Tired of apples and peas? Need a break from prunes and brussels sprouts? Here’s a list of unusual fruits and vegetables to look for next time you’re at the supermarket.
Also known as the African horned cucumber and the jelly melon, the kiwano is a yellow-orange, oblong, spiky fruit with lime-green flesh that looks like kiwi fruit but tastes like a mix of lemon, banana, and cucumber.
A 3- to 5-inch long banana with square sides that tastes kind of lemony when ripe. (There’s also an Ice Cream Banana—a creamy banana with a blue skin.)
Medlar:
A small fruit related to both apples and roses, the medlar is pale, freckled, and radish shaped. It takes so long to ripen that it also ferments, giving it a taste similar to wine.
Crosnes:
A caterpillar-shaped tuber with a crunch and flavor similar to a Jerusalem artichoke.
Cherimoya:
A green, bumpy tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between a banana, a pineapple, and a papaya.
Yuzu:
A yellow Japanese fruit, similar in size and shape to a tangerine, but with a flavor that’s stronger than a lemon.
Lychee:
The lychee looks so much like a nut that it’s also known as the lychee nut. Beneath the brown, bumpy shell is a clear or white fruit, said to taste like grapes and cherries drizzled with honey.
Durian:
A green prickly fruit from Southeast Asia that looks like a hand grenade and smells like stinky feet. It tastes so good that it’s known as the “king of fruits.”
Celeriac:
A root that looks like a turnip or a rutabaga, but tastes like celery.
A green thickskinned cousin of the grapefruit. It’s not as juicy as a grapefruit, but it can grow as large as a basketball.
Scorzonera:
A dark, almost black vegetable that has a taste and texture similar to an artichoke.
A pear-shaped lightgreen vegetable that tastes like a cross between an apple and a cucumber.