Friday December 30, 2022 - Posted by admin

When traveling in Latin America or visiting the local markets while studying Spanish in Latin America, you will see the many great fruits and super fruits to be found in Latin America. Let’s look at some of the best and most delicious fruits from across the region. Latin America has many different climates and altitudes, and that means an abundance of exotic and colorful, tasteful fruits and vegetables. Latin American super fruits are, first of all, very healthy. They contain an awful lot of essential nutrients that we need to keep our body and mind running. And most important: they are delicious!  Read about Latin American Super Fruit!

1. Super fruit Camu Camu (Peru and Brazil)

If we think of popular Peruvian superfoods, maybe you think of quinoa and maca, as both have gained immense popularity worldwide in recent years. But the Peruvian lands are also full with all kinds of fruits. Myrciaria dubia, commonly known as camu camu (or camucamu, cacari, or camocamo) is a small bushy riverside tree from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil, which grows to a height of 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) and bears a red / purple cherry-like fruit. As much as 2-3% of the fresh fruit by weight is vitamin C, which is 30 – 60 times higher than the ones with high concentration of ascorbic acid such as orange and lemon. The berry is also a source of calcium, amino acids, iron, phosphorus and potassium.

The fruit itself tastes more acidic instead of sweet, which is the reason that it is almost never eaten simply as a fruit. The fruit is very delicious to use in desserts. It is commonly used as a flavouring agent added to candy, ice cream and all kinds of beverages. The fruit is also dried, processed and sold as a dietary supplement because of its vitamin C content. The supplement is used to strengthen the immune system, skin and eyes. It also helps to regulate patients with depression and anxiety.

The Amazon native people have used the camu camu for medicinal purposes for over 700 years. The tribes are convinced that the fruit helps treat infections, strengthen joints, decrease pain and maintain longevity. The fruit is known as a major source of vitamins for the Amazonian locals. Most of the camu camu is still handpicked randomly from trees along the Amazon River banks, a time-expensive and difficult job. Although methods for cultivating the fruit are improving, harvesting and marketing camu camu is very expensive. Today, the Peruvian government invests in helping the locals organise plantations and demarcate their plots to harvest the camu camu berry and therefore improve the lives of the local Amazon people. About 1400 hectares of camu camu are, every year, destined for international export to Japan, Europe, the United States, Canada and China.

2: Where to eat the best Chirimoya

If you’re looking for the best Chirimoya, you’ve got to head to Latin America! Not only is the region home to some of the finest and freshest fruits in the world, but it’s also the birthplace of the beloved and delicious Chirimoya. From the exotic flavors of Ecuadorian Chirimoya to the zesty tastes of Mexican Chirimoya, you’ll be sure to find something that tantalizes your taste buds. Whether you’re dining at a local restaurant or visiting a local market, you can always expect delectable experiences when it comes to Chirimoya in Latin America.

The cherimoya (Annona cherimola), commonly spelled chirimoya, is an edible fruit-bearing species of the genus Annona from the family Annonaceae. The plant grows at higher altitudes, at the foot of the Andes mountain range, where the weather is colder. The fruit has been found to have originated in Central America although it can now be found in a lot of South American countries.

Cherimoya fruit are large green heart-shaped compound fruit and they have a skin that gives the appearance of having overlapping scales or knobby warts. The fruit weighs on the average 150 to 500 grams each piece but extra-large specimens may weigh up to 3 kilograms! The Cherimoya provides high energy to the diet due to its high carbohydrate content and it has a lot of nutritional benefits. It is rich in fiber, B complex vitamins, and potassium. It contains an appropriate source of vitamin C that takes part in collagen, bone, and teeth synthesis. The cherimoya acts as a powerful antioxidant that protects our cells from oxidation.

The cherimoya fruit is just delicious to eat fresh or in a juice. You can also find cherimoya as essence and concentrate. It is used for liquors, yoghurt, ice cream and other desserts. There exists also a wide array of beauty products with cherimoya in it. It is commonly used in creams, lotions and toners because of its astringent properties.

The first time the Spaniards tried this fruit; they called it the ‘white delicacy’ due to its intense sweetness. Cherimoya is grown in tropical regions throughout the world, and in Spain and Italy in Europe. American writer Mark Twain called the cherimoya “the most delicious fruit known to men”. The creamy texture of the flesh gives the fruit its secondary name, the “custard apple”. The name is derived from the Quechua word ‘’chirimuya’’, which means “cold seeds.” The ancient Peruvians managed to domesticate various crops that today feed Peru and the world. We see this ancestral knowledge about nature reflected in its art for approximately 3,000 years; fruits such as cherimoyas were often depicted in their ceramics.

3: Biggest Mangos you have ever seen in Mexico and Peru

If you love mangos, you must travel to Mexico and Peru to get a taste of the biggest mangos you have ever seen! Locals in these Latin American countries have been growing and harvesting these giant fruits for centuries. Now travelers from around the world have the opportunity to sink their teeth into these juicy, sweet delights. Not only are these mangos larger than any you have seen before, but they are also packed with more flavor and nutrition than ever before.

