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fruits

Try them all!

Being a tropical country Costa Rica is blessed with a huge variety of fruit. Some like bananas,  and mangoes come in a huge number of varieties, shapes and sizes.

Many other fruits can not be found elsewhere then in the tropics, even exporting some is difficult. The reasons can vary. It is sometimes difficult to keep the fruit fresh and many of them are very little known in some western countries.

Fruits found in Costa Rica include papaya, mango, piña (pineapple), sandía (watermelon), melón (cantaloupe), moras (blackberries), limones (lemons), guayaba (guava), granadilla (passion fruit), and aguacates (avocados). Many of these are served plain or as a refresco, a blended drink with ice.

Marañon is a curious fruit whose seed is the cashew. Zapotes are a brown fruit resembling an oversized avocado in appearance and texture. Guanábanas (soursop) are textured, green football-sized fruits with white fibrous flesh.

Pipas (green coconuts) are extremely popular among Ticos. By chopping the top with a machete and tapping the hollow core with a straw, you have a refreshing drink.

The pejibaye, a relative of the coconut, is a bizarre fruit. It's flesh is thick and fibrous, and resembles the taste of chestnut or pumpkin. They are usually boiled in salt water, peeled, halved, pitted, then eaten. The manzana de agua is a dark red, pear-shaped fruit that is full of juice and quite refreshing.

The palmito (palm heart) is the inner core of a small palm tree and makes a great delicacy as a cocktail. Carambola (starfruit) is a yellow-green tender fruit that when cut across makes slices that look like five-pointed stars. The taste is lightly sweet and juicy.