Weird fruit names often sound unusual and sometimes even funny, but they’re actual names of fruits grown across the world. Each name comes from history, shape, or taste, and they help us tell fruits apart. These names are not made-up jokes but accepted terms that make communication about fruits precise. In this post, you will learn weird fruit names in English with pictures. Knowing these helps in food talks, travel menus, and cultural learning.
In This Page
Weird Fruit Names List
Strange names often make fruits memorable and help learners connect fruit identities with their features. Let’s look at a list of weird fruit names that many people are curious about.
- Durian: Called the “king of fruits,” it’s spiky outside and soft inside with a very strong smell.
- Rambutan: A hairy red fruit that looks like sea urchins and tastes sweet like lychee.
- Ackee: Jamaica’s national fruit, bright red with edible yellow flesh but toxic seeds.
- Salak: Known as “snake fruit” because of its reddish-brown scaly skin that looks like reptile scales.
- Buddha’s Hand: A lemon variety shaped like many fingers stretching outward, used mainly for fragrance.
- Jabuticaba: A Brazilian fruit that grows directly on tree trunks and looks like shiny grapes.
- Horned Melon: Orange spiky skin with green jelly-like flesh inside, eaten fresh or in salads.
- Custard Apple: A lumpy green fruit with creamy white flesh that tastes like custard.
- Sapodilla: Brown and rough outside, sweet like brown sugar when ripe.
- Noni: Sometimes called “vomit fruit” for its smell, but used in juices and medicines.
- Dragon Fruit: Bright pink or yellow skin with green scales and dotted white or red flesh.
- Langsat: Grape-sized fruit with translucent flesh, common in Southeast Asia.
- Cherimoya: Mark Twain called it “the most delicious fruit known to man,” creamy and custard-like inside.
- Mangosteen: Deep purple shell with juicy white flesh inside, often called the “queen of fruits.”
- Jackfruit: The largest tree-borne fruit, spiky outside and full of golden, chewy pods.
- Longan: Known as “dragon eye fruit,” small, round, and translucent.
- Cempedak: Similar to jackfruit but smaller and stickier.
- Pulasan: Looks like rambutan but sweeter and easier to peel.
- Black Sapote: Also called chocolate pudding fruit because of its dark, sweet pulp.
- Miracle Berry: Changes sour flavors into sweet ones after eating.
Fruits with Strange Names
Some fruits are known not only for their taste but also for their odd-sounding names. Many of these names make people curious to see what they actually look like.
- Soursop: Green and spiky, with white pulp that is used for juices and desserts.
- Feijoa: Also called “pineapple guava,” small green fruit with sweet fragrant taste.
- Loquat: Yellow-orange oval fruit, tart and sweet, often used in jams.
- Medlar: A fruit that must be eaten when almost rotten, once common in Europe.
- Cempedak: Close relative of jackfruit, softer and stronger in smell.
- Santol: Round fruit with thick skin, sour and sweet pulp eaten fresh or in cooking.
- Breadfruit: A large green fruit that tastes like bread when baked or roasted.
- Pomelo: A giant citrus fruit, very large and juicy with a mild taste.
- Star Apple: Round fruit with a star pattern inside when sliced.
- Wood Apple: Hard shell fruit from South Asia with sour-sweet pulp.
Weird Spiky Fruit Name Examples
Spiky fruits stand out because of their unusual outer shells. They can be big or small, but their spikes give them very strange names.
- Durian: Known for its odor, loved and hated at the same time.
- Horned Melon: Small and striking with horn-like spines.
- Jackfruit: Huge fruit with a tough spiky skin.
- Soursop: Green with soft prickles, different from the hard spines of durian.
- Pulasan: Thick, spiky skin but sweeter than rambutan.
- Spiny Chayote: A gourd with prickles that looks odd compared to smooth types.
Exotic Fruits with Odd Names
Some fruits have exotic shapes and flavors that gave rise to names that sound strange to English speakers.
- Buddha’s Hand: More like fingers than fruit, used as a natural perfume.
- Ackee: Oddly shaped and dangerous when unripe.
- Jabuticaba: Fruits sprout directly from the bark like clusters of beads.
- Dragon Fruit: Bright scales look like a creature from a legend.
- Cupuacu: Amazon fruit related to cacao, often used in sweets.
- Atemoya: Hybrid between cherimoya and sugar apple, very creamy.
- Snake Gourd Fruit: Long and twisted shape, named after snakes.
Weird Looking Fruit Names
Odd looks often inspire strange names. These fruits seem like they come from another planet.
- Noni: Pale and bumpy with a smell many dislike.
- Salak: Skin resembles a snake’s body.
- Custard Apple: Surface is knobby and uneven.
- Mangosteen: Small and round, like a purple ball with a flower mark on top.
- Monstera Deliciosa: Swiss cheese fruit with holes on its skin.
- Pandanus Fruit: Large segmented fruit, looks like a burst pineapple.
- Elephant Apple: Rough, large fruit eaten in tropical Asia.
Regional Odd Fruits
Fruit names sometimes differ by region, making them even stranger when translated.
Asian Fruits with Weird Names
Asia has some of the most unusual fruit names.
- Rambutan
- Durian
- Mangosteen
- Salak
- Langsat
- Santol
- Jujube
- Pomelo
- Snake Gourd Fruit
- Longan
South American Fruits with Strange Titles
South America also gives us many fruits with unusual names.
- Jabuticaba
- Feijoa
- Cherimoya
- Noni
- Cupuacu
- Aguaje
- Pepino Melon
- Lucuma
- Camu Camu
- Granadilla
African Fruits with Rare Names
Africa is home to some rare fruits that sound unusual in English.
- Baobab Fruit
- Marula
- Safou (African Pear)
- Snot Apple
- Monkey Orange
- Kei Apple
- Imbe
- Natal Plum
- Wild Medlar
FAQs About Weird Fruit Names
A fruit name feels weird when it’s unusual, tied to its look, smell, or origin. Examples include Durian for smell, Salak for skin, and Buddha’s Hand for shape.
Most are safe when ripe and prepared. Ackee is toxic if eaten unripe. Always check preparation rules before eating strange fruits.
Names often come from appearance, smell, taste, or cultural stories. Spikes, odors, or strange looks inspire titles like Horned Melon or Dragon Fruit.
They come from translations, native languages, or explorer descriptions. For example, Jabuticaba is Portuguese, while “snake fruit” describes Salak’s scaly skin.
Yes, many are popular in cooking. Jackfruit works in curries, Feijoa in jams, and Mangosteen in sweets. Their odd names don’t stop them from being delicious.
Read More
