Rose Apples

The rose apple is yet another fruit with a surprise up its sleeve. Based on its outward appearance, it could easily be mistaken for a small pear, although the skin is usually quite waxy compared to pears. But when you cut the rose apple open, you won't find a core filled with seeds. The core of a rose apple is more or less hollow, with a bit of cottony fluff that should be scraped out and discarded.

Rose apples are eaten skin and all. The texture is somewhere between a watermelon and an apple, as is the taste. Rose apples can have a slightly bitter after-taste, but this is rarely unpleasant. There are several varieties of rose apples, with the most common in Thailand having a light green green skin. This variety is available almost year round, while seasonal varieties vary in color from apple red to almost black. The red variety is native to Malaysia, where its common English name is "Malay apple." In Southern Thailand, you will also see a small cherry red variety that looks a bit like a child's top.