Fruits that debuted in 2011

This was the year when apples were almost as expensive as kiwis; no, kiwis actually came for lesser (five for hundred, if you bargained well). The New Zealand fruit - a favourite ornament of bakers for vanilla pastries - made way to the local fruit stalls. It was even sold on trains, like chikoos and oranges. It finally stepped off its 'exotic' pedestal and mingled with the commoners. There were others who joined the wagon, though not as close. The baby orange - Clementines These made big news last Christmas in the US. Not that they are new to civilisation. Wikipedia says they were named Clementine in 1904, so... They look adorable, and they taste like oranges too. Just too small. One saw them at quite a few food stalls across the city. As they taste the same, price (steep) can be a deterrent to make it a regular fixture in your fruit basket the coming year. The dragon fruit It looks like a blushing cactus, petite and so beautiful (gosh, sorry for being gushy again, but they are), you want to take it home. Inside, its soft jelly-like flesh has a thousand tiny eyes, that don't scare at all. Until 2011, only those who visited five stars' dessert counters had an idea about it. And also those who visited the upscale juice centres peppered across the city. It's sold as per kilograms, and a medium one will cost you approximately 180 to 200 or more. It's safe to the taste buds, so go ahead bring one home and try it. Tomato fruit - persimmon I had known it for the longest time as kaka, as it's known in the Gulf peninsula, and often wondered why it wasn't available in Mumbai, until this year. The fruit was all over the place at the Crawford market, and with some fruit sellers across the city. Softer than tomatoes, its sweet but leaves a tugging-pulling kind of taste in your mouth like when you eat unripe yellow dates. This discomforting taste is least in a full ripe persimmon. So we suggest, if you are trying it for the first time, only go for the ripe fruit, and for that you'll have to wait till October 2012. Mangosteen - nothing like mangoes This one has been growing in certain parts of India for around a century, so some of you may be familiar with it. Many sources online say it's the queen of fruits. Guess, that's because it's really sweet. We spotted this one at the high-end grocery stores and of course, at Crawford market. Litchi's cousin, the Rambutan Apart from being hairy, there's very little difference between a Rambutan and the very-well-known-to-us litchi. This one comes from the far East nations. The piney exterior is not pricky to touch at all. However, you may need to make a small incision (not too deep) to be able to open the fruit. Its covering is slightly thicker than litchis. It's more chewy too. But sweet, and easy to like, apart from the price factor. However, with bananas at Rs 40 a dozen in most parts of the city, exotic fruits don't look expensive anymore.