One of my favorite things about living in the DR is the abundance of cheap, local fruits that I still consider "exotic" as a foreigner. Unlike in the US, the fruits and vegetables are sold much cheaper than packaged foods in the supermarkets, which is very motivating when trying to maintain a healthy diet. A couple times a week I buy a big fruit plate on the street for breakfast, and for a little over $1 I can eat mango, papaya, pineapple, clementines.. The list goes on.
The local fruits are obviously worked into all kinds of beverages and foods (especially desserts); these are some that have been in my diet a lot this month.
Passionfruit. Its usually too sour to eat by itself (its like biting into a lemon!), so most people dump a whole spoon of sugar on top when eating it raw. We never buy passionfruit at home, but we love it on cheesecakes, in mousses, and in margaritas. Last Sunday I ate this cereal coated cream cheese french toast with a thick and creamy passionfruit syrup at La Dolcerie. Delicious!
Starfruit. Its called Carambola in Spanish and despite how much I eat it, I seem to never learn how to pronounce it right! A always laughs at me.. It always reminds me of the math term Parabola [nerd alert]. In the past month I've had it as a juice and as a dessert, marinated in a sugar syrup. I had plans to use it as a marmalade on toast, but I ate it too soon!
Lulo. I really don't think this one exists in English! Its called "tiny orange" in some South American countries and is originally from Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. I had never heard of it until recently and I had it as a juice a few nights ago. Its a citrus fruit about the size of a plum, and is of course very high in Vitamin C. Are you familiar with it?
I love the way this tropical island has affected my diet; I am much healthier and I snack on more natural fruit than ever before! Is it easy for you to incorporate local produce in your diet?
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