If you’ve ever stopped to ponder about fruits, you might notice a few things. There are plenty of red fruits, and even orange or green ones! But there aren’t all that many brown fruits, are there?
You would think with how common brown is in nature, there would be more brown fruits, right? Well, there are only a handful that we know of. If you live in the Western world, then you probably haven’t even heard of a couple of these, too!
So, if you want to find out more about brown fruits, just keep reading. By the end of this, you’re going to want to try them all to find out which one is your favorite.
Looking for a quick answer? The fruits are as follows: kiwi; coconut; dates; passion fruit; tamarind; nashi pears; longan; medlars; durian, kamuto; langsat; sapodilla; salak; and cupuacu.
List of 14 Brown Fruits Known To Mankind
1. Kiwi
Kiwis are pretty popular around the world. To clarify, we’re talking about the fruit, not New Zealanders, though they are popular, too!
These fruits are often called green kiwis, since they’re green on the inside. They come from China, and are a beautiful oval shape.
The skin of these fruits are light brown and slightly rough. Inside, there are edible seeds and delicious green flesh.
This fruit has a very interesting and unique flavor, and is a great showstopper in desserts. They are just picturesque!
You will need to cut a kiwi in half by slicing it horizontally. The pump can then be removed with a spoon, and added to recipes, or just eaten as is! Don’t eat the skin… it doesn’t taste great.
2. Coconut
Everyone loves coconuts, right? You can buy whole coconuts, fresh chunks, or desiccated coconut. Either way, these are so delicious and versatile.
Coconuts are incredibly durable, and have brown, fibrous shells. Inside, there’s a beautiful white ring of flesh and coconut water, which you can drink! Dried or desiccated coconut is just the white flesh, and fresh coconuts can be plucked from trees!
They’re pretty difficult to get into, so you need to be prepared if you want to get to the good stuff. You can eat coconut flesh as is, or add it to various sweet and savory dishes for something special. Desiccated coconut is especially popular in baking.
3. Dates
Dates come from the date palm. These are super sweet fruits that are usually fried out, and they’re frequently used in baking, or just eaten as is! Dates are often used as a sugar alternative, and are great sources of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, vitamins and minerals.
They’re also high in fiber and antioxidants!
4. Passion Fruit
Passion fruits are some of the most delicious fruits out there, but they’re strange! They grow on climbing plants, and typically have leathery yellow-brown skin when they ripen.
Green passion fruit are not yet ripe, and are incredibly sour – stay away!
If you cut a passion fruit open, you will see a yellow or orange pulp with loads of delicious seeds. Use a teaspoon to scoop all the goodness out, or add it to a fruit salad for a next-level dessert.
Like with most of these fruits, don’t try to eat the skin… it’s super bitter, leathery, and unpleasant.
5. Tamarind
Tamarinds are pods that hail from Africa. Inside, there is a slightly acidic but sweet pulp, which surrounds seeds. These fruits can be eaten much like peanuts, except they have a slightly sweet flavor.
You can gently pull the fruit apart to create small fibers. Many people like to eat these fruits raw, but they are also cooked. Unripe tamarinds should always be cooked, or else they shouldn’t be eaten.
Surprisingly. These are often used in spicy dishes! The pump can be bought in bottles as a paste, but it can also be used to make sweet drinks and jellies.
It’s common for it to be a part of stews and soups, and makes for an interesting meal!
6. Nashi Pears
Native to Southeast Asia, Nashi pears come in a number of varieties. They can have brown skin or yellow skin, depending on where they’re from! Most of the varieties are shaped like apples, which is why they’re often called apple pears.
Many people suggest that these are the most delicious and juicy of all pears. They have crunchy white flesh, which is a little grainy. Their flavor is a mixture between honey and pineapple, so it’s super delicious.
7. Longan
Longans are a lot like lychees. These fruits come from southern China, and are also known as lamyai. Their name translates to “dragon’s eye” in Chinese, since the fruit looks like an eyeball when the skin is removed.
This is because the rounded black core sticks out to look like a pupil!
These fruits have brownish red skin that’s rough and hard. However, it isn’t nearly as durable as something like a coconut. It has flesh that is whitish or translucent, and the flavor is sweet and musky. Some compare the flavor to a mango.
You can easily remove the peel to enjoy this delicious fruit. Don’t try to eat the core, but the flesh can be eaten as is, or used to make liquor, jelly or anything else!
8. Medlars
Medlars are small, brown fruits that come from Southwest Asia. They look like a combination between a rosehip and apple, but are harvested when they’re green. When they ripen, they will become some and go brown, ready for eating!
These fruits are sweet, and have squishy textures that not everyone will love. They taste a little like a ripe date, and have a hint of acidity, which actually balanced the flavors nicely.
9. Durian
We’ve all heard of durian fruit – it’s an acquired taste (and smell). They get pretty big, and can weigh up to 3 kilograms (6.6lbs).
Coloring can vary from green to brown, depending on how ripe it is, and the flesh can be red or pale yellow, depending on the species.
To some people, durian smells like rotten meat, to others, it’s melony and delicious. Some places have even banned the public from carrying them around because of this issue!
10. Kamuto
Kamuto sounds a lot like “tomato”, and there’s a reason for that! They are actually a type of patented tomato! These fruits have reddish brown or green coloring, and they can even be purple.
Flavors vary, with some being delicious and sweet, and others being flavorless. This is all thanks to the varying fructose levels that set them apart from your run-of-the-mill tomatoes.
Countries such as Greece, France, Spain, Belgium, Canada, and Australia grow kamuto, but nowhere else. The general public can’t buy these seeds, so they’re pretty special!
11. Langsat
Hailing from Malaysia, the langsat is another interesting fruit to come across. They grow in bushels, like grapes! They are round, with a pale yellow rind that’s rough and thick. Upon peeling a langsat, the flesh will be exposed.
In terms of flavor, the flesh is sour-sweet, with a thin, inedible core in the middle. Bet you’d never heard of these before!
12. Sapodilla
Also called manilkara zapota, sapodillas are egg-shaped fruits. When they’re ripe, these fruits have rough, brown skin. This skin protects the inside of the fruit, which turns yellow.
When these fruits are ripe, they are sweet and juicy, with soft flesh. A lot of people compare these fruits to pears, except you should always scratch the brown skin off.
If the fruit is green, it isn’t ready to eat. You can eat these by slicing them in half and scooping out the delicious flesh with a spoon.
13. Salak
Also called the snake fruit thanks to the interesting skin, the salak originates from Indonesia. These fruits grow in clusters at the base of palm trees, and can get as large as figs.
They have scaly-looking exteriors, and a pinkish, white, or yellowish flesh that’s surprisingly firm.
You could compare the texture of these to apples! There are many varieties, some that are dry and brittle, while others are crunchy and moist. They have a core that is not edible, and the flavor is similar to a pineapple.
14. Cupuacu
These fruits come from the Amazon, and are known for their amazing healing properties and great taste. Cupuacu contains lots of antioxidants that are able to fight off free radicals, which prevent cells from being oxidized.
This helps to prevent diseases such as cancer, so it’s a pretty remarkable fruit!
Final Thoughts
There you have it! These 14 brown fruits are something special, and definitely worth trying out if you ever get the chance. As you can imagine, the majority of these fruits won’t be found in your everyday store, since they come from all over the world.
If you do travel the world, make a point to try each and every one of these. They (hopefully) won’t disappoint!
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