What Cooks Keep Asking Us

To many people it smells of onions and old socks with something sweet underneath, and it is banned on Singapore's MRT. The flesh tastes of custard, caramel and almonds. Try it outdoors first, with a friend who already loves it.

They bruise and dry out quickly and face strict import rules. The United States only began allowing irradiated Thai mangosteens in 2007. Every good one that reaches you has travelled carefully.

White-fleshed dragon fruit is often very mild. Red-fleshed varieties are usually sweeter. Lime juice and a pinch of salt help a great deal.

Smell it, feel its weight, and press gently. Most tropical fruits smell fragrant when ripe and feel heavy for their size. The Fruit Atlas gives a specific check for each fruit.

Some, yes: cherimoya, jackfruit and durian continue to ripen at room temperature. Mangosteen, rambutan, salak and dragon fruit do not ripen after picking, so buy them ready.

In a loosely closed bag in the fridge, eaten within a few days. Cold slows drying, but texture still declines quickly.

Yes, the seeds are toxic if crushed or chewed. Spit them out whole. The flesh is perfectly safe.

Ripe jackfruit is sweet and eaten as fruit. Young green jackfruit is neutral and stringy, used in curries and as a meat substitute. They are not interchangeable in recipes.

It makes sour foods taste sweet for about 30 to 60 minutes. It does little to bitter or salty flavours, and heat destroys the effect, so it's for tasting, not cooking.

Not really. It is made by holding whole bulbs warm and humid for weeks, and Maillard reactions create its colour and sweetness. See Odd Ingredients for more.