Guavas can be white or pink, and are crunchy even when ripe. They are often eaten in slices with sour plum powder (asam boi), a sweet and sour combination like mango and Tajín. They aren’t as sweet as a mangosteen or grapes, but can be very refreshing in hot weather. Guava juice is also a great refreshing drink, and guava agua fresca is very popular in Mexico.

Mangosteen is often called the ‘queen of fruit’ in Malaysia, the stately sister to durian. It’s a deep purple colour, and has a stem surrounded by chubby leaves. When you open it, the white flesh is divided into lobes. The sweet, white flesh surrounds large black seeds, which you can easily eat around. Mangosteen is very delicate and highly perishable, so it’s a great fruit to try right in the place it grows. Although in Malaysia it’s generally eaten as-is, in Thailand it’s sometimes added to curries when green and underripe. Unlike most fruits, when mangosteens are overripe they actually get harder, not softer.

In the UK, there isn’t such a thing as ‘premium bananas’. All bananas in supermarkets are just one species: the Cavendish banana. For most people, the Cavendish is the only banana they’ve ever had, or even seen. But in Malaysia, there are dozens of varieties available for sale. Many of them are much smaller and sweeter than the Cavendish, like the diminutive lady finger banana or pisang mas. Other popular varieties include the giant pisang rajah, or king of bananas, and the subtly sour pisang barangan.

Sugar apples or sweetsops are a delightfully lumpy green fruit. They look almost scaly on the outside, and have white or red flesh, which is divided into lobes with shiny black seeds on the inside. When ripe the flesh should be very soft and squidgy, and it will start to split on the outside. You can’t eat the skin or seeds. They are delicious as is, but in India and the Caribbean they are also a popular flavour of ice cream. Sugar apples are sometimes called  ‘custard apples’, a name also used for cherimoyas, which look a little bit like a smooth sugar apple.

Water apples or wax apples are two related types of fruit in the syzygium genus. They have a pear-like shape, and are generally very refreshing, although not always super sweet. Their red skin is extremely shiny. Take one look at them and you can immediately see why they got the name ‘wax apple’! These aren’t generally cooked with, but they do make a crisp, refreshing snack on the go.

These fruits are often mixed up with each other, as their flesh has a similar semi-translucent appearance and jiggly texture, and they are all small and round. However, there are notable differences between them.

Langsats are probably the hardest to find outside of Malaysia. They have a pale skin and are divided into lobes, more like a mangosteen or an orange than a lychee. They are super sweet and also very popular in the Philippines.

Longans look very similar to langsats on the outside – they are a slightly deeper yellow, and the skin is similarly thin and dry. However, they only have one seed inside each fruit at the centre, and so are shaped more like lychees or rambutan. They are sometimes called ‘dragon eye fruit’ as the name longan comes from the Cantonese word for ‘dragon eye’.

Lychees and rambutans look very different from each other, but have a quite similar flavour. Rambutans are generally red, although they can also be yellow, and are covered in dramatic soft spines all over. Lychees have a thin red skin and a large shiny seed on the inside. Of the four, lychees are the most popular flavour for sweets and drinks, and can often be found in jellies or bubble tea.

Another related group of Malaysian fruits are durians, jackfruit and cempedak. Of these, durian is probably the most famous. Durian is much more expensive than most other fruit in Malaysia, and people will willingly pay a premium for particularly popular varieties. They often have quite non-fruit-like names like red prawn, XO and D24. Some varieties have more of the oniony, sulphurous flavours that durian is known for, while others are sweeter and less pungent. It’s delicious with sticky rice or churned into ice cream. Despite its savoury notes, durian is generally eaten as a sweet fruit rather than a savoury vegetable.

Jackfruit on the other hand has become known outside of Malaysia recently because of its usefulness as a meat replacement. This gigantic fruit can reach over 100lbs, and looks like a larger, smoother durian. The soft flesh is usually bright yellow, and when ripe is sweet and delicious in desserts with coconut milk. However, when unripe the fruit has a mild flavour and stringy texture that makes it perfect for tearing apart and cooking in curries such as gulai nangka.

Cempedak isn’t very well known outside of areas where it grows like Malaysia, but you’re sure to love it if you like jackfruit or durian. It’s often served deep-fried as fritters in Malaysia, but it can also be eaten raw. It’s stringy and sticky like a jackfruit but has the funkiness of a durian. It isn’t as sharp and spiky as a durian is, and the lobes of fruit are smaller and rounder.

Feeling in the mood for some Malaysian food? Check out our amazing collection of Malaysian recipes here.