In the Trend of Scottish Goods

On a recent trip to the grocery I found a beverage I wanted to try at the Scottish festival, called Irn Bru. So naturally I picked up a bottle. I also picked up a few strange fruits I (mostly) hadn't sampled previously.

I got home and after sufficiently chilling the Irn Bru, I popped the top and drank away. I must say, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Neither was it a pleasant (or even unpleasant) surprise. Mearly a surprise when the bland nearly flavourless sugar liquid passed my lips. If you must try it, go for it, I don't however recommend it, unless you live somewhere where it costs a reasonable price (I believe it had a 2.50$ price tag).

I then began to sample the fruit, first up was the custard apple. I cannot recall the actually name (I believe it was in Spanish).

Now this was interesting, not at all what I was expecting in sight, smell, colour, taste or texture. A sweet scent, with a flaky, almost fish like texture, with the taste of cotton candy. I would definitely eat this again.

Second up I tried a Mangosteen. No idea if that's the proper local name, although I doubt it, it is however the only name I know it by. Another first for me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to properly open it, so I gave it several stout whacks with a chefs knife. Eventually it gave way and opened.

This was a truly awful experience. It looked like a oyster - and worse yet, tasted like a rotten lychee. It also had a chewy unappealing texture. I'm not sure if it had gone off, either way I wont be trying it again (as I have no clue how to tell if they are ripe or even gone off).

And finally I bought a couple prickly pears. The cactus fruit which I first consumed in the Nevada/Arizona desert, picked right off a cactus. Which my friend Chris paid the price for when he had tons of needles embedded into his hand.

These were nothing from what I remember. Purple on the outside (I think ours were green) and bright red on the inside. A almost bitter flavour, hard to describe what it actually tastes like. Lots of seed I kept spitting out. All and all an interesting fruit, I would recommend it if you haven't had it before. And if you pick them yourself for the first time, beware of needles (they look like hairs).