Have you ever tried playing the alphabet ABC game with food items but failed miserably because you didn’t know any fruits that start with X?
Xylocarpus, Xoay, and Ximenia Caffra are some fruits that start with X and are mainly native to Asia and Africa’s tropical and subtropical regions. Each fruit’s distant color, flavor profile, and shape make it exotic or rare.
In this article, you’ll learn about 7 fruits that start with X and their distinct properties and origin.
What fruits start with the letter X?
Xinomavro grapes, Xarel-lo, Xanthium strumarium, and Xoconostle, are fruits that start with X and are native to Germany, Spain, Eurasia & North Africa, and Mexico, respectively.
Let’s explore 7 different fruits that start with X and get to know how they taste, where they grow, and what benefits they have.
Ximenia Caffra Fruit
Ximenia Caffra is a sour plum species belonging to the Olacaceae family that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa.
Its tree or shrub is semi-parasitic and can grow up to 6 meters high. The plant is frost-resistant and drought-tolerant, which means it can withstand harsh weather conditions.Â
Besides being among fruits that start with X, Ximenia Caffra’s ellipsoidal shape, with a 3.5 cm length and 2.5 cm diameter, makes it unique from other varieties. The outer skin is green when unripe, which turns orange and then red while maturing.
Due to the sour taste and dry aftertaste, consuming Ximenia Caffra is best when overripe and is an excellent choice for making jams, jellies, and juices.
Ximenia Caffra is a highly versatile fruit/plant and is also used for various medical purposes, such as:
- Treating skin infection.
- Cure malaria and severe stomach aches.
- Heal fever, eye problems, cough, and menorrhagia.
- Treat livestock for foot rot, dermatophytosis, and saddle sore.
INTERESTING INFO: Ximenia Caffra has ethnomedicinal applications for 65 different health problems in humans and animals, and many of these have been confirmed by scientific research on its chemical and biological properties.
Xylocarpus Granatum
Next on our list of fruits that start with X is Xylocarpus Granatum. It is also known as “cedar mangrove,” “Nyirih Huang,” “puzzlenut,” “cannonball mangrove,” and “Nyirih.” This fruit widely grows in tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and Australia.
Xylocarpus granatum belongs to the species of mangrove in the Mahogany family. As a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, the plant grows up to 12 meters.
When unripe, the Xylocarpus granatum is light green but changes to brown color after maturation. The fruit is large, spherical shape woody capsule containing up to 20 seeds.
Xylocarpus granatum has a bitter taste at the unripe stage, due to which many locals use it to enhance the flavor of different dishes. While in the mature stage, the fruit has a cheese-like taste.
Here are some of the uses of Xylocarpis granatum fruit and its plant:
- Best for Curing various diseases, like cholera, malaria, diarrhea, fever, dysentery, and viral infections.
- Helpful in Dyeing clothes into red or brown color.
- Useful for Treating itchy skin.
Xinomavro Grapes
Native to Greece, Xinmavro is a unique variety of grapes commonly used for making the finest red and sparkling wines. Xinomavro is a delightful exception in the grapes family that comes under the fruits that start with X.
The name Xinomavro is the combination of two Greek words, “Xino,” which means “sour,” and “Mavro,” which translates to “black.” The name aptly describes the grapes’ distant flavor profile and color.
Xinmavro has an abundance of seeds that are used to make grapeseed oil as a by-product of wine-making.
Xoay
The Xoay is a relatively rare fruit in the category that starts with the letter “X.” Also known as velvet tamarind or dialium, it is a tropical fruit from the Fabaceae family and grows in the dense tropical forest of Asia and Africa.
Xoay is small, like a grape, and has a hard black shell covering a soft orange pulp. It is rich in fiber, Vitamin C & A, iron, and calcium. Due to this, the plant has many medicinal properties, like:
- Maintaining strong bones.
- Boosting immunity.
- Regenerating cells.
- Improving oral hygiene and curing toothache.
- Treating diarrhea.
Xarel-lo
Like the Xylocarpus granatum, Xarel-lo belongs to the variety of grapes that start with the X.
Originating from Catalonia, Spain, Xarel-lo is a white, light-skinned grape and is the region’s most planted variety. It is also one of the three main grapes used for making sparkling wine, “Cava.”
Xarel-lo is created by cross-reproducing “Brustiano faux” and “Gibi” grapes. People in other regions of Spain, mostly La Rioja, Valencia, and Murcia, also grow Xarel-lo in the soil at 400 meters altitude for the best yield.
Xanthium Strumarium
Another fruit that starts with X is the Xanthium strumarium, also known as clotbur, rough cocklebur, and large cocklebur. It is a shrub with thorns that can reach three meters tall and belong to the species of the Asteraceae family.
The fruit is native to Eurasia and North Africa and has also been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, and North and South America for farming.
Xanthium strumarium fruit is yellow and has a shell-like skin with many spikes, similar to the more common lychee fruit. Chinese herbal medicine practices use it to relieve pain, especially from soreness and headaches caused by a blocked nose and sinus infections.
WARNING: the Xanthoum strumarium is not edible and can quickly kill humans and animals.
Xoconostle
The Xoconostle, the final addition to our list of fruits that start with X, is a unique type of cactus that usually grows on the Nopal cactus in Mexico. It has a tart flavor, and people use it in dishes like mole de olla and beef stews.
Xoconostle has a light green color and becomes pink when it ripens. Moreover, the fruit is shaped like a pear and can be 7 cm long and 4-5 cm wide.
The fruit is rich in calcium, vitamins C & E, betalains, and fiber, providing antioxidant benefits. Xoconosyle can help you fight E. coli and lower blood sugar levels.Â
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve discussed 7 different fruits that start with X and their unique properties like taste, color, shape, and uses.
We hope this article has given you a deeper understanding and appreciation of these uncommon fruits.
