I (Tamara) went to the supermarket and bought a variety of local fruits. With the help of my Spanish teacher, I was able to identify them.
 The fruit smorgasbord- all fruit purchased from the local supermarket.
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Pepino
The Pepino (solanum muricatum) tasted like a mix between honeydew and papaya. It is a kind of tree melon and was very sweet.
 Pepino.
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 Pepino.
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Tomate de Arbol (tree tomato)
The Tomate de Arbol (cyphomandra betacea, english: tree tomato) was not my favorite, but is edible. The flesh of the fruit was fairly bitter and is often blended to make juice.
 Tomate de arbol (tree tomato).
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 Tomate de arbol cut longitudinally, showing dark seeds.
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 Tomate de arbol showing pattern of the seeds.
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Maracuyá (passion fruit)
The Maracuyá (passiflora edulis, english: passion fruit) was sour, but with a distinct and delicious flavor. There are many seeds, but the juice tastes very good and this is my favorite flavor for ice cream. The seeds separate from the rind/shell, like oil and water.
 Maracuyá (passion fruit).
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 Maracuyá cut longitudinally.
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 Maracuyá seeds, separated from the rind/shell.
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Tuna (prickly pear)
Tuna (Opuntia ficus-indica, english: prickly pear) is something we encountered as early as Mexico. It isn't a type of fish- that's Atun. The flesh is red-orange, and the fruit was a little sour (probably not ripe yet) but I enjoyed the fresh flavor. Prickly pear juice is a favorite of mine added to margaritas.
 Tuna (prickly pear).
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 Tuna cut open, revealing flesh.
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Naranjilla/Lulo
The Naranjilla, or Lulo (Solanum quitoense) looks like a bit like a tomato. The flesh is light green/yellow. It tastes somewhat similar to kiwi but it was very sour (again, probably not ripe yet). I enjoy this fruit in juices and as an ice cream flavor.
 Naranjilla or Lulo.
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 Naranjilla cut open.
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Chirimoya (custard apple)
The Chirimoya (Annona cherimola, english: custard apple) is a native fruit in Ecuador. The skin is soft as well as the flesh. It was an odd taste- maybe a little hint of bubblegum, but not a lot of flavor.
 Chirimoya (custard apple).
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 Chirimoya cut open.
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Taxo (banana passionfruit)
The Taxo (Passiflora, english: banana passionfruit) is native to Latin America. The fruit is very sour with lots of seeds, but is popular for juice in Ecuador (usually sugar is added).
 Taxo (banana passionfruit).
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 Taxo cut longitudinally.
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Oritos (baby bananas)
It's hard to find information on Oritos (english: baby bananas, or tiny bananas, or sugar bananas, or lady finger bananas) on the Web. They taste the same as regular bananas, but are so tiny and cute!
 Oritos next to regular bananas.
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