Going to MiyakoJima means also discover the local food, especially the traditional dishes of the Ryukyu islands (already mentionned by Miyako ^^)
For today’s thread, we’re going to talk about something else: the exotic fruits! Here you’ve got plenty of them, and maybe there are some you’ve never heard about 
The number 1 fruit in Miyako is of course Mango, well-know in the whole country. Some of them can reach inimaginable prices and are generally offered for special occasions (around 10,000 yens, or 107 USD). Mangos can be found between June and August, especially the Irwin and Keats species, which have become brand names of their own.
Guava: can be found from August to September, this fruit has a pink flesh and you can even eat the seed. The leaves can be used to brew medicinal tea.
Papaya: this fruit grows all the year and has the particularity to be eaten as a vegetable when not riped (the peel is green and the flesh is quite firm. It’s often used in thai gastronomy). Papaya is also well-known for its medicinal properties (the flesh, the seeds,the peel and the latex).
Passion fruit: from January to March, then from July to September, passion fruit is very cheap here in Miyako, and very easy to find!
Dragon fruit, or Pithaya: from May to October, two sorts exist. There is one type with a pink peel and white flesh, and another one with a red peel and a pink flesh, very sweet and sugary.
Star Fruit: fruit with yellow peel and a yellow flesh, with 5 sides, which gives it a star-shape when cut. The flesh is crunchy and juicy, with little brown seeds inside.
The Biwa fruit: the fruits are oval-shaped and have a yellow-orange color. de forme ovoïde et de couleur jaune orangé. The bays have a juicy and yellow flesh with a slightly acid taste.
Kanisuto: an oval-shape fruit turning yellow-orange when riped. The peel is edible but very acid, and the inside of the fruit contains a stone a sweet flesh.
Erratum: further to a mistake, this fruit is actually called Kanisuteru, and I couldn’t find its equivalence in english. However there is one fact about it: it’s very expensive, one fruit can reach the price of 450 yens. I haven’t tasted it at the moment, but when I have the occasion, I will post the description of the fruit in this article.
I hope this little presentation will make you salivate and give you the wish to discover them!
sources: http://tous-les-fruits.com/index-fruits-exotiques.html, http://album.aufeminin.com/album/see_64926_11/douceurs-des-antilles.html, http://fr.wikipedia.org, http://www3.city.miyakojima.lg.jp/kankou-english/
Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas le vrai fruit. Il faut le couper en deux et manger la pulpe jaune/verte avec les pépins (a la petite cuillère c est idéal).
