Coconuts, available  throughout  the  year, are inescapable at a Thai meal for in some form they figure  in  almost  every dish. Coconut milk is a prominent ingredient of curries and soups, and  the sliced or grated flesh turns up in many as well; it is even more ubiquitous in desserts, appearing as  the basis of delicate custards, in the form of candy, as crispy strips cooked in brown syrup, and in countless other confections.
    For a visitor, an especially exotic treat on a hot day is a freshly opened young coconut, whose tender white flesh and sweet juice can be enjoyed whenever the mood strikes.

   Also known as sugar apple, this fruit has a  lumpy green skin covering masses of sweet, scented  white  flesh : in most varieties the fruit can easily be divided into two pieces by hand and the creamy flesh eaten  with spoon. Custard apples also form the base for a delicious ice cream, served in Thai restaurants.     The main growing areas are the north - central provinces such as Phetchabun and Nakhon Ratchasima, and the peak fruiting season lasts from June to September.

   Beginning  in  May and extending through August, the durian announces its presence in Thai markets with a distinctive, highly pervasive aroma. To Thais, as well as to many other Asians, the stin k is a  welcome odor for they regard durian as the king of fruits, a delicacy that is well worth the comparatively high price it commands.
   Some visitors,  on the  other  hand,  are  deterred  by  the potent  smell  and  never actually sample  the  creamy golden flesh hidden within the spiny exterior - thereby missing one of the truly  great pleasures  of  fruit eating. "The more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop," wrote  Alfred  Russell  Wallace,  after  eating  his  first durian on Borneo in the 19th century, and most of those who follow his example are likely to agree with him.
   Thai durians are noted for their subtle flavor and smooth texture, often winning over gourmets who have failed to respond in other countries where the fruit grows. Three of the most popular varieties (and there are several dozen to choose from) are cha ni, kan yao, and, perhaps the most prized of all, monthong.

   Real grapes i a hot country like Thailand? By all means, and delicious ones, too, both red and white, and available all year round though the peak fruiting season is September through April. Actually, most of the varieties grown were developed at Kasetsat Agricultural University to thrive under tropical conditions and are now an important source of income for many farmers in Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon Provinces.

   No one seems to know how the Thais came to call the guava by the same name used for Westerners, but perhaps the fact that the fruit originally came from Spain had something to do with it.In any event, the guava is one of the most popular fruits for snacks, eaten either ripe or when still green dipped in a bit of salt or sugar. In addition to the usual one with white flesh, another variety is bright red when peeled.

   The jackfruit is the shape of a large melon. The fruit has a grey skin, and contains a great number of  pips or kernels which are about the size of a pigeon's egg. These, when roasted, taste  like chestnuts. The  fruit is yellow and succulent, of a sweet taste and powerful smell. Thus wrote  Simon de  la Loubere,  a  French visitor to Thailand in the 17th century, and his description of the popular jackfruit still  holds  true. Thais eat the yellow flesh alone, with ice cream or mixed with other fruits and coconut milk in a  compote. The cooked seeds find their way into many dishes.

   Grown  extensively in central and eastern Thailand, the small, round, sweet fruit is usually eaten fresh but is also processed for juice or dried.

   This fruit is unlikely to be known to many foreign fruit lovers, but Thais are very fond of its smoky  white flesh and look forward to the fruits annual appearance between July and October. The taste is sweet and at the same time slightly sour. One must be careful not to bite into the bitter seed. The main growing zones are the lower north, the east, and the south.

   There wasa time when this famous delicacy was mostly imported from China and thus sold at  very high  prices. Today however, many litchi orchards have been established in northern Thailand and local prices,  while still above those of most other fruits ,are not exorbitant. Several varieties of the fruit characterized  by a  sweet taste with a faint trace of tartness are currently grown, ranging  from pinkish to dark red in  color. Litchis come on the market fresh between April and June but are always available in cans.

