Get to the part you want to watch: 00:00 - Intro 00:23 - Introducing fruits in Vietnam 03:10 - Rambutan review 05:12 - Tangerine review 07:19 - Star Apple review 09:41 - Pineapple review 14:12 - Pomelo review Have a great day! :)
Wendy, really fascinating video! And I say this as one who could not grow fruits and vegetables if life depended on it. I live with a Vietnamese family here in southern California and the matriarch of the family grows all sorts of edibles in the big backyard. She recently harvested 200+ Vietnamese pomelos (huge!) and I could not eat any because I take cholesterol meds. But I gave three to a Mexican-American co-worker. He and his wife love pomelos; they have similar in Mexico. My take-away from your analysis herein is that fruits from regions such as Vietnam are generally sweet or mild, not so citrus-y as here in the USA. Although I will say I've had pineapple from Thailand. The consistency was less juicy but easily chewable. And the aroma was almost like that of pine-wood. I definitely liked that variation. I'd love to try Vietnamese tangerines. The "squirting jacket" really appeals to me! With so much oily Iiquid I wonder if it might be pureed and sipped as a juice? Maybe add a sweetener. And perhaps horrible of me to imagine -- the pureed rinds might be somehow fermented and strained to become an fine liqueur? Q: is the star apple actually a member of the apple family? I ask because the internals seem more like a citrus fruit. BTW -- thank you for speaking the "home language," a have much affection for it and listening to it; although I don't know what anyone is saying.
You are so fortunate to live with a family that grows food!! Is there any fruits they grow that you can eat? I don't think those oils from the tangerine would make a good juice, but adding a piece or two of the rind when you juice would add a lot of fragrance, and health benefits. Someone on here suggested to make a cleaner with it -- I would love to try that! Tangerine zest must be great in a drink/beverage or baked goods I imagine. The little Thai or Ha Noi pineapples are really tasty, not so fibrous also. I wonder if that's the kind you're referring to. There's subtitles when I was speaking in my home languages. Glad you enjoyed. :)
I want to go to Vietnam! It's been on my bucket list since i was in high school. So much i want to do there; fish the mekong delta, forage for wild edibles in the jungle, catch native snakes and lizzards, find a lovely Vietnamese wife, etc
Fun video! I live in a heavily Vietnamese and Khmer neighborhood in Seattle and the milk fruit/star apple comes into the groceries here every year. It's always the purple one. Actually out of the various tropical fruits they sell, it's one of the more affordable ones. You're right, it's not one of the more strongly fragrant/flavorful fruits, but I find it really nice and refreshing. I've never had good luck with rambutans. They're big and exotic looking but always made me think of lychees without enough juice and not particularly flavorful. I hope I get to try them in season in the tropics some time. I'm heading to Vietnam in early March through early April, so not the greatest time for fruit, but I'm still looking forward to trying plenty of new things!
Very cool you can find star apple in Seattle! Rambutans are much lighter than lychees for sure, but I enjoy how refreshing it is. I can't personally eat many lychees as it is a warming fruit based on Traditional Chinese Medicine -- I could feel the heat. I have had lychee black tea -- love the fruit scent. There will be more variety of fruits in the months you are visiting -- more so than end of the year. There's lots of imports too. Have a great trip!
@@wendiland Oh nice! I'm looking forward to seeing what's there. I've gotten that lychee black tea too, it tastes a little artificial but I still liked it a lot. 😜 wonderful with a little milk especially.
I grow the white pineapple in a pot in Hilo. The smaller ones tend to be much sweeter, sometimes candy sweet. Hit or miss but when you have one, it’s quite remarkable! By the way, I tried allowing the bitter melon to turn orange….wow. Love it in my salads!
The pommels your eating makes me want to travel to Vietnam. To western regions of Vietnam where there are a richness of bounty of delicious pommels and other exotic fruits. And the feast of Vietnamese food buffet. It’s up there on my bucket list someday soon when I get married. 😂
Chôm Chôm is a wonderful fruit but it is also considered heat-y fruit. The color difference is apparent in US vs Vietnam. Even fresh from Hawaii looks much brighter red than Hawaii supermarket, 😂. I missed Vú Sữa，they are so so good when they ripen and they are part of sapote family. I don't think mountain/rose apple was in season yet, those are also amazing common fruit in Vietnam when eating fresh. Trái Cóc, is another one , that was out of season when you were there. Did you have some fresh squeezed sugarcane juice 甘蔗水 while you were there, oh man, that is to die for during summer time. Super thankful for you to share your trip to VN, it brings back so many wonderful memories.
Chom chom feels cooling to me, no? Lychee is heat, I really feel like after eating a few. My favorite Trái Cóc is when it's turning yellow, but still crunchy -- that's hard to find, usually sold very green. Of course I got sugarcane juice! :D I love Viet food, and other things all around -- probably there's some nostalgia as well. Glad I can share that piece with you.
Very interesting comparative video Wendi! Your aunt and a knife make quick work of the pineapple though. How much of the fruit's sweetness or bitterness may be altered by amending the soils in which the plants are grown? Or in your garden space how could you create a difference between two same varieties by simply doctoring the soils, if you havent tried that already? -Bob...
I'm trying something new. :) All the above would make a difference in how things taste I believe. My friend and her dad are growing same fruit trees, but the one that was consistently fed with Epsom salt tasting way superior! My aunt is very crafty too! :)
@@wendiland So much controversy over the use of Epsom salt in garden applications too Wendi. Guess that is a deal where one goes where the heart leads. Will be interesting to see how the fruit turns out this season. I could see your aunt as crafy just from following you!
@@wranther It is controversial, but someone like my friend's dad -- that's one of the very few things he puts under his fruit trees, and they taste great every year! I personally add rock dust and Sea 90 minerals.
@@wendiland I typically stay with liquid fertilizers for plant applications now days Wendi. Am considering boosting the frequency in my containers this season, well, because they are container. Had added bone and blood meal before the ground froze last fall. I have been cutting some washed sand into the onion patch where the soils are very heavy and dense.
