One, Two. Achacha! Exploring Australia’s Favourite Fruit

Ever thought you’d come across a fruit that could rival the flavours of mangosteen or durian? We certainly didn’t – until we heard of this curious contender from Queensland.

The Achacha fruit belongs to the same family as mangosteens, which is genus Garcinia. Other fruits in this family include the Yellow Mangosteen and the Lemon Drop Mangosteen. We were scratching our heads too (mangosteen got not purple also meh?), but all questions went out the window after one delectable bite.

Originally from Bolivia, Achachairu, which means ‘honey kiss’ (‘achacha’ is an Aussie-fied way of pronouncing it), has seen a kind of renaissance in Australia due to favourable growing conditions and popular demand. It looks very similar to a loquat, and is plentiful from December to March.

The taste has been described as a heavenly mix of creamy, fruity sweetness and a sour tang, with a hint of resin. As chronicled by Youtuber “Weird Fruit Explorer” Jared Rydelek, the Achacha fruit takes everything we love about the succulent flesh of mangosteens and makes it 10x better.

Apart from bearing fruit, the Achacha tree has little fragrant white flowers surrounding their fruits which attract bees for pollination. Farmers in the plantations harvest the honey produced from Achacha flowers, yielding a delicious fruity nectar laced with malt and caramel undertones.

For more ways to enjoy the achacha, here are two recipes that incorporate the fruit’s beautifully balanced flavours: