Best season to travel to Shanghai

Summer Fruits Season

Time to taste Asian exotic fruits: mangosteen, lychee, durian, pipa, and others

Best time: late May–September

Summer Fruits Season
Summer Fruits Season
Summer Fruits Season

Mangosteen is a plum-like fruit that has very sweet white flesh inside. It has a rich taste and is really easy to peel: just cut a circle around and eat the juicy flesh, but be aware of seeds—they are quite big, but not very well visible.

Lychee is a sweet and tasty fruit that originally comes from China. It is a kind of berry that has white juicy flesh. The fruit is very rich in vitamin C, carbohydrates, and is a a good antioxidant. When you first see the fruit it may seem strange and hard to eat, but do not panic. The easiest way to peel the fruit is to cut a circle round the center and eat the white pulp.

There is no middle ground on durian. You either love it or hate it. But if you can get past the stink, it is amazing food. It has a texture like custard with an intriguingly complex flavor profile. When ripe, the spiky husk starts to split open. Tear at these fault lines to get to the creamy fruit inside. It's best eaten in one sitting and immediately upon purchase. If you have to save it, remove the seeds, cut it into pieces, and freeze it. Later on you can throw it in the blender with some milk or yogurt and make durian smoothies.

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