Mango fruit is native to India in South Asia and references have been found to it in the ancient sacred scriptures. Mango is the third tropical fruit in terms of production and import worldwide, immediately behind the banana and tropical pineapple and the fifth of all fruits. The mango is a stone fruit produced from numerous species of tropical trees belonging to the flowering plant genus Mangifera, cultivated mostly for their edible fruit. Worldwide, there are several hundred cultivars of mango. Depending on the cultivar, mango fruit varies in size, shape, sweetness, skin color, and flesh color which may be pale yellow, gold, or orange. Mango trees grow to 35–40 m (115–131 ft) tall, with a crown radius of 10 m (33 ft). The trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years. The fruit takes four to five months from flowering to ripen. The mango is a wonderful fruit rich in vitamins A and C, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals and anti-oxidants. The mango provides a very low amount of calories, fat and sodium.

We have all enjoyed a fresh mango at some point. But you only know how good a fresh mango tastes when you travel to a country where the fruit actually grows. As said before, this is possible in any Latin American country! Here the fruits are bigger, juicier, fresher and simply tastier. The use of the mango is so extensive, that it is hard to name all of its uses. In Latin America, the mango is very popular for juices, jam, yoghurt, ice cream and all kind of desserts. In countries such as Colombia, it is very popular to eat green (unripe) mango with lemon and salt.

The arrival of this fruit to the Americas was due to the Portuguese, who introduced it to Brazil in the 18th century. The Spaniards, for their part, contributed to the expansion of mango in America, as they transported small producing trees from the Philippines to Mexico. Today Mexico is the biggest exporter of mango worldwide and it is a representative fruit of the country. Among the mango varieties that Mexico produces are Kent, Keitt, Tommy Atkins, Haden, Ataulfo and Manila. But mango is also very important for other Latin American countries. The mango is also one of the main export fruit from Peru and is recognized in international markets for its quality. The main export variety is Kent and the export crops are located mainly in the north of the country.

4. The lovely aguacate or palta (avocado)

We all know that the best and biggest avocados are grown in Latin America, without any doubt (in all Latin American countries, but especially Mexico, Colombia and Peru). And they are also very cheap in Latin America!

The avocado, a tree likely originating from south central Mexico, is classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. The fruit of the plant, also called an avocado, is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed. When opening a new avocado, we all hope that the seed is very small, just to be able to enjoy more of this delicious fruit. Avocados have a green-skinned, fleshy body that is pear-shaped. Commercially, they ripen after harvesting. In 2017, Mexico produced 34% of the world supply of avocados which makes it the biggest producer of avocados worldwide. The avocado is very rich in fats, giving it a high caloric value. The predominant type of fat is monounsaturated, especially oleic acid (omega-9 fatty acid, also present in olive oil). Because of the healthy fats it contains, it is very often eaten by vegetarians and vegans worldwide. Although it can be said that almost everybody likes avocado, even the non-vegetarians. But this documentary discusses if avocado is a positive superfood in reality. Growing avocados is very water intensive.

The avocado, called ‘aguacate’ or ‘palta’ in Spanish, depending on the Spanish speaking country you are in. The avocado is also called ‘oro verde’ in Latin America, which means ‘green gold’; this immediately makes it clear how important the avocado is. The avocado possibly originated in the Tehuacan Valley in the state of Puebla, Mexico. But there is fossil evidence found that suggests that very similar species were much more widespread already millions of years ago. The recent evidence found beliefs that there are three separate domestications of the avocado, resulting in the worldwide known highland Mexican aoacatl, the highland Guatemalan quilaoacatle and the lowland West Indian tlacacolaocatl. The West Indian race originated from the lowland starting in Guatemala, over Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and all the way to Peru. The three races were already intermingled before the arrival of the colonials to Latin America. There are avocado pits dating from 10 000 years ago found in caves in Mexico, and from 4 500 years ago in Peru. The avocado was introduced to Europe in the 17th century and only in the 19th century in the United States. The avocado has won a lot of popularity during the last centuries. In the USA only, the average consumption per person grew from 0.5 kg in 1989 to over 3 kg in 2016!

The avocados are a bit different in each country. For instance, Costa Rican avocados are much bigger than their Mexican counterparts. The seed is a lighter color and the inside of the fruit is a brighter green. The taste is slightly different as well.

Spanish Vocabulary: ‘las frutas’

Do you also want to know how you say the names of other fruits in Spanish? We decided to give you the most common name for fruit in Spanish, although there can be regional differences. If you go, for example, to Argentina, people will not say ‘fresa’ for a strawberry, but they will refer to it as ‘frutilla’.

