Ecuador, which features geography from coastal plains and jungles to snow-capped volcanoes, is a wonderful place to grow fruit. Ecuadorian farmers produce much that is familiar to foreigners, such as strawberries, mangos, pineapples, melons and apples, but if you’re ever there, be sure to challenge yourself with these local favorites you’re unlikely to find in the fruit section back home:
Part Two, Ecuadorian fruits usually eaten raw and fresh
(Go to: Part One: Ecuadorian fruits usually made into juice)
Chirimoya (Custard Apple): A relative of the soursop or guanábana, the chirimoya may be familiar to some North Americans, as it is becoming popular as an export product. A chirimoya features a tasty white pulp in a mottled green skin and they can get about as big as a small melon. The white, pulpy fruit is full of black seeds, but they are large and smooth and easy to remove. The skin and seeds are discarded.
Granadilla (Sweet Granadilla): Referred to as passionfruit in some parts of the world, granadillas are small, pale orange-pink, egg-shaped fruit. The outer shell of the fruit cracks open to expose the fruit inside, which consists of dozens of black seeds enclosed in a semi-transparent gray pulp. The seeds and pulp are eaten whole, and the cracked skin is discarded. Granadillas have a very mild, fruity flavor and are popular in Ecuador. They are generally eaten fresh and raw, as they are far too mild for juice.
Pitahaya (Dragon Fruit): Ecuadorian pitahayas are bumpy yellow fruit (in other parts of the world they are red or pink) that grow on a species of tree cactus. The skin is not eaten: instead it is cut open to reveal the pulp, which is semi-transparent, grayish and full of tiny black seeds. Eating one is a little like eating a kiwi. The fruit is sweet and mild and is usually eaten raw and fresh although it also makes good juice. It also has mild laxative properties.
Uvilla (Ground Cherry, Gooseberry, Husk Tomato): These small yellow fruits are called ground cherries because they grow close to the ground are roughly cherry-like in size and shape. They have nothing else in common with cherries, including taste and the fact that there is no stone. They are bright yellow and grow inside a husk that looks a little like a tiny paper lantern. The flavor is a little like pineapple and they are eaten raw and fresh, one after another, like popcorn.
Tuna (Prickly Pear): Not to be confused with the fish (if you want fish-tuna, ask for “atún”), the tuna is the fruit of a particular species of cactus. The fruit looks like a small cactus, which may be disconcerting the first time you try it. It grows all over Latin America. The outer green skin is cut open to reveal the red pulp inside. There are little crunchy seeds in the fruit: the seeds are tasteless and can be eaten. The fruit itself has a very mild fruity flavor: tunas are fairly bland in comparison to other Ecuadorian fruit.
Orito (Finger Banana): Ecuador is famed for the varieties banana it produces, and the local favorite is the orito. An orito is a small banana, about half the size of the ones marked for exportation. Oritos are sweeter and have a slightly richer taste than the bananas sent abroad.
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