Most fruits are beloved for their sweet, juicy, and aromatic flavors, becoming darlings of the palate. However, amidst the colorful array of fruits, there are some unique “oddballs” that challenge the taste buds with their distinct textures and aromas, often leaving even the bravest tasters frowning and shaking their heads.
Today, let’s unveil the mystery behind these six controversial fruits in China and see why they make many diners recoil and exclaim, “I can’t stand them at all!”
First: Avocado
Texture: Avocado has a unique texture; when ripe, it’s dense like butter with a faint taste of vegetable oil. The initial taste might seem bland, even slightly astringent and greasy, which can be hard for some to accept. 
How to Eat: You can cut the avocado into small pieces and mix it with yogurt to make a yogurt salad, using the yogurt’s sour-sweetness to balance the avocado’s greasiness; it can also be added to sandwiches to enhance their richness and satiety; or blended with milk to make a smoothie, making the texture smoother and more refined, though avocado’s unique flavor remains quite pronounced.
Second: Egg Fruit
Texture: Egg Fruit has a powdery and sticky texture, not very sweet, with a mild taste reminiscent of egg yolk. It’s somewhat dry and lacks the juiciness and refreshment of typical fruits.
How to Eat: Make egg fruit tea by mixing it with the fragrance of tea leaves, which can improve its single flavor to some extent; spread it as jam on bread to add a different flavor; or use it to make egg fruit cake, giving the cake a unique taste. However, the distinctive flavor of egg fruit will still be evident in these preparations.
Third: Kiwano (Horned Melon)
Texture: Kiwano has a gel-like flesh with many seeds, a very mild flavor with almost no sweetness, a watery yet slightly slimy texture, and a raw, grassy taste that’s quite unique to the palate.
How to Eat: You can cut the kiwano open, scoop out the flesh, and eat it with honey, where honey’s sweetness can somewhat mask the fruit’s blandness; slice it into pieces for fruit salads to enrich the texture; or in some regions, it’s eaten with chili sauce, where the spicy flavor intertwines with the raw taste of kiwano, creating a different taste experience.
Fourth: Ginseng Fruit
Texture: Ginseng Fruit is crisp and juicy but has a mild flavor with low sweetness, carrying a faint aroma reminiscent of a mix between cucumber and melon, lacking the rich fruitiness.
How to Eat: Stir-fry it with pork, allowing the ginseng fruit to absorb the meat’s flavor and spices for a richer taste; or eat it cold, marinated with sugar, vinegar, and other seasonings to enhance its flavor profile, though its mild taste remains evident.
Fifth: Snake Fruit
Texture: Snake Fruit has a hard, scaly skin, with white-yellow flesh that’s crisp and tart-sweet but carries a strong, pungent aroma similar to a mix of durian and jackfruit, which some find too overwhelming to enjoy.
How to Eat: Made into candied fruit or canned, its unique smell is reduced, and the texture becomes softer and sweeter; it can also be pickled, changing its original raw and pungent flavors; in some Southeast Asian dishes, it’s paired with other ingredients to add a unique flavor, but it remains a challenge for those who dislike its aroma.
Sixth: Buddha’s Hand Fruit
Texture: Buddha’s Hand Fruit has soft, semi-transparent flesh with a fine texture, high sweetness, but carries a distinctive aroma, somewhat like an overripe persimmon mixed with a faint milky scent, which might not suit everyone’s taste.
How to Eat: Make it into jam to spread on bread or pair with desserts to better showcase its sweet and aromatic qualities; when eaten cold, add some lemon juice, sugar, and other seasonings to improve its unique aroma and enhance the texture; or steam it before eating, where the steamed Buddha’s Hand Fruit becomes softer and its aroma changes, though the unique flavor persists.
