I had never heard of this fruit. When I was visiting Bangkok, we went to a market looking for local fruit. The pickings were pretty slim, but my friend Ivana suggested getting these unusual-looking things. I asked her if they were any good and she said they were ok.
They are a dark reddish-brownish color, longer than they are wide, and about three to four inches long. The skin is rough and prickly, which I believe, gives them their name. They are very light, and when holding one, I was doubting that there would be much fruit to enjoy. Because the dry outer skin protects the fruit inside, on first glance, it was hard to believe that what was inside would be 'fruity' at all.
I had to read online about how to eat them. I'm not sure how people approached these problems before youtube. You have to tear off the pointy top of the skin, and then peel it away, revealing a small, smooth orange-colored fruit. This is the edible part, although the pit inside is a pretty big part of this.
It was surpisingly delicious. Another sweet-tart flavor, not super sweet, but very refreshing and also surprisingly juicy considering how dry the outside feels. It kind of reminded me of those chewable vitamin-c tablets we used to take when we were kids, but with a very soft and spongy texture.
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