Colombian Fruits – My Weekly Shopping List

It’s these exotic Colombian fruits that keep me returning to Colombia.

In this article, I’d like to introduce you to a list of fruits in Colombia that I’ve eaten and continue to eat every day whilst in the country.

There are so many health benefits we can get when we travel to exotic countries like Colombia just by eating the local fruits.

It’s also important to eat the fruits at the right time of day because sometimes the wrong fruit at the wrong time can have reserve effects.

Colombian Fruits

In this article, not only are we going to look at a range of delicious fruits that you can find in Colombia, I’ll also show you the best time to eat them.

We’ll take a closer look at the following:

• The best time to eat fruit
• Reaping the health benefits from fruit
• The different types of fruit

You’ll also learn about my personal relationship with fruits and how I eat them to get the maximum benefits out of every last bite.

The great thing about Colombia is its bio-diversity which allows the country to produce a very wide range of exotic fruits all year round.

I’ve spent hundreds of hours backpacking Colombia over recent years, and found it to be one of the best countries in Latin America for fruits.

Let’s start by taking a look at one of my favourite fruits from Colombia:

1. Guanábana Fruit

Guanabana is a beautiful fruit tree that is a member of the Custard Apple family. It’s no secret that the Guanabana fruit and its leaves are highly beneficial for their anti-cancer properties.

2. Guama Fruit

The guama fruit is also known as the ice-cream-bean, which is definitely an interesting way to put it.

Part of the legume family looks like a green bean from the outside but tastes entirely different.

The pulp on the inside of this bean is sweet and smooth and a favorite as a snack entirely on its own. The seeds, when cooked create an additional snack ingredient.

3. Granadilla Fruit

Granadilla is a type of passion fruit. There is no exact translation in English and is known for its hard, round, and orange casing. It’s a please to crack one open like an egg and slurp up the crunchy seeds from within.

4. Badea Fruit

Also known as the giant granadilla, barbadine, grenadine, or giant tumbo (depending on where you are).

This fruit is produced on a beautiful flower. In fact, the fruit itself is the largest of any in the genus.

It starts as a flower but turns into an oblong fruit that includes an edible pulp. This fruit is used to make drinks, as a snack and as an ingredient in vegetable curry.

5. Anona Fruit

Known as a Sugar Apple in English this fruit is truly special. It really does taste like sweet custard or cotton candy depending on your palate.

There are different variations of this fruit but you’ll find they are usually creamy white inside. It can be found in Colombian towns for cheap.

6. Uchuva Fruit

This goldenberry is a brilliant yellow when it’s done growing. Though, you wouldn’t know it from the protective casing that remains around it for protection.

These fruits can be eaten as they are or they can be used in sauces, pies, jams, and even ice cream. It’s also used as a garnish because of the unique look of the fruit.

Best fruit tours in Colombia

• Tropical Exotic Fruits Tour in Laureles
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• Learn more about Colombian fruits in Medellin
• Fruit Tour and Coffee Workshop in Bogota

7. Gulupa Fruit

This is a passion fruit how most people I know, know it. They ared used cocktails and other specialties.

These are very cheap in Colombia and you can find them readily in the supermarkets.

8. Chontaduro Fruit

The best-selling fruit in all of Colombia! The peach palm fruit is high in protein as well as other natural vitamins and minerals like zinc, copper, calcium, iron, and beta-carotene. It even has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.

It’s considered an energy booster and it gives you a taste similar to a squash or sweet potato that comes from a type of palm tree.

9. Carambola Fruit

The fruit has the shape of a five-point star. This fruit is very nutritious and jam-packed with vitamin C. You’ll find the fruit is usually yellow or green(ish) in color and you can eat the skin by all means.

10. Nispero Fruit

This fruit is actually quite large and pear-shaped, growing in the spring and early summer.

The unique flavor of the Nispero itself is actually similar to a combination of mango, citrus, and peach mixed into one.

Its unique flavor makes it great for fruit salads, jams, jellies, and more.

The high level of sugar and acid makes it a great contrast for even wines and other forms of alcohol.

11. Borojó Fruit

One of the most intriguing fruits in Colombia. Especially when made into juice. A local specialty of many Afro Colombians from the Pacific.

Rife with vitamins and apparently will keep you feeling recharged all night long. I tried this in San Cipriano where it is usually made into a drink.

12. Lulo Fruit

This fruit may look like something of a cross between an orange and a tomato on the outside. But, the inside is entirely different.

There’s a citrus flavor to the inside that is used as a raw snack or can be used to make a popular drink or juice. The plant itself is unique as well, with beautiful large leaves and sensitive nature.

13. Mangostán Fruit

Being full of vitamins and minerals, the Mangosteen is known in parts of the world as the king of fruit and can be used as a medicine.

Easily found in Colombia, the fruit is sweet and juicy with a tangy tone to it.

14. Curuba Fruit

Also known as the banana passionfruit. You’ll find this fruit first as a beautiful, tropical-looking flower and vine that grows at high elevation.

From there it turns into a large, oblong fruit that’s green in color and can be used in many different recipes.

The shells of the fruit are also used for a number of different applications, including ceramics and more.

15. Cacao Fruit

Known as the food of the gods in other parts of Latin America.

This is one of my favorite fruits and it can be made into chocolate.