    Grown extensively in the north, especially in the Chiang Mai area, the longan is much esteemed by Thai fruit lovers, who eagerly await the annual high season from June to August when piles of the small brown fruit can be found in markets throughout the country. The crisp skin is easy to remove and the white flesh has a texture and sweetness reminiscent of litchi. Thais generally eat longan fresh at room temperature, but the canned fruit is often served over ice as a dessert.

   The pineapple is native of Central America (Christopher Colombus discovered it along with the West Indies) and it  has been grown in Thailand for several centuries, especially in the sandy soil along the sea coasts. Indeed, so widespread has cultivation been in recent years that today the kingdom ranks as the world's leading exporter of canned pineapple.

    Southern Thailand (see entries on Surat Thani) is the home of the mangosteen, which appears on markets in May and continues through most of the rainy season. This delicious fruit has a thick, dark-red skin, inside which are creamy white segments with a sweet, slightly tart flavor; as a general rule, the more segments a mangosteen has, the fewer seeds one will find.
     A knife is used to slit the skin around the middle, after which it opens easily and the flesh can be eaten with a fork as a memorable after-meal treat.

     This is among the sweetest and the juiciest of oranges, with a yellowish-green peel and bright yellow flesh; the segments are generally eaten fresh or squeezed for their juice. The main season is September through November, but  some  sweet  oranges can be found in the markets all year round. Tangerines (som khiao wan in Thai) are also grown extensively in Thailand and eaten in the same way as the oranges.

   Somewhat resembling a small  brown mango in shape, the sapodilla is grown in several widely scattered provinces, among them Chonburi, Sukhothai, Nakhon Sawan and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The fruit is eaten when ripe. After the peel is removed, the firm reddish-brown flesh is sliced into pieces which are often carved into decorative shapes.

   Sweet and refreshing, ruby-red chunks of watermelon are an essential part of nearly every fruit platter. In Thailand, pieces of watermelon are often dipped into salt before eating; the delicious juice is also extracted and widely sold as a beverage. Watermelons are grown in most parts of Thailand and are available throughout the year, though March is the peak of the season

   This is the Thai version of a grapefruit, but with a sweet rather than a sour taste and considerably larger. A number of varieties are grown, with succulent flesh that may be pale yellow, orange, or red, and since the unpeeled fruit can be kept for around a month it is a popular addition to Thai meals. The peak fruiting season is from August to November, but some pomelos are available throughout the year.

    Ruby red and covered with fine green - tipped  hairs, the rambutan is one of the most attractive Thai fruits and also one of the most delicious when eaten at the peak of ripeness between May and September when it is most  plentiful. Thai rambutans are noted for their sweetness and considerable quantities are exported both fresh and canned; the main growing areas are Chanthaburi and southern provinces such as Surat Thani.

    Bell - shaped, the rose apple has a glossy skin that is either green or pink and that is eaten along with the crisp, slightly acid inside. Its decorative appearance guarantees it a prominent place on any fruit platter during the peak season between June and September.

   The fruit is, as the name suggests, a sweet variety of a fruit generally associated with an acid taste.  After being peeled it is generally eaten fresh,though boiled in water it also makes a refreshing juice. Other, more sour varieties of tamarind are used in various cooked dishes for flavoring.

   Those who know mangos only from the varieties found in places like Hawaii, Mexico or the West Indies  may think they have discovered a new fruit in the light-colored, delicately flavored mangos that turn  up  on Thai markets between March and June. More than a dozen different kinds are grown, many of them  hybrids developed in Thailand. They have become so popular among mango connoisseurs in neighboring countries that nearly 3 million kilograms (6.6 million lbs.) are exported annually.

   Originally a native of Mexico, the papaya has been grown in Southeast Asia since the 16th century and the long yellow or orange fruit, rich in Vitamins A and C, is a well-established component of Thai cuisine. In  perhaps its most popular use, green papayas are sliced into thin strips and ground together with dried shrimp, garlic, and hot chilies to produce a fiery salad called som tam.