7 Local Nigerian Fruits You Absolutely Have To Taste!

Nigeria is in the tropical zone and has an abundant supply for fruits and vegetables. The harvests of most fruits are dependent on the two prevalent seasons of the country. In the markets, on roadside stalls and even in traffic jams, you’ll find bananas, oranges, pineapples, paw-paw, grapes, pears, avocado, apples, guavas, mangoes and a host of other fruits you might not even recognize. These local fruits are season-dependent but when seen, shouldn’t be missed for it is extremely hard to find outside Nigeria (or Africa)

AGBALUMO

To start this list of local fruits is Agbalumo to the Yorubas and *Udala *to the Igbos; this is an African cherry that is akin to an orange fig. It has an orange skin, a deep orange pulp and whitish seeds; the fruit is sweet when taken ripe but is extremely tarty when unripe. This fruit is commonly seen during the Harmattan season, November- January.  There are several ways this fruit could be taken, the pulp could be blended to make a smoothie, or dried in the sun to get sweet, wrinkled pieces of fruit that can be enjoyed as a healthy snack. To select the sweet ones, look at the stalk, a green stalk signifies that it was plucked before it ripened and will most likely be too sour. A reddish hole where the stalk should be signifies a fruit that was allowed to ripen and will give the sweetest taste.

UBE OKPOKO/ATILI

Ube Okpoko (Igbo) or Atili *(Hausa) resembles the *Ube *but is quite different. *It is small like an olive, and oilier than its counterpart, but also has a similar avocado pulp like the *Ube; *it is sold in tiny cellophane bags which contain about a dozen and is sprinkled with a little salt before eaten. It is better to rinse these ‘olives’ off first, if you are the fastidious type, and then sprinkle with salt to enjoy.

ICHEKU

*Icheku *(Velvet Tamarind) is commonly found in the season of *Udala. *It is similar to the Indian sweet tamarind, but it is not as pulpy. The fruits are small, about a centimetre in diameter, and are sold as ‘bouquets’, or plucked from their stalks and packed into cellophane bags. The fruits have a black velvety shell, which is cracked open to reveal an orange pulp, this is sucked or chewed and the seed, in the centre, spat out. They are taken as snacks or soaked in water to produce a kind of drink. Personally, I prefer tearing the pulp out myself, the juice dilutes its sweet yet tarty flavour and though it’s great during the dry season for replenishing lost fluids, I have always enjoyed it as a candy of sorts.

SOURSOP

*Soursop *is a pulpy fruit with a green, spiny skin. It resembles the jackfruit and their tastes are even similar. On the inside, it has a whitish, sweet pulp which is divided into smaller pulpy sections that house seeds. The seeds are bitter and should be spat out, but the pulpy is sweet with a little sourness which is just right. It has a creamy texture like overripe bananas but it is also a little thread as well. This fruit is packed with coolness and is delightfully refreshing when taken in its dry season.

GARDEN EGGS

Garden eggs, Anara to the Igbos and Igba to the Yorubas, are cousins to aubergines: small, green/yellow cousins. This fruit has a spongy, seedy flesh that is crunchy and slightly bitter. It is usually sold with a peanut paste (Ose Orji) which serves as a dip for the fruit.

PEPPERFRUIT

Pepperfruit, Mmimi *to Igbos and Ata Igberi *to *Yorubas, *is a pungent spicy fruit. The fruits are small and resemble dates in size. There are unripe versions which are crunchy and green in colour, while the red, ripe ones are sweet with soft, juicy flesh. The taste of this fruit is reminiscent of menthol and at the same time spicy like green chillies, it has a ‘citrusy’ feel as well. The fruit is enjoyed alone as a snack or in combination with garden eggs or served alongside fried beef or sausages.

CASHEW APPLE

The cashew apple is the last of the fruits we will be talking about. They are red, orange or yellow, fruits. It is an accessory fruit to which the grey-shelled cashew nut is attached to. This fruit is soft and has a juicy pulp. It has a sweet yet astringent taste, but care should be taken when consuming this delicious fruit, for its juice permanently stains clothing. Its skin is waxy which is due to a chemical called urushiol, which is also found on the skin of mangoes. This chemical may cause minor skin bumps at the corners of the lips, especially if the fruit is eaten warm. It is best enjoyed when cool.

I hope we’ve encouraged you to stop by the nearest fruit-seller and order something new. These fruits are rare and when in Nigeria, you may only have a once-in-a-lifetime chance of actually experiencing their flamboyant burst of flavour.