When it comes to Thailand, you might think about slurping your coconut by the beach, enjoying your mango sticky rice or eating sweet guava snacks by the road. Who doesn’t love the juicy and yummy tropical fruits of Thailand? Personally, we love Thai herbs and fruits, in fact – Thai fruits alone would be a strong enough reason for us to be in love with Thailand. In this article, we will be introducing delicious Thai fruits as well as those that may be less common in other parts of the world.
Table of Contents
Our pick: Thai fruits names with pictures
Let’s start with the more exotic/tropical fruits that may be less common in other parts of the world.
Durian ("ทุเรียน")
The king of fruits, durians are characterised by their hard green spiky skin with yellow produce inside. Durian is also known as the smelliest fruit in the world! It is a love or hate relationship with this fruit. However, many people have grown to love the taste (and the smell) of this fruit.
Mangosteen ("มังคุด")
The queen of fruits, mangosteens are purple in color, however, its edible parts are white in color and are well hidden behind the purple shell (watch out for mangosteen seeds behind those white meat!). People use the mangosteen inner skin as an ingredient for healthy drinks as it has high antioxidant content.
Rambutan ("เงาะ")
Our favourite fruit (only 2nd to Durian), Rambutan’s skin is mostly red in color, however, the fruits are covered in “hairs” which are either green or red in color. The edible part of Rambutan are white in color. The taste of rambutan is very interesting – sweet and yet it has a hint of sourness to it that makes it refreshing!
Longkong ("ลองกอง")
Longkong fruits are almost round, but not quite perfectly round. They kind of remind us of mini-potatoes. Longkong’s skins are light brown in color, while the actual edible part is white. Unlike Durian, Mangosteen and Rambutan – You can easily peel Longkong using your hands, however, Longkong has sap under its skin so your hands will get sticky after eating this fruit. It will also leave stain on your cloth so be careful with your garments!
Longan ("ลำไย")
Longan has brown color but the edible part is in white color. The shape of this fruit is round. Compared to other fruits on our list, Longan is by far the easiest to eat by hand. You often see dried longan used in iced longan drinks in eateries in Thailand!
Other exotic Thai fruits
While there are still many other exotic fruits in Thailand, we will stop our detailed list here otherwise this article will become too long!
Just to name a few more:
- Sweet yellow marian plum (“มะยงชิด”)
- Manila tamarind (“มะขามเทศ”)
- Tamarind (“มะขาม”)
- Salak/Snake fruit (“สละ”)
- Sapodilla (“ละมุด”)
Other Thai fruits which are also commonly found in other parts of the world
Many of Thai fruits are also commonly found in other parts (especially tropical regions of the world). You can expect to find a lot of bananas, guavas, oranges, coconuts and mangos in Thailand.
Thai mangoes in particular are famous for their sweet taste and their use in the world famous dessert, mango sticky rice.
Thai coconuts, specially the Nam Hom coconuts have flagrant coconut water which is quite hard to beat (we may be a little bias as owners of a Thai coconut farm but we have also sampled coconuts from other parts of Asia!). Also check out roasted coconuts if you are a coconut lover!
Thai fruits season chart
If you are in Thailand, you will be able to eat fresh fruits all year round! However some fruits may only be available during certain months, while some others may be available all year round (but taste best / abundant during certain months only).
Fruits like durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longkong and longan are highly seasonable and would only be available in summer and rainy seasons. Other fruits like mangoes, coconuts, papayas, pineapples, oranges etc. are available all year round. However there are a few things to note:
- Some fruits could be available all year round, but availability and taste may vary throughout the year. For example, Nam Dok Mai mangoes, also the most famous type of Thai mangoes, are more available from March to May according to Michellin Thailand guide
- Some fruits also grow best in certain conditions. The easiest to explain would be coconuts. Coconuts in Thailand are mostly grown along coastal areas of Thailand so you will find fresher/cheaper coconuts in Southern Thailand than in Northern Thailand
When is the best time to visit Thailand for its fruits?
If you are looking to try Thailand’s seasonal fruits then summer is a good time to visit Thailand. However, take note that Thailand will be in rainy season between May and mid-October so the weather will be hot and humid. You will also need to prepare accordingly if you are planning to do outdoor activities while you are in Thailand.
Check out our other articles about when is best to travel to Thailand:
So, how should you plan your trip to enjoy Thai fruits?
As a tropical country with agriculture as its key sector, Thailand can supply its residents and visitors with fresh fruits all year round.
Many seasonal and exotic fruits are available during summer and rainy seasons. If you have an eye on a particular fruit(s), be sure to check out the seasonality table and time your visit accordingly. This is to make sure you come to Thailand when the fruits are the most abundant and taste the best.
However, even if you are not visiting Thailand to try out its fruits – be sure to get a taste of Thai fruits!
Learn more about Thailand from our other posts: