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From the Amazon to the Himalayas: Today's Exotic Fruit Basket

Thank the pomegranate.

Touted as a nutritional powerhouse with superior antioxidant properties since its explosion on the food scene, the ruby-seeded fruit today flavors everything from juice to salsa to cocktails. Its meteoric rise has opened the door for other exotic fruits that are turning up in produce departments or as out-of-the-ordinary flavorings in specialty foods like beverages, jams and condiments.

Nutraceutical Fruits
The allure of many exotic fruits is the health benefits they claim. Many so-called nutraceutical fruits have already hit the natural foods channel in the form of powder, pill or liquid supplements. Now, they are beginning to cross over into specialty retail in consumer-appealing food categories, primarily juices.

The most recent product to carry the superfruit moniker is açaí (ah-sigh-ee), a high-energy berry from an Amazonian palm tree that is harvested in the rainforests of Brazil. Resembling a blueberry and tasting like a blend of berries and chocolate, açai is reported to be packed with antioxidants (nearly ten times more than red grapes), protein, amino acids and Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids.

“The pomegranate trailblazed antioxidant awareness, notes Laura Leinweber, communications director of Sambazon, San Clemente, Calif., which introduced açai to the U.S. market in 2000 after founders Ryan and Jeremy Black discovered it during a trip to Brazil. “People are first intrigued by açai’s health benefits, but the taste wins them over.

Sambazon offers a line of juices, smoothies and powders produced using ecofriendly techniques to preserve the açai trees. Juices were rolled out because of their grab-and-go appeal to American tastes, says Leinweber. “The indigenous people of the Amazon didn’t drink açai as a juice, but ate it aspart of a mixture, similar to rice and beans, she notes. In late 2006, the company rolled out açai sorbets, now in Strawberry and Mango blended flavors. The sorbets can be eaten with granola for a healthful breakfast as well as being a less-sinful dessert. “In the 1990s, açai mixed with sugar and guarana became popular in the juice bars of Brazil, says Leinweber. “The sorbet product was inspired by that. Açai is often blended with other fruits, particularly mango or banana. Miami’s Lakewood Juices, for instance, recently introduced Banana-Mango and Pomegranate Açai juices. “We’ve had good feedback on the taste, says Althea Davidson, sales director, western division. “Pomegranate Açai is expected to do well because it’s part of our Heart Healthy Family.

Los Angeles-based Bossa Nova Beverage Group created a line of açai juices sweetened with agave and available in Mango, Passion Fruit, Blueberry and Raspberry flavors that sell at retail stores nationwide, including Whole Foods and Wegmans. “We reorder it every week, says Danny Denzer, grocery buyer for Miami’s Epicure Market. “People are buying it for the health benefits.

Noni Fruit and Goji Berries
Noni fruit has also garnered media attention. Renown in Tahiti for centuries for high antioxidant levels that reportedly increase energy and maintain a healthy immune system, the fruit is also grown in Hawaii, and is rising in popularity as a juice. The plant’s leaves can be used to make a tea that claims to aid digestive health. Some suppliers sell noni fruit leather, a dried fruit snack, explains Bob Goodlow of Hawaiian Health Ohana, Anahola, Hawaii, which grows organic noni on the island of Kauai.

Another dietary darling, the goji berry, a cross between a cherry and a cranberry, hit the spotlight a couple of years ago as an add-on in trail mix or salads or blended in smoothies or juices. (Considered one of the world’s more nutritionally rich foods, goji berries contain 19 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, vitamins B, C and E and essential fatty acids, and have been revered for generations in Tibet for anti-aging properties.) Today the berry can be found in Vosges’ exotic candy bar line paired with pink Himalayan salt and milk chocolate.

Mangosteen, dubbed the Queen of Fruit, is purported to have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It showed up at the Winter Fancy Food Show® with Adam’s 100% Mangosteen Nectar from Savor California. Adam Heller discovered the Southeast Asian fruit—described as a combination of plum, lychee and coconut with a sweet tangy taste—while living in Hong Kong, which gave him the opportunity to sample the fruits of the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. In 2000, Heller launched Mangosteen Juice with Extra Xanthones, a health food supplement. Mangosteen Nectar was introduced last June and is recommended for use in smoothies, sorbets or mixed with club soda.

Grapefruit’s Ancestor
Health claims aside, the flavor and origin of some tropical fruits capture consumers’ imaginations.

“People want something different than peaches or nectarines, says Fabrizio Casini, director of produce operations at Hiller’s Market, a chain of six specialty supermarkets in the Ann Arbor, Mich., area. Hiller’s carries about ten varieties of tropical fruits, from the familiar like mango and papaya, to the lesser-known like carambola (starfruit) and peppino melon. Ongoing tasting and sampling is the key to customer education, adds Casini.

Charles Martinez, Epicure’s produce manager, agrees. He offers samplings of fruits like sapodilla from Latin America, which has a flavor profile that is a cross of brown sugar and pear, or pummelo, a citrus fruit believed to be an ancestor of the grapefruit.

Recipe Infusions
Love Family Farms, a small coffee farm in Kona, Hawaii, has pioneered tropical fruit cultivation on the island due to the cooperative climate. Owners Ken and Margy Love turn elusive varieties—which include bilimbi, cucumber-like in appearance; green sapote, about the size of a grapefruit with flavor hints of coconut, vanilla and lemon; grape-like jaboticaba; and kumquat, a citrus fruit with a sweet rind—into a line of preserves and chutneys available through localharvest.org.

Tropical fruit preserves offer a simple way to liven up a meal, or even morning toast, report retailers. “Customers are looking to be creative, says Liz Ortiz of Kuane’s Foodtown in Santa Fe, N.M. “Tropical preserves can be used as a glaze on meats or fish, adding new flavor profiles to recipes. Epicure Market carries a French line of preserves through Trade Wings under the Eric Burr label in Mango, Guava, Lime and Passion Fruit. “Temperate flavors like raspberry continue to be leading sellers, but customers are recognizing that these tropical jams are high quality, says Denzer.

Other tropical fruit condiments can also be merchandised as recipe enhancers. Dave’s Gourmet in San Francisco markets Jump Up & Kiss Me hot sauces in Passion Fruit and Papaya flavors. “Papaya’s acidity, in particular, works as a marinade, says Owner Dave Hirschkop. Dave’s will be rolling out a beverage line in which tropical fruit flavor is a possibility, he adds.

An influx of varieties from Southeast Asia and South Americaare linked to the popularity of Asian and Latin cuisine. Chef and cookbook author Rafael Palomino, author of Viva la Vida: Festive Recipes for Entertaining Latin Style and Fiesta Latina, is selling a new line of tropical fruit vinegars under the Latino Chef brand in Mango, Guava, Lulo (a citrus fruit with a grapefruit-like flavor and kiwi coloring) and Passion Fruit. “We’re using Latino ingredients and bringing them to the next level, much like Italy is known for Balsamic vinegar, Palomino explains. He recommends the Lulo vinegar as a glaze or a vinaigrette with tuna or salmon, while Guava will enliven a lobster salad with blood oranges and starfruit. “People want to eat light, but have an exciting culinary experience, continues Palomino, who will debut the vinegars at Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma this year.

Lychee Martinis
Juices and other beverages are one of the easiest vehicles to market tropical fruits to the consumer—both to introduce the taste and show off the vibrant appearance of some fruits. “We’ve sold Lamba juices that España Brands North America was bringing in from the Canary Islands. They had a Mango-Papaya blend that had great color, notes Epicure’s Denzer.

Juices also function as a base for cocktails like pomegranate margaritas. But an emerging trend has the fruit itself in the drink. “Lychee is popular to use whole in martinis. Some local bars buy them here, Denzer continues.

The Next Big Thing
So far, a clear-cut contender to pomegranate’s omnipresence has not emerged, though there are some regional favorites. “Lychee is delicate like watermelon and too subtle for some, though it works in a category like white tea, says Denzer. “Floridians love it; they grow it in their backyards. Kuane’s Ortiz sells a lot of papaya- and pineapple-flavored products as well as guava paste for baked goods, popular with the Hispanic clientele. However, mango is among the best-selling preserves, she notes.

“Mango is getting bigger and bigger, agrees Hirschkop of Dave’s Gourmet, who offers a Mango Margarita mixer in addition to his sauces. “Everyone talks about papaya, but that is not really translating into sales, and passion fruit has a mellow taste that is difficult to understand. Mango is the one that’s permeating.

Denise Purcell is managing editor of Specialty Food Magazine.