Coconuts,  available  throughout  the  year, are inescapable at a Thai meal for in some form they figure  in  almost  every dish. Coconut milk is a prominent ingredient of curries and soups, and  the sliced or grated flesh turns up in many as well; it is even more ubiquitous in desserts, appearing as  the basis of delicate custards, in the form of candy, as crispy strips cooked in brown syrup, and in countless other confections.
     For  a  visitor,  an  especially  exotic  treat  on  a  hot day is a freshly opened young coconut, whose tender white flesh and sweet juice can be enjoyed whenever the mood strikes.

     Also  known  as  sugar  apple,  this  fruit has  a  lumpy green skin covering masses of sweet, scented  white  flesh:  in  most  varieties  the fruit can easily be divided into two pieces by hand and  the  creamy flesh  eaten  with  spoon. Custard apples also form the base for a delicious ice   cream,   served  in Thai restaurants.     The  main  growing  areas  are  the  north - central provinces  such  as  Phetchabun and Nakhon Ratchasima, and the peak fruiting season lasts from June to September.

     Beginning  in  May and extending through August, the durian announces its presence in Thai markets with a distinctive, highly pervasive aroma. To Thais, as well as to many other Asians, the  stin k is  a  welcome  odor  for they regard durian as the king of fruits, a delicacy that is well worth the comparatively high price it commands.
     Some  visitors,  on the  other  hand,  are  deterred  by  the potent  smell  and  never actually sample  the  creamy  golden  flesh hidden within the spiny exterior - thereby missing one of the truly  great pleasures  of  fruit eating. "The more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop," wrote  Alfred  Russell  Wallace,  after  eating  his  first durian on Borneo in the 19th century, and most of those who follow his example are likely to agree with him.
     Thai durians are noted for their subtle flavor and smooth texture, often winning over gourmets who have failed to respond in other countries where the fruit grows. Three of the most popular varieties (and there are several dozen to choose from) are cha ni, kan yao, and, perhaps the most prized of all, monthong.

     Real grapes i a hot country like Thailand? By all means, and delicious ones, too, both red and white, and available all year round though the peak fruiting season is September through April. Actually, most of the varieties grown were developed at Kasetsat Agricultural University to thrive under tropical conditions and are now an important source of income for many farmers in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon Provinces.

     No one seems to know how the Thais came to call the guava by the same name used for Westerners, but perhaps the fact that the fruit originally came from Spain had something to do with it.In any event, the guava is one of the most popular fruits for snacks, eaten either ripe or when still green dipped in a bit of salt or sugar. In addition to the usual one with white flesh, another variety is bright red when peeled.

     The  jackfruit  is  the  shape  of a large melon. The fruit has a grey skin, and contains a great number  of  pips  or  kernels  which are about the size of a pigeon's egg. These, when roasted, taste  like chestnuts.  The  fruit  is  yellow  and  succulent,  of  a sweet taste and powerful smell. Thus wrote  Simon de  la Loubere,  a  French  visitor  to  Thailand  in  the  17th century, and his description  of  the  popular jackfruit  still  holds  true.  Thais  eat the yellow flesh alone, with ice cream  or  mixed  with  other fruits  and coconut  milk  in  a  compote.     The cooked seeds find their way into many dishes.

     Grown  extensively  in  central  and  eastern  Thailand, the small, round, sweet fruit is usually eaten fresh but is also processed for juice or dried.

     This  fruit  is  unlikely  to  be  known  to many foreign fruit lovers, but Thais are very fond of its smoky   white   flesh   and   look  forward  to  the  fruits  annual  appearance  between  July  and October.  The taste is sweet and at the same time slightly sour. One must be careful not to bite into the bitter seed. The main growing zones are the lower north, the east, and the south.

     There  wasa time when this famous delicacy was mostly imported from China and thus sold at  very high  prices.  Today however, many litchi orchards have been established in northern Thailand  and  local  prices,  while  still  above  those  of  most  other  fruits , are  not  exorbitant. Several  varieties  of  the  fruit  characterized  by  a  sweet taste with a faint trace of tartness are currently  grown,  ranging  from pinkish  to  dark  red  in  color. Litchis come on the market fresh between April and June but are always available in cans.

