Ask your hosts at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas and Yoga Retreat about these delicious tropical fruits. These colorful and healthy varieties will be included in recipes, fruit juices and cocktails.
Guanábana or Soursop
This very large fruit with green skin needs to be harvested carefully due to its large size and soft flesh. It is part of the Annona family and tastes like a combination of pineapple, banana and strawberry. Very often made into ice cream, you can freeze a piece of it and eat it as a healthy treat.
Caimito or Star Apple
The caimito is purple on the ouside and has white flesh and shiny dark seeds on the inside. Similar to the Asian mangosteen, caimitos are high in fiber and calcium.
Carambola or Star Fruit
Named for its shape when sliced, the Carambola is often used as garnish for fruit drinks or cocktails. Its flavor combines sweetness and acidity, and is very often used blended into smoothies, on its own or mixed with other fruit. It is also used in salads and dressings.
Maracuya or Passion Fruit
Light green to yellow on the outside, this egg shaped fruit reveals seeds covered in a tasty jelly that can be scooped out and eaten all together. Blend it up in juice, combine it in a cocktail, its sweet/acid combination make them perfect for Margaritas.
Cas
This small green, round fruit looks like a small Guava (Guayaba). This fruit is best blended into juices and cocktails, it has a very acid flavor. Costa Rican home cooks will make a delicious ice cream with its pulp, blended with copious amounts of Sweet Condensed milk.
Whether you are buying from a vendor on the street, picking them directly from a tree, or experiencing them as ingredients during your fine dining adventures in Santa Teresa, these new flavors will enhance your travel experience.
Article by Katie Widdowson