During the long week-end in May I head to Toronto to visit my good friend Susan. We had such an awesome time. I have a few blogs coming soon about the food of the short trip. This one is more of a show and tell. Turns out my Montreal friend Augustin was also going to be in Toronto at the same time.
While Susan stayed home and rested and prepared a “Lost evening” (yeah the religious night of the last show ever) I met up with Agustin for a foodie exploration of Kensington Market and Chinatown. I was half way though a book called The Fruit Hunters at that point and I knew I would find at least a handful of these mysterious fruits I had been reading about.
That book will be making an appearance, several, soon on this blog. A very weird book to read that affected me a lot. Get ready soon enough to go into the dark and exotic world of fruits! Until then enjoy a little windows shopping of my picture below. Pics in markets by Agustin Leon.
Cactus napoles in Kensington market by a Latin grocery store
Rabutans in Chinatown
Inside the Rabutan shell. Flavor and texture is just like gummi bears 🙂
Durian – when cut the smell is putrid but the flesh tastes like heaven…so they say. To big to buy and travel with. Have to wait till I get to taste. Some countries ban people from bringing in Durians in hotels and public places because of the horrid smell once cut.
Mangosteens in Chinatown
The inside of the mangosteen. Wonderful delicate flavor somewhere between a citrus, a peach and vanilla ice cream
Vanilla beans and cocao beans from Mexico. My friend Susan, with whom I was staying, just got back from Mexico. She shared with me some of her foodie Mexican stuff.
Susan also gave me a bottle of Mezcal.
Yep that is the one with a worm in it. Kinda off-putting. No, I have no intention of eating it.
Did you know:Only certain mezcals, usually from the state of Oaxaca, are ever sold con gusano (worm), and that only began as a marketing gimmick in the 1940s. The worm is actually the larval form of the moth Hypopta agavis that lives on the agave plant. Finding one in the plant during processing indicates an infestation and, correspondingly, a lower quality product. However this misconception continues, and even with all the effort and marketing to represent tequila as a premium—there are some opportunist producers for the shooters-and-fun market who blur these boundaries
Yes Joumana, several places had crates and crates. Actually Mangosteens are not allowed in the US as a fresh fruit unless they are from Hawaii or from Puerto Rico. I want to try loquats next.
Although Claudia and I had already met we had our real first meeting this weekend where we could chat lol. It was awesome. Blog to come.
I can’t believe Evelyne a whole stand full of mangosteen!!!!! These cannot be found in the US, as far as I know; I bought one in Beirut last time but it was not that great (imported from Thailand); never had the durian but seen it a lot in my neighborhood Asian markets; how exciting, I love to learn more about fruits; right now I have been devouring loquats. Heard you met claudia for the first time; lucky! sounds like you gals had a good time, yeah!
I’ve been to Toronto several times on business and yet never snuck a visit at their exotic fruit market.
Thanks Evelyne for this mini tour.
I’ll be assured to a least remember a few of the ones you’ve explored right here on this very interesting post.
Thanks for sharing and flavourful wishes, Claudia
Love mangosteen and rambutan! Some of my favorite tropical fruits. Durian is good too but is an acquired taste. Most can’t get over its smell (kinda like rotten eggs).