     Grown  extensively  in  the  north,  especially  in  the  Chiang  Mai  area,  the  longan  is  much esteemed  by  Thai fruit lovers, who eagerly await the annual high season from June to August when piles  of  the  small  brown fruit can be found in markets throughout the country. The crisp skin  is  easy  to  remove  and  the white flesh has a texture and sweetness reminiscent of litchi. Thais generally eat longan fresh at room temperature, but the canned fruit is often served over ice as a dessert.

     The  pineapple  is  native of Central America (Christopher Colombus discovered it along with the West Indies)  and it  has  been  grown  in  Thailand  for  several centuries, especially in the sandy soil along the sea coasts.  Indeed, so widespread has cultivation been in recent years that today the kingdom ranks as the world's leading exporter of canned pineapple.

     Southern  Thailand  (see  entries  on  Surat  Thani)  is  the  home of the mangosteen, which appears on markets  in  May  and continues through most of the rainy season. This delicious fruit has a thick, dark-red skin,  inside which are creamy white segments with a sweet, slightly tart flavor; as a general rule, the more segments a mangosteen has, the fewer seeds one will find.
     A  knife  is used to slit the skin around the middle, after which it opens easily and the flesh can be eaten with a fork as a memorable after-meal treat.

     This  is  among  the sweetest and the juiciest of oranges, with a yellowish-green peel and bright yellow flesh; the segments are generally eaten fresh or squeezed for their juice. The main season is September through  November , but  some  sweet  oranges  can  be  found  in the markets all year round. Tangerines (som  khiao wan in Thai)  are  also  grown  extensively  in  Thailand  and eaten  in  the  same  way  as  the oranges.

     Somewhat   resembling  a  small  brown  mango  in  shape,  the  sapodilla  is  grown  in  several widely scattered  provinces, among them Chonburi, Sukhothai, Nakhon Sawan and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The fruit  is  eaten when ripe. After the peel is removed, the firm reddish-brown flesh is sliced into pieces which are often carved into decorative shapes.

     Sweet  and  refreshing, ruby-red chunks of watermelon are an essential part of nearly every fruit platter. In  Thailand,  pieces  of  watermelon  are  often  dipped  into  salt  before eating; the delicious juice is also extracted  and  widely  sold  as a  beverage.  Watermelons  are  grown  in most parts of Thailand and are available throughout the year, though March is the peak of the season

     This  is  the  Thai  version  of  a  grapefruit,  but  with  a  sweet  rather than a sour taste and considerably larger.  A  number of varieties are grown, with succulent flesh that may be pale yellow, orange, or red, and since  the  unpeeled  fruit can be kept for around a month it is a popular addition to Thai meals. The peak fruiting season is from August to November, but some pomelos are available throughout the year.

     Ruby  red  and  covered  with  fine green - tipped  hairs,  the rambutan is one of the most attractive Thai fruits   and   also   one   of  the  most  delicious  when  eaten  at  the  peak  of  ripeness  between  May  and September  when  it  is  most  plentiful.  Thai  rambutans  are  noted  for their sweetness and considerable quantities  are  exported  both  fresh  and  canned;  the main growing areas are Chanthaburi and southern provinces such as Surat Thani.

     Bell - shaped,  the  rose apple has a glossy skin that is either green or pink and that is eaten along with the  crisp,  slightly  acid  inside.  Its  decorative  appearance  guarantees  it  a prominent place on any fruit platter during the peak season between June and September.

     The   fruit   is,  as  the  name  suggests , a  sweet  variety  of  a  fruit  generally  associated  with  an acid taste.  After  being  peeled  it  is  generally  eaten  fresh , though boiled in water it also makes a refreshing juice. Other, more sour varieties of tamarind are used in various cooked dishes for flavoring.

     Those  who  know  mangos  only  from  the  varieties  found  in  places  like Hawaii, Mexico or the West Indies  may  think  they  have  discovered  a new  fruit in the light-colored, delicately flavored mangos that turn  up  on Thai markets between March and June. More than a dozen different kinds are grown, many of them  hybrids  developed  in  Thailand.  They  have  become  so popular among mango connoisseurs in neighboring countries that nearly 3 million kilograms (6.6 million lbs.) are exported annually.

     Originally a native of Mexico, the papaya has been grown in Southeast Asia since the 16th century and the  long  yellow  or orange fruit, rich in Vitamins A and C, is a well-established component of Thai cuisine. In  perhaps its most popular use, green papayas are sliced into thin strips and ground together with dried shrimp, garlic, and hot chilies to produce a fiery salad called som tam.