With so many fruits on offer, it can be hard to keep up with varieties that you may not be too familiar with. But fear not! Here you will learn about fruits that start with D.
We’ve made it easier for you to keep track of your favorite fruits as well as helping you discover new species to add to your ‘must try’ list.
This article takes a look at all of the delicious fruits across the world that start with the letter D. So get your notepad and pen at the ready and prepare to learn a few new fruity facts as you make your way through our list.
Damson
Even though they originate from the Mediterranean, Damson’s are considered to be members of the European Plum family and became incredibly popular during the Victorian era.
These small fruits have an incredibly strong sour flavor and even though they are very juicy, many people find them to be too tart when eaten raw.
They are of a vibrant dark blue colour and their taste is perfect for making damson jam, damson gin, damson chutney, and also damson cheese.
Dates
This rich, fudge-like fruit can be found in tropical regions and is considered to be nature’s candy.
Dates are chewy, intensely sweet and perfect when added to desserts such as sticky toffee pudding, thanks to their texture when cooked and their natural sweetness.
They are both high in fiber and packed full of antioxidants which make them very popular with health-conscious cooks.
Dragon Fruit
This tropical fruit has become extremely popular in recent years thanks in large part to its unique appearance, but also because of the many health benefits it boasts.
Containing a small amount of several nutrients, the Dragon Fruit is a great source of iron, magnesium and fiber.
Covered in vivid green scales with hints of red and pink, the exterior of this fruit is almost as fascinating as the interior of white flesh dotted with black seeds. The flavor of this fruit is similar to kiwis or pears, and is light and sweet with a little crunch in each bite.
Durian
This fruit is commonly known as ‘the weird, smelly one’ because of its pungent aroma which has been likened to rotting meat, gym socks, and turpentine. The exterior of this fruit is hard and spiky, while the interior consists of a creamy custard-like flesh.
Tastewise, this fruit ticks both the sweet and savory box but you’ll have to first get past the unique smell before you can enjoy it.
Double Coconut
This gigantic fruit has the honor of being the world’s largest seeds and can achieve weights of up to 55lbs. It’s often referred to as the ‘Sea Coconut’ and is listed as an endangered species so it’s rarely found in grocery stores.
Native to the Seychelles, this fruit is a common target for poachers because of its rarity.
However, those who have been lucky enough to taste this fruit have said that it has a mild citrus-like quality with earthy notes, but overall it was refreshing and sweet.
Dead Man’s Fingers
The name of this fruit comes from its distinct shape and color; sausage-shaped fingers in an eye-catching blue.
Although the name and appearance may be off putting, the taste is apparently quite refreshing and delicately sweet and similar to a melon or cucumber.
A member of the chocolate vine family, this fruit is native to China, Nepal, Northeast India, Bhutan, and Myanmar and can easily be grown in the UK or US.
Each ‘finger’ opens up to reveal a translucent gelatinous pulp which contains a large number of flat black seeds.
Desert King Fig
These fruits ripen in late summer and can mainly be found in the Pacific Northwest, however they were first cultivated in California.
The bright red flesh on the inside of this fruit is similar to that of a strawberry and the taste is similar to that of a light strawberry jam.
It can either be enjoyed straight from the tree as a snack or turned into a jam or paste and used within baked goods.
Davidson’s Plum
Native to Australia, the Davidson’s Plum is a round, oblong fruit that ranges in length from 3-12 centimeters. This fruit contains 100 times the Vitamin C that can typically be found in an orange, however it is nowhere near as sweet.
The taste of a Davidson’s Plum is acidic and tangy with sour notes while the aroma is earthy, musky, and semi-sweet.
The color of this fruit ranges from hues of maroon and gold to purple-red shades, darkening into an almost black hue when ripe.
Desert Lime
Another fruit native to Australia is the Desert Lime which grows on a wild shrub in the Australian bush. This fruit is small, round, and green and has a pleasant piquant flavor with intense citrus notes.
The slightly sweet taste to a Desert Lime is perfect for adding to dressings, marinades, chutneys, jams, pickles, preserves, and candied products. From these fruits you can also make flavored butters and cordials, as well as liqueurs.
Dewberries
A relation of the popular blackberry, the Dewberry is very similar in taste, color, and appearance with the only noticeable difference coming from the way in which they grow.
Usually found low to the ground, these small, dark fruits typically appear on trailing vines instead of upright shrubs.
They can either be eaten raw or cooked to make cobbler, jam, or dewberry pie and the leaves of this plant can also be used to make a delicious herbal tea.
Dodder-Laurel
Another name for this fruit is Love Vine, and as the name suggests it’s known in the Caribbean as an aphrodisiac. These grape-like fruits ripen in spring and are oval in shape.
They are usually colored green when they first begin to grow, and change to black as they ripen and dry out. This fruit is sweet and mucousy to taste and can grow to around 15 millimeters in diameter.
Duku Fruit
Native to Asia, this exotic fruit has a pearl-like flesh and a hard exterior shell, similar to that of a lychee. Many people report that it tastes like a cross between grapes and grapefruits with its sweet, tart, and tangy flavor.
They tend to grow in large clusters of around ten fruits, and can vary from 3-7 centimeters in diameter.
Date Plum
This fruit is incredibly popular in the Black Sea region, but with a name like Date Plum, you may be surprised to learn that this fruit is neither a date nor a plum.
It’s a fruit from the persimmon family and has a taste that lands somewhere between its two namesakes.
Typically used in desserts, jams, and pastries, this ping-pong sized yellow fruit can also be eaten raw. However, they are most often dried which helps to reduce their tartness and increases their date-like sweetness.
Discovery Apple
The Discovery Apple is thought to be one of the earliest English varieties, however its popularity is nowhere near that of the more widely known Fiji, Gala, or Granny Smith. The taste of this apple is tangy and tart, and like most other apples it has a firm, crispy flesh.
Widely available in the UK from around October, these fruits vary in color from light green to pinky-red. They are great to cook with and when baked in a cake, you can really taste just how sweet they are.
Dekopon
This Japanese fruit is part of the citrus family and is sometimes referred to as Sumo Citrus.
Very similar to a Mandarin, the Dekopon is larger than most and thanks to the distinctive bump on one end of the fruit, you can easily identify them.
They’re known for being sweet, seedless, and easy to peel and are considered by some to be a better alternative to your average orange.
Dabai Fruit
Usually found in Borneo, the Dabai Fruit can be found growing from trees and look similar to dark grapes. The taste of a Dabai Fruit can be somewhat confusing, as they are savory, salty, yet tangy – think of olives and strong cheese.
This fruit is high in antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, and fatty acids, the Dabai is a great fruit to incorporate into your daily diet.
Dracontomelon
Dracontomelon are small, round Vietnamese fruits that are green in color and extremely sour in taste. They are typically used as a souring agent in traditional Vietnamese recipes, and are rarely eaten raw due to their tartness.
A great recipe for Dracontomelon is to turn them into a cold refreshing drink by soaking them in a ginger and sugar concoction for several weeks. Some have said that the taste you’re left with will give regular lemonade a good run for its money!
Dangleberry
Dangleberries are a brilliant source of antioxidants and Vitamin A and are typically found in the U.S. Also known as Blue Huckleberries, these dark blue fruits are incredibly similar to blueberries and are often used in place of them when cooking.
They are the perfect addition to pies, crumbles, and jams and can also be enjoyed straight from the bowl.
To catch these berries at their best, you should aim to pick them in the late summer/early fall when they are at their juiciest.
We hope you learned something from this article, here are other articles that you can learn from:
14 Fruits With Seeds (Including Pictures)
Pumpkins: Growth Time and Stages of Development From Seeds To Fruits
The majority of people who have no interest in the subject, and aren’t green fingered assume that all plants and vegetables require the same growing conditions. This is not the case at all. Each plant has its own unique and interesting history and growing process.
I hope you will find The Natural List useful, and that it will help educate you on the wide variety of different flower and plant species there are across the globe.
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