Fruits
Besides
an abundance of rice and vegetables, Thailand's rich soil also yields an
 extraordinary variety of fruits. These turn up in some from at every meal,
frequently as ingredients in cooked dishes but most memorably at the peak
of succulent ripeness when in season
Thai mangoes (mamoung),
most plentiful from March through June, are celebrated for their delicate
flavors, which visitors will find very different from those grown in Central
America and the West Indies. Some of the many varieties are eaten green,
while others are served ripe accompanied by glutinous rice flavored with
coconut milk.
Less familiar to many foreigners is
the famous durian arthurian), which
makes its welcome appearance on the market between May and August. The
potent aroma of this large, spiny fruit deters some, but connoisseurs regard
it as the ultimate delicacy and are willing to pay high prices for prized
varieties like mon thong, or "golden pillow".
Numerous different kinds of banana
(kluai) are grown in Thailand, some large and others finger-sized, most
available throughout the year. Equally ubiquitous is the coconut
(maprao), a staple ingredient in Thai cooking but also providing
delicious and refreshing juice on a hot day. Other popular all-year fruits
include papaya (malakho), pineapple
(sapparot), sweet oranges (som
tra), lime (manao), and guava
(farang).
The most famous fruit of the north
is the longan (lamyai), whose fruiting
season from June to August is eagerly awaited by enthusiasts all over the
country. Lychees (linchi) are also
grown in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces and appear on markets from
April to June.
Covered with ruby-red bristles, the
rambutan (ngo) contains succulent sweer white fruit, available
from May to September. while the mangosteee
(mangkhut), fruiting in the same period,has a thick,maroon-coloured skin
that conceals a number of sweet segments. Custard apple
(noina), is most plentiful from June to September, and
jackfruit (khanun), the largest of all Thai fruits, from
January to May. The grapefruit-like pomelo
(som-o) appears abundantly from August through November and is much
admired for its juicy sweetness.
Visitors may also be surprised at
some familiar fruits that turn up alongside these exotic specimens
strawberries,for example, which are grown extensively in the north from December through
February, as well as sweet grapes (both
red and white), cantaloupes, avocado, pomegranates,
and passion fruit.
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