Peculiar produce

Ever browse the produce section or your local farmer’s market and see something that makes you think, “What is that?” Take a chance and drop it in your basket. Some of the most delicious—and healthful—fruits and veggies are ones that are unfamiliar to many Americans.

For obscure-but-delicious fruits and veggies to explore, check out some of these favorites from food and nutrition experts.

Kohlrabi

With knobby green or purple bulbs and long, leafy greens, kohlrabi is a member of the vegetable group that includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is found in lots of Indian, German and Vietnamese cooking. The bulb is the part that’s most commonly eaten (peel the outer layer with a vegetable peeler first).

“I prefer to eat kohlrabi cooked and as a replacement for potatoes, but it is also great raw and tastes more like a milder cross between a turnip and a cabbage,” says Jenna Coleman, who researches and writes about grocery shopping choices and behaviors on her site, ParticularPantry.com.

If you find kohlrabi with the greens attached, don’t throw them out—they’re delicious raw in a salad, or you can steam or saute them like you would kale or collard greens.

Golden kiwi

You’ve seen green kiwi in countless fruit salads, but its yellow, golden counterpart is rarer. Available summer through spring, golden kiwi, sometimes simply “gold kiwi,” differs from its green cousin in both appearance and taste.

“Golden kiwi is similar to green kiwi but has smoother skin and golden flesh. When it comes to taste and texture, the golden kiwi is a bit more tender and sweet and has less tart,” says Ysabel Montemayor, nutritional director for Fresh n’ Lean, an organic meal delivery company.

Kiwi producer Zespri claims the gold variety, the Zespri SunGold, has fewer seeds than green kiwi and tastes like a cross between a mango and a strawberry. With its smooth skin, which is free of the fuzz found on green kiwi, people often snack on a gold kiwi like they would an apple— skin and all.

Romanesco

Is it cauliflower? Is it broccoli? The answer is … yes. “It might look like a psychedelic mix between cauliflower and broccoli but it’s worth adding to your basket next time you’re at the farmers market,” says Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics, a natural personal care company. “It tastes like a mixture between cauliflower and broccoli, with a nuttier flavor.”

Romanesco is just as versatile as its more well-known cousins. Eat it raw or cooked, in salads, soups, as a side dish— whatever you can dream up.

Rambutan

No, a sea urchin did not sneak into the produce section. That’s a rambutan. They may look weird, with their bright red skin and spiny, hairy exterior, but to the people of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries, the rambutan is as common as the Red Delicious apple is to us. And, arguably, more delicious.

“The fruit is very sweet and fleshy, and can be peeled by hand, making it a great snack,” says Luisa Ruocco, a food and travel blogger who discovered the rambutan while traveling in Indonesia. “They are available in some larger supermarkets and most specialty Asian food stores—if your city has a Chinatown then you’re certain to find some there.”

The spines may look scary, but don’t be intimidated. They’re very soft. So soft, in fact, that you can bite right through it to get to the juicy fruit flesh.

“If you can get past the hairy exterior of the rambutan, it is actually very similar in taste and texture to a peeled grape,” Coleman says.

Puntarelle

If you’re looking for something bolder than arugula, more daring than watercress, check out puntarelle. The crunchy, watery greens of this chicory variant—its official name is “Catalonian chicory”—have the spiciness of arugula with hints of fennel, according to Vito Gnazzo, executive chef of Il Gattopardo in New York City. Available only from mid-October through February, puntarelle is so intensely flavored that it does best with a simple preparation. Gnazzo serves his with a blend of lemon, anchovies and extra-virgin olive oil.