Fruits

Mga Prutas sa Pilipinas
Fruits in the Philippines

Mangoes

Mangoes are the most esteemed of Philippine fruits — the carabao variety more than the piko.

In selecting mangoes, one should look for those with firm, fully rounded cheeks, without bruises or black spots.

Kamias

Also spelled as kamiyas, kamyas or camias.

Very sour, kamias is the fruit of the tree with the scientific name Averrhoa bilimbi. It’s been called “tree cucumber.”

Slices of Pakwan (Watermelon). Photo by Angie Pastor. Pakwan is the Tagalog word for watermelon. The most common variety of watermelon in the Philippines is round and has a rind whose outer surface is a very dark green.

Balimbing

Photo of Balimbing by Mildred Cruz.

The fruit has the scientific name Averrhoa carambola. It’s called a star fruit in English because of the shape you see when you cut it crosswise.

Calamansi

Calamansi is the citrus fruit of the Philippines! It’s very round and fairly small… In fact, one can’t think of a smaller-sized citrus fruit… Hmm… Calamansi juice cleanse, anyone?

Strawberries

Photo of Baguio strawberries by Angie Pastor.

Do strawberries even grow in such a hot tropical country like the Philippines? Yes, in the high-altitude mountainous regions of the island of Luzon! The city of Baguio is particularly famous for strawberries and strawberry products, such as jam.

Latundan

One of the three popular banana varieties in the Philippines

Guyabano

Soursop.

The Filipino name for this fruit comes from the Spanish guanábana.

Duhat

Duhat is a local Philippine fruit that’s commonly referred to as Java plum. It is dark purple to black in color, fleshy and one-seeded, with a sweet-astringent taste.

Atis

Custard apple, sweetsop, sugar-apple…

Atis is a very popular fruit in the Philippines, as well as in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand.

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