10 Best Tropical Fruits to Try in Bali

Durian is the fruit most locals love but some foreigners hate. Like the majority of unusual things, it’s an acquired taste. There are 3 types of people when it comes to durian: die-hard lovers, haters, and those who love the taste but can’t bear the smell.

The powerful aroma has led to the fruit being banned from hotels and planes, and locals know that driving some home from a market or roadside stall will have their car reeking of durian for a week. Opening up one of these heavily spiked fruits requires care and experience – a roadside vendor will scan for a faint line to position his blade then crack it open to reveal the fleshy pods, usually white to deep yellow. For some, the notorious smell is either invigorating, sweet or bearable, while many others may find it putrid or rotten.

Those who have traveled to other Southeast Asian countries may have already come across mangosteens. The round, apple-sized and purple fruit is easily opened by pressing between your palms, though be careful as the rind exudes a reddish sap that can stain clothes. The reddish stains on your palms resemble blood at a glance, which is why its nickname is the ‘blood fruit’.

While the white inner flesh is the prize, you can dry up the rinds and make them into health teas.  Mangosteen is also used in local traditional medicine to alleviate skin and digestive problems. The juicy flesh sections contain slightly fibrous and inedible seeds. Most will agree that one mangosteen is never enough. The evergreen trees are largely grown in the highland regions of Tabanan and the Bangli regency.

This odd-looking fruit deserves its moniker, with skin resembling tiny snake scales and a color that ranges from reddish to dark brown. Snakeskin fruit grows in clusters on very spiny palm-like trees – not a pleasant or inviting sight. But once harvested, salak fruits are smooth and tempting. The fruit has a pointed top that eases squeezing and is peeled by hand.

After revealing the 3 pale yellow lobes, you still need to rub off a thin layer of silky membrane before enjoying the moist and crunchy treat. The largest lobe contains a hard black seed – hazardous to your teeth. Snakeskin fruit tastes sweet with a slightly starchy consistency, a mix between pineapple and Royal Gala apples.

Rambutan is straightforwardly named, meaning ‘hairy’ in the local language. They grow in clumps on trees that are commonly grown in village backyards in Bali’s rural areas. Bright red when ripe, they reveal a soft and cloudy white flesh with oval seeds. Over a dozen types of rambutan are available, from long-haired types with very juicy flesh to dry-looking and short-haired ones that are smaller, rounder and with lesser moist content.

You’ll know you are enjoying top-quality rambutan whenever the skin is easily opened. The flesh is sweet and succulent and easily separates from the seed. When buying a bunch of rambutan from a traditional roadside fruit vendor, be cautious of black ants that naturally favor the fruit and tree’s sap – they cling on the leaves and fruit’s hairs even after it's washed.

The Java plum is a seasonal fruit, widely grown in the southern Bukit region, and sold in warungs and roadside stalls, and alternately prepared with a chilli mix. The fruit grows on large trees with dense foliage, and are smooth and shiny, oval-shaped the size of a date. Young green fruit turns pink and then purplish to black when ripe. The taste ranges from sweet to sour.

Part of the fun in enjoying Java plum is, after some bites and chews, you can check your tongue in a mirror – it will be slightly purple. The taste will also linger in your mouth for a while after enjoying even just a little amount. This is perhaps one of the reasons the locals tend to enjoy anything originally sweet and sour with the typical rujak (salad) mix of shrimp paste, salt, sugar and chilli.

Pomelo is a backyard-grown fruit that’s widely sold in traditional markets and supermarkets. This large citrus fruit comes in 2 general types based on the color of the flesh, namely white and pink. The rind is usually thick and spongy. Getting out the lobes in a single piece can be a challenge as the small pulps are brittle and break off easily. It’s quite juicy after you crunch a mouthful of the pulp, which tastes sweet and sometimes bitter (usually the trait of the pink varieties).

Locals believe that consuming pomelo fruits can cure a hangover. The thick and spongy rinds shouldn’t be wasted – they're often burnt to act as a natural mosquito repellent.