Malaysia has been a melting pot for many races, religions and cultures. It too has been home for some 370 species of edible fruits including exotic ones to suit even the fussiest eater. Wherever you travel in Malaysia, you are bound to come across some stalls that sell fruits of the country. The rich Malaysian soil allows many of these fruits to grow in abundance and throughout the year.

	Starfruit/Carambola Much better known as the Starfruit because of its shape when sliced, this fruit’s yellow flesh enclosed in a crisp skin is soft and juicy. Its flavour varies from sour to sweet and is available all year around. Although it is eaten fresh, star fruit juice is very popular, as it is believed to lower blood pressure.
	Cempedak Like the Jackfruit, this is a compound fruit. Each fruit contains dozens of seeds covered with a sweet, fragrant, rich yellow flesh. When eaten raw, the seed is discarded. A popular way of eating Cempedak is to deep-fry it in batter. The cooked seed, which tastes like young potato, can be eaten too.
	Ciku Resembling the Kiwi fruit, Ciku is granulated and yellowish to pinkish in colour and has a soft and sweet flesh.
	Durian Be adventurous when trying this. The locals call it the ‘King of fruits’. Controversial for its smell, this thorny football-size fruit fetches a very high price, especially the hybrid variety. Its flesh defies all description; you’ll just have to taste it. The Durian is a seasonal fruit although commercial cultivation has made it available most times of the year.
	Guava The Guava is usually eaten fresh. It can also be processed into juice, jam, nectar and canned fruit slices. It is estimated to contain two to five times the Vitamin C content of fresh orange juice. If you are heading to Perak, do try the famous Guavas of Bidor.
	Langsat and Duku Covered with a thick, golden brown skin, both the Langsat and Duku are regarded as belonging to the same species. The flavour of both fruits varies from sweet to sour and the juicy flesh is white in colour. Do not bite into the bitter seeds.
	Mango Many varieties of Mango are found in Malaysia including the Apple mango, the Malgoa, Harumanis and Maha.
	Mangosteen This seasonal fruit is loved for its sweet and slightly acidic flavour. The fruit is round, about the size of a tennis ball with a firm smooth rind, which turns deep crimson when it ripens.
	Rambutan This red, furry fruit, indigenous to Malaysia, is largely consumed fresh although there are Rambutans canned in syrup. It is available seasonally at roadside stalls and in markets.
	Pomelo The Pomelo also known as Shaddock, is the largest of all citrus fruits. The size of a soccer ball, the Pomelo has a peak harvest, which coincides with the Chinese New Year, so that it makes part of the offerings to the Gods.
	Pineapple The pineapple is known as nanas locally. There are two pineapple commercial varieties in the country. For canning, they are known as "nanas merah" (red pineapple) or "nanas hijau" (green pineapple). For eating raw, the nanas Sarawak (Sarawak pineapple) and nanas Moris (Moris pineapple) is used. The nanas Sarawak is usually minimum in size with pale yellow flesh. The nanas Moris is usually smaller with a bright yellow flesh.
	Papaya The papaya is a fruit with its origins in South America. But it has grown well in this region and is considered almost native. This fruit is noted for its flavor and the flesh is usually orange to reddish in color. The fruit can be eaten fresh or chilled. Just add a squeeze of lime or lemon for added taste.