Fruits of Bali

Bali's markets overflow with exotic fruits – many of them grow right in the villages and on the island's mountain slopes. Here we present the most important ones. The English name is given first, then the Indonesian and finally the Latin name.

Pineapple – Nanas – ananas comosus

A perennial plant whose fruits are harvested after about six months. On Bali it is grown mainly in the north of the island in small plantations.

Sugar apple – Srikaya – annona squamosa

Small trees or shrubs with leathery leaves, native to the tropical highlands of South America. The fruits are made up of countless seeds surrounded by creamy, aromatically sweet flesh. Highly perishable, they are eaten fresh.

Avocado – Apocat – persea americana

A medium-sized evergreen tree from Central America, now also grown in tropical Asia. The two-to-three-centimetre layer of soft, creamy flesh surrounds one large round seed. The fruits are very rich in oil – only the olive is richer.

Bananas – Pisang – musa

The banana is one of the oldest cultivated plants of the tropics and grows on Bali in countless varieties – from the small sweet dessert banana to the plantain. Bananas are inseparable from Balinese cooking and offerings alike.

Durian – Durian – durio zibethinus

A tree of 20 to 40 metres, native mainly to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The name comes from the Malay word for spike – "duri". The spherical fruits, up to 30 centimetres long, consist of five chambers in which the seeds are embedded in soft, creamy, yellowish-white flesh. The smell recalls very strong cheese. The trees grow widely in Bali's foothills.

Guava – Jambu Biji – psidium guajava

A somewhat gnarled tree up to ten metres tall. The round, egg- or pear-shaped fruits have soft, yellowish-white to pink flesh and taste sweet to tart.

Jackfruit – Nangka – artocarpus heterophyllus

A tree up to 25 metres tall whose fruits usually grow straight from the trunk – up to a metre long and 50 kilograms in weight. Small unripe fruits are cooked as a vegetable, ripe ones eaten as fruit. Ripening fruits are often protected from bats with sacks. The very hard wood – bright yellow when freshly cut – is prized on Bali for temple doors and windows and courtyard gates.

Star fruit – Belimbing – averrhoa carambola

Originally native to South-East Asia, now grown throughout the tropics. The sweet-tart fruits are mainly used for fruit salads, drinks and jam.

Langsat – Duku – lansium domesticum

A tree of 10 to 20 metres, widespread in Malaysia and Indonesia. The flesh tastes slightly tart and refreshing; the small green seeds are very bitter, so the taste recalls grapefruit. On Bali it is planted on the slopes towards the north coast.

Lychee – Lici – litchi chinensis

A densely crowned tree up to ten metres tall from southern China. The sweet-tart fruits with their special aroma are considered a delicacy everywhere – and are priced accordingly.

Mango – Mangga – mangifera indica

A sturdy tree up to 30 metres tall from the Indian region. In Indonesia the most popular varieties are "Mana Lagi" ("Where is more?") and "Harum Manis" ("Sweet scent"). Very common in Bali's north-west.

Mangosteen – Manggis – garcinia mangostana

A tree of 10 to 20 metres, native to the Malay east coast. The trees bear their delicious fruits – white, slightly sweet-tart flesh – only after 10 to 15 years. The star-shaped remains of the blossom on the rind tell you how many segments the fruit contains.

Papaya – Papaya – carica papaya

A hollow trunk of very soft wood, six to eight metres tall. The fruits come in all shapes and sizes, often up to 70 centimetres long, with mostly yellow-orange flesh.

Rambutan – Rambutan – nephelium lappaceum

A tree of up to eight metres with thin branches. The name is Malay for "hairy" – an apt description of the fruit. Related to the lychee, the fruits are widely eaten locally. Grown in the west and north of the island.

Salak (snake fruit) – Salak – salacca zalacca

A feather palm up to four metres tall, its fronds bristling with countless spines a good five centimetres long. Grown mainly in the east of the island in plantations beneath tall shade trees. The egg-shaped fruits, five to seven centimetres long and growing in clusters, are covered in a snakeskin-like, often razor-sharp peel. Inside are three seeds surrounded by firm, yellowish-white, sweet-tart flesh – a popular thirst-quencher.

Soursop – Sirsak – annona muricata

An evergreen tree from South America, up to five metres tall with thin branches. The sweet-sour fruits have a thin skin and very soft yet fibrous flesh with many small black seeds. On Java the juice is bottled industrially as "sirsak" or "soursop" juice.

Sapodilla – Sawo – manilkara zapota

A tree of a good ten metres with round to oblong fruits and black, elongated seeds. Ripe fruits taste rather like pears. Sawo trees are not planted near houses on Bali – tradition says spirits like to settle in them.

Tamarillo (tree tomato) – Tamarillo – cyphomandra betacea

A small shrub-like tree of three to four metres with delicate branches. The fruits taste tomato-like and are popular in fruit salads; the smooth skin is inedible. Tamarillos grow in the cooler mountain regions and are sold mainly at the Bedugul market.

Rose apple – Jambu Air – syzygium jambos

A broad-crowned tree up to ten metres tall, native to South-East Asia. The watery, sweet-tart fruits are usually eaten fresh as a thirst-quencher. On Bali it is a popular shade tree in courtyards and temples.