8 Fruits Starting with V
Fruits that start with the letter V make up a small but surprisingly varied group. Alongside familiar ingredients like vanilla and citrus, the list includes tropical fruits and lesser-known pods that show up in both sweet and savory cooking around the world.
From creamy, aromatic fruits to practical pantry staples, these V fruits may be few in number, but theyโre far from boring. Let’s get started!
1. Velvet Apple (Mabolo)
Velvet apples are distinctive for their soft, suede-like skin and creamy interior. While the fruit has a mild sweetness, itโs known for a strong aroma that can be divisive. Chilling or pairing it with other fruits helps mellow the scent, making it more enjoyable in desserts and fruit salads.
2. Vanilla Bean Pod
Vanilla pods are the cured fruits of the vanilla orchid, harvested green and processed through a lengthy curing process to develop flavor. Inside the pod are thousands of tiny seeds responsible for vanillaโs characteristic aroma. Though not eaten on their own, vanilla pods are one of the most widely used fruits in sweet cooking worldwide.
3. Voavanga
Voavanga is an exotic fruit with a hard outer shell and tangy, citrus-like pulp inside. The flavor sits between tamarind and grapefruit, offering both sharpness and subtle sweetness. Itโs eaten fresh, juiced, or lightly sweetened in drinks and preserves.
4. Volkamer Lemon
Volkamer lemons are a type of hybrid, large, rough-skinned citrus fruits known for their powerful aroma. Their juice is milder and slightly bitter compared to common lemons, while the zest is highly fragrant. Theyโre often used for marinades, citrus syrups, and aromatic oils.
5. Velvet Tamarind
Velvet tamarind produces small, fuzzy pods filled with sweet-tart pulp. The flavor is gentler and less sharp than standard tamarind, making it easy to enjoy on its own. Itโs commonly eaten as a snack or used in refreshing drinks and candies.
6. Vietnamese Milk Apple
Vietnamese milk apple, also known as star apple or vรบ sแปฏa, is a tropical fruit prized for its soft, creamy flesh and mild sweetness. When sliced crosswise, it reveals a distinctive star-shaped pattern at the center. The pale, gelatinous pulp is eaten fresh by scooping it out, while the skin and seeds are typically discarded due to their bitterness and latex content. Its flavor is subtle and milky, often described as lightly reminiscent of coconut, pear, or vanilla.
7. Vavangue
Vavangue is a tropical fruit native to parts of Africa and Madagascar, related to African medlar. It has a tough outer shell and soft, aromatic pulp inside. The flavor is gently sweet with light acidity, and the fruit is eaten fresh or used in juices and preserves.
8. Vigna Fruit (Cowpea Pod)
Cowpea pods are botanically fruits that enclose edible seeds, commonly known as cowpeas or black-eyed peas. When harvested young, the entire pod can be cooked and eaten in certain cuisines. Their flavor is mild, and the texture is tender once cooked, making them a practical rather than aromatic fruit.
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