El aguacate / la palta	Avocado
El aguaymanto	Goldenberry
Las arándanos	Blueberries
Las cerezas	Cherries
La ciruela	Plum
El coco	Coconut
La frambuesa	Raspberry
La fresa	Strawberry
La guanaba	Soursop
La granada	Pomegranate
La granadilla	Sweet passion fruit
El higo	Fig
El kiwi	Kiwi
El limón	Lemon
La lima	Lime
La lúcuma	Lúcuma
La mandarina	Tangerine
El mango	Mango
La manzana	Apple
La maracuyá	Passion fruit
El melocotón	Peach
El melón	Melon
La naranja	Orange
La papaya	Papaya
La pera	Pear
La piña	Pineapple
El plátano	Banana
La sandía	Watermelon
Las uvas	Grapes

More about Latin-American Fruits

Try the lovely Watermelons

Watermelons are a quintessential summer fruit, and Latin American countries offer some of the most delicious varieties. They are incredibly juicy and sweet and are perfect for cooling down on hot summer days. As an added bonus, they are packed with essential vitamins and minerals. Whether you slice it up and enjoy it as a snack or make it into a refreshing smoothie or juice, watermelons from Latin America will definitely add some delight to your summer!

The biggest Pineapples grow in …. Ecuador

Ecuador is known for its exotic fruits, and its pineapples are no exception! Ecuador is home to some of the biggest pineapples in the world. Not only are these pineapples huge, but they are also incredibly sweet and juicy. Eating a pineapple from Ecuador is a unique experience that many tourists to the country rave about! With such an abundance of delicious fruits in Latin America, Ecuador is definitely a great place to visit for any fruit lover! The deliciously sweet and refreshing yellow fruit is also a favorite in Costa Rica.

The Best way to eat Guavas

Guavas from Latin America are a hidden gem! They are incredibly easy to eat, as you can simply slice them in half, scoop out the seeds, and enjoy their sweet and juicy flesh. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are also incredibly nutritious, containing high levels of vitamins A and C, fiber, and potassium. Eating guavas is a great way to get all the benefits of Latin American fruits without spending a fortune. Try them today and see what you’ve been missing! Guava is eaten as a fresh fruit, turned into beverages and has a wide array of culinary uses particularly in Latin American countries. In Mexico, Brazil and other Latin American countries, Guava is used in culinary sauces (hot or cold), ales, candies, dried snacks, fruit bars, ice creams and desserts.

How to eat Papayas in South America

If you’re looking to add a little tropical flavor to your diet, look no further than the delicious papaya! Papaya is a sweet fruit that goes with almost everything and the peppery seeds can be dried and eaten, they have beneficial properties for health and digestion. However, the taste is quite bitter, so for fruit salads and juices make sure to not use the seeds.

Grown in Latin America, papayas are a great source of fiber and vitamins A and C, making them a nutritious addition to any meal. They can be eaten plain, added to salads and smoothies, or even grilled for an extra layer of flavor. Papayas are sure to bring a unique sweetness to any dish – so make sure to give them a try on your next trip to South America!

Ever heard of Noni?

Noni grows in Costa Rica, among others, and it is said to be a medicinal fruit: anti-cancer, anti-aging, skin-improving, and immune-enhancing properties. Not everyone likes noni, but it makes a nice vinegar and adds an authentic blue cheese note to vegan cheeses. Some people may call it “cheese-fruit” because of the typical smell. You will often see eat noni along the Caribbean coast.

Have you tried the Lovely Colombian Maracuyá?

Many of Latin Americans native products and fruits are considered superfoods. Fruit (and vegetables) have great health benefits from the high concentration of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. You can also check the ORAC (Oxygen Radiccal Absorbance Capacity) scale to know how high a specific food scores. The higher a food scores, the better the number of antioxidants per 100 grams. Due to their high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants, we do not need large amounts of them.

The lovely Colombian Maracuyá (or passion fruit) is a delicious and nutritious fruit that is native to Latin America. This sweet and sour treat is packed with vitamins and minerals, making it a great addition to any diet. Whether you eat it as is or add it to your favorite smoothie or salad, the Maracuyá will be sure to bring bright flavor and nutrition to your plate. So why not give this unique fruit a try – it’s sure to be a hit!

There are many different types of passifloras, plants of the passion flower family in Costa Rica. The Spanish word for passion fruit is maracuyá, but you can also find them under the name estococa. In Peru the popular fruit is called granadilla.

Try the spiky and hairy Lychee or Rambutan (mamón chino)

This spiky, hairy, red fruit is super popular with tourists as it is not readily available in the US. Lychees are best eaten fresh. Peel with fingers, then nibble or suck the flesh from the seed: it’s sweet and a bit gooey.

Latin American Fruits

These are just some of the amazing and delicious fruits that can be found in Latin America, the list is much bigger! If you want to try something new and exciting, then these are definitely worth checking out!

After reading about all these delicious Latin American fruits, do you feel like cooking latin American Food? Learn some very useful cooking vocabulary in this blog!

The Spanish schools in Latin America offer different cultural activities during the afternoons to the students of the Spanish language courses in Latin America. One of the activities of many schools is a Fruit Festival or a visit to the local market, where you learn more about the Latin America fruits from the locals and the Spanish teacher.

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