Hey, my name is Elle and I run the travel and relationships site www.ellemacuk.com When I’m not giving people tips and tricks they won’t find on trip advisor or advice and insights into platonic and romantic relationships, I’m normally stuffing my face with food. (Food is my love language) So it’s only right that I do a food post that will take your taste buds on a journey around the globe! Are you ready?

Ackee

A lot of people assume that Ackee is a vegetable, due to the way it’s often cooked into dishes, but it’s actually a fruit! It’s native to West Africa, and many Caribbean islands. It’s most famously paired with salt-fish which can be eaten for breakfast or dinner. (We love a big hearty breakfast to start the day) To turn it into a whole meal, add some dumplings, boiled plantain and rice!

Jackfruit

Jackfruit is native to South East Asia and is the biggest of any tree fruit. They can grow to be up to 35kg, which is pretty insane. This can be eaten raw, which has a slightly sweet taste or cooked into a dish. So how can you cook Jackfruit? The actual seeds can be roasted or boiled, in a similar fashion to a chestnut. The pods aka the fleshy part of the fruit are used by a lot of vegans as a meat substitute due to it’s ‘meat like’ texture once it’s cooked. (It has way more flavour and better texture than Tofu)

Durian

Let me start off by saying that the smell of Durian is potent. I was surprised to learn on my trip to Singapore that it’s banned on public transport and some taxis don’t even allow you to bring it in with you! Despite the strong smell, it’s delicious and is used to flavour so many treats as well as being cooked into dishes. Travel to South East Asia and you’ll find Durian flavoured ice cream, chips, biscuits and sometimes even served alongside rice in a cute restaurant. They are so large in size that you could attempt to make all 4 with one fruit at home. Why not give it a try?

What are your favourite fruits to cook with? And yes, saying berries to create jam is cheating.