy and juicy, with a sweet and sour specific taste. Not everyone likes it, but for the sake of variety it is definitely worth a try. Fruit is a valuable source of vitamin C.
As a rule, carambola is used to decorate desserts, cocktails and much less often just in slices with other Dominican fruits.
Water apple
On sale, the fruit can also be found under the name "Semarang", "Jambu". It is not as common as pineapples or bananas, because it ripens only twice a year: in August and November. The fruits are pear-shaped, covered with a thin pink or red skin with a wax coating. The pulp of a water apple is sweet, aromatic and juicy.
The fruit is consumed, as a rule, in fresh form, sometimes added to fruit salads.
Coconuts
Speaking about fruits from the Dominican Republic, one cannot but mention coconut. Of course, from the point of view of botany, it is a nut, but what tropical paradise would do without it ?!
Coconut water is a clear liquid inside a coconut that, as it ripens, mixes with droplets of oil released from copra and turns into coconut milk and then hardens. She is called the "elixir of life." We will not discuss the benefits of the drink, we will only say that this is the best option to freshen up in a hot tropical paradise. It is unlikely that somewhere in the USA, Canada or Europe you can try something like that. It is quite difficult to keep this product, although you can find coconut water in Tetra Pak bags in stores, but this is a completely different matter.
What kind of fruit can I bring from the Dominican Republic?
Having been in paradise, each of us, no doubt, wants to bring at least a small piece of it with us. And on the eve of departure, crowds of tourists stormed the local markets and shops in search of souvenirs and souvenirs. Fruit is one of the best gifts. There are quite natural questions. What kind of fruit can I take from the Dominican Republic? How to do it?
Note that the customs service of Russia and the Dominican Republic does not restrict the transport of fruits, the ban only applies to excess amounts of alcohol, cigarettes, orchids, the core of a palm tree, national currency and items of special historical and / or cultural value. Thus, you can bring any fruit home.
The difficulty lies elsewhere. The flight from the Dominican Republic is quite long, and not all the fruits will be able to withstand it “with dignity”. The strongest ones (pineapple, coconut, mango, guava, avocado, papaya) are best packaged and put in a suitcase that you hand in your luggage. Take juicier and softer fruits (bananas, passion fruit, tamarind, longan) in your hand luggage. At the airport, in the markets you can often find on sale special plastic baskets for transporting fruits.
Even at the height of the European winter - in December - in the Dominican Republic, fruits are abundant. The article lists only the most common and well-known species. Do not forget about citrus fruits, nuts, the choice of which is also diverse in the country's markets.