11 Fruits That Start With D
If you’ve come across any interesting fruit at your local supermarket but avoided buying it because you weren’t sure what to expect, this list may help take some of your anxiety away.
In the following article, you’ll learn what 11 unique fruits that start with the letter ‘D’ taste, smell, and look like.
11 Fruits That Start With The Letter D
1. Damson
Damsons are oval-shaped, plum-like fruits. The skin of the fruit ranges from dark blue to purple-black and is usually peeled off because it’s extremely bitter. The flesh, on the other hand, is smooth and yellow-green.
Damson fruits are usually only used in jams and preserves, because, although they’re very high in sugar, the sweetness is overwhelmed by a powerfully astringent flavor.
2. Dangleberry
Dangleberries are small round fruits that are either white, black or, most commonly, blue. In fact, they are also called blue huckleberries.
These small fruits are sweet and juicy and can be eaten fresh off the bush or added to fruit salads, desserts, or smoothies. They’re also nicely featured as the main ingredient in jam.
3. Date
Dates are a reddish-brown, oval-shaped fruit that grows in clusters on date palm trees. They’re a very sweet, sticky, fibrous fruit with low moisture content. Dates can be eaten fresh and raw but they have a large, hard seed pit that should be avoided.
Even when fresh, dates have a dehydrated appearance. When dried, they have an impressive 68% sugar content and are commonly used as a refined sugar alternative.
4. Date Plum
Date plums are also lovingly named “The Divine Fruit.” They can either be yellow-orange or deep purple-brown but both varieties are small fruits with the same sweet flavor.
These fruits are juicy, velvety and honey-sweet, with a flavor that combines the tastes of dates and plums, hence the name. Date plums should be eaten when fully ripe and soft. They can be eaten fresh or as a wonderful addition to baked goods and other desserts.
5. Darwin’s Barberry
Darwin’s barberries are pretty, deep purple little fruits. They are edible but are also very acidic and sour when raw. More commonly they’re used to add flavor to a jam.
Darwin’s barberries are also tricky to harvest. The bushes have so many sharp spines and thorns that they’re actually used as home security features sometimes.
6. Dewberries
Dewberries are a type of blackberry. They should only be picked when they are fully ripe and completely black. Immature dewberries are too acidic and sour to be enjoyed.
When ripe, however, dewberries are very soft and squish easily. The branches they grow on also have thorns, so these berries must be harvested carefully.
Dewberries have a sweet, juicy flavor similar to raspberries and ‘regular’ blackberries. They are great when eaten fresh or frozen and can also be used to garnish breakfast and desserts.
7. Double Coconut
Double coconuts are huge and can grow to over 1.5 feet long and weigh up to 65 pounds. These giants look like 2 large coconuts that have been fused together. They taste like a citrusy sweet coconut, but without the water inside.
Double coconuts are incredibly rare and, if you’re lucky enough to find one for sale, it will likely cost up to $700 USD.
Double coconuts are also known as sea coconuts and love nuts.
8. Dracontomelon
Dracontomelons are little round green Vietnamese fruits. They’re extremely sour and are mainly used as a souring agent in traditional recipes rather than being consumed as a stand-alone fresh fruit.
Dracontomelons are also served candied or converted into a refreshing cold drink after soaking in a ginger and sugar concoction for several weeks.
9. Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruits have a base shape of a large, pink egg, covered in bright pink and green overlapping “scales.”
The tender, juicy flesh can be either bright fuchsia or crisp white, both sprinkled with tiny black edible seeds. The flavor of dragon fruit is mild, with hints of kiwi and pear. The flesh of dragon fruit is soft and creamy and can be scooped out easily with a spoon.
10. Duku Fruit
Duku fruit has the outer appearance of small yellow-brown fuzzy potatoes, but they grow in clusters like grapes on large trees. The rind is leathery and fuzzy. The edible inner fruit is segmented and translucent white with a few bitter white seeds inside.
Duku fruits are both sweet and sour. They are often eaten freshly picked as a refreshing snack. They can also be juiced, added to smoothies or added to sweet-tart deserts.
11. Durian
Durians are large, oval-shaped one-of-a-kind fruits. They’re yellow-brown and covered in spikes on the outside. When broken open, the inside holds yellow-skinned, sausage-like pieces of fruit that house a white pulp. This edible pulp has a custard-like texture with a creamy, nutty, tropical flavor.
Unfortunately, the scent of raw durian fruit is so strong and not very well liked that it is typically banned from public spaces in the regions where it grows naturally. The fragrance is a sickeningly sweet blend of turpentine, rotting onions, and dirty diapers.
Up Next: 33 Fruits That Start With C