After cracking open the hard shell you remove the seeds and suck on the flesh to enjoy this fruit in its raw form.

16. Pitaya Fruit

The dragon fruit, also known as pitaya, is a truly unique-looking fruit. Not to mention a great tasting one as well. You’ll find some that have white flesh on the inside and some with red.

They both taste slightly sweet, however, the red actually has a deeper flavor and even more nutritional value.

If you want a unique fruit that you can enjoy anywhere, Pitaya is a great option because it’s available in different parts of the world.

17. Zapote Fruit

One of the brightest fruits I’ve ever cut into being bright orange inside. This fruit should be very sweet and has black seeds you spit out as you chew on its juicy fruit fibers.

18. Feijoa Fruit

These small fruits are sometimes referred to as pineapple guava and they actually grow on a small shrub or tree.

The green exterior is small, close to the size of an egg, but the inside is very juicy and even the fruit has a strong smell.

You don’t even have to pick them because they’ll drop to the ground as soon as they’re ready, so there’s no question.

19. Guayaba Fruit

Guayaba is used to refer to the guava tree, which is a fruit that many have heard of even if they’ve never tried it.

You eat Guava raw or it can be candied, preserved, jellied, and more.

Guayaba can be used as a sauce or juice and the sweet flavor is one that definitely makes it a popular choice around the world.

20. Higo Fruit

The Higo is a type of fig, but it’s green on the outside with a light red or pink on the inside. Naturally, these fruits are sweet and they create great desserts.

What’s unique here is that this is actually the second crop of a single tree, which also produces something called the breva.

21. Mamoncillo Fruit

These small green fruits (known as Spanish Lime) grow similar to grapes on their stems, but they’re definitely more unique.

You can peel open the shells and get a tangy and sweet pulp in the center that tastes great entirely on its own.

You want to avoid eating the seeds, but you can suck on them to get all of that great-tasting pulp.

22. Papaya Fruit

Have you heard of the popular term “Dar Papaya”? Well, this is another fruit that’s a little more familiar with people and it has a great sweet flavor to it.

They’re actually healthy for you in a number of ways. I found these fruits in abundance whilst exploring Jardín as small town in the Antioquia region.

Papayas can be eaten in just about any way that you might like. Just scoop out the pulp and eat it on its own or add it to a dessert, a fruit salad, or your favorite drink. Papaya seeds also have many potential health benefits.

23. Tomate de Arbol Fruit

The Tamarillo (not to be confused with a tomatillo) is the fruit of a small tree. It looks somewhat egg-shaped, but in a pale red, orange or purple.

Different colors of fruits are slightly different in flavor. However, each fruit is slightly sweet and has a great source of vitamins and iron in them, so they’re a great snack to enjoy.

The Best Time to Eat Fruit

I have been traveling to Latin America and sampling fruits for years.

One question I would ask myself is what is the best time to eat fruit?

After spending portions of my life growing up in Jamaica I’ve gained knowledge about fruits from my ancestors over the years.

Always Eat Fruit on an Empty Stomach

Did you know that fruits don’t mix well with other food groups?

If you want to reap the health benefits from exotic fruits you should aim to eat them alone as a meal and/or on an empty stomach.

This is especially important with the tropical fruits I have listed above.

All these Colombian fruits contain digestive enzymes that can help to get rid of toxins by cleaning over leftover residue from the food you have eaten the previous day.

When eating these tropical fruits of Colombia you’ll find that they travel through your digestive tract insanely quick.

Give them just short of an hour for all types of fruit to digest. Hence why it is imperative not to combine your fruits with other foods.

Especially if you want to receive all the amazing health benefits from them which are the only reason I eat fruits. It is said that you can mix fruits that have similar digestion times and still reap all the rewards.

Let’s look at the 4 different fruit groups that exist below:

Exotic Fruits – Types of Fruit

There are different types of fruit that I’m going to list below which when I was growing up that I was told not to mix.

I later found out that it all depends on which fruit group the fruit belongs to.

For example:

Acid fruits

Approximate digestion time: 20 to 30 mins

It’s known that acid fruits are loaded with the most fiber and rich in antioxidants.

• Pineapple

Sub-Acid fruits

Approximate digestion time: 30 to 40 minutes

• Papaya
• Mango

Sweet fruits

Approximate digestion time: 40 to 60 minutes

• Banana
• Zapote

Combining Fruits

Even though each fruit group should be eaten separately (for optimum health benefits) as mentioned earlier, you can mix or combine all Colombian fruits.

All you have to do is make sure that the fruits you’re combining have a similar digestion time.

Fruits from Colombia – Juicing

In Colombia, there are various fruits that are only used for juicing.

Borojo Fruit for Juicing

The Borojo fruit, known as ‘Love Juice’ a natural aphrodisiac is one fruit that you will only find in pulp form; ready to be juiced.

Exotic Fruits of Colombia

Talking about all these fruits is definitely making my mouth water.

Knowing what type of fruits to eat at what time of day and which to mix with others may not be so important to you but if you want to reap the health benefits, it’s something you should definitely look into further.

So, what’s your favorite Colombian fruit?

I hope these exotic fruits will inspire you whether you are planning a trip to Colombia or just looking for some healthy fruit inspiration.

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