Thinking of fruits that start with v gets more challenging. Most likely, you may know a very few fruits, or you may even remember one name at all!
But, don’t worry.
We got the answers you need.
In this post, you’ll get to:
- Identify 12 fruits that start with V.
- Know what they are, their taste, their benefits, and how they are eaten or prepared.
Let’s find out!
The first one on our list is the Vaccarese grape.
1. Vaccarese Grapes
The Vaccarese grape or Brun Argenté is a dark-skinned red wine grape indigenous to Rhone Valley, France.
The scientific name of vaccarese grapes is Vitis vinifera.
Taste: The taste of the Vaccarese grape is somewhat similar to the dark-skinned Syrah grapes. Wines produced from Vaccarese grapes possess a peppery and tannic structure. For light red wines, the taste is akin to Cinsaut grapes.
Benefits: Vaccarese grapes have an excellent nutritional profile. It is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C and K.
How To Eat: This grape is usually eaten fresh, while some like it frozen. You can enjoy these grapes in fruit salads, smoothies, jellies, snack platters, sorbet, and juice. As for Vacaresse, grape wine is best matched with roasted meat dishes such as pork or veal, seared rabbit livers, and chicken curry.
Second, the velvet apple fruit is on our list of fruit starts with v.
2. Velvet Apple Fruit
These apples are not your common red apples. The velvet apple fruit comes in colors golden-yellow to orange and violet-red.
Taste: The thin skin of the velvet apple fruit is something you don’t want to swallow. Why? That is because it has an unpleasant aroma, and it tastes bitter!
Thus, the skin of the velvet apple is usually peeled off and discarded. Take note that it is just only the skin that’s not pleasing to the palate.
As for the white to off-white flesh of the velvet apple, fruit is described as crispy and sweet.
It has a distinct taste of bananas or strawberry-mango yogurt with some notes of berries and bubblegum.
Benefits: The velvet apple fruit is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, A, and B-complex, calcium, potassium, iron, and dietary fiber,
How To Eat: Velvet apple fruits are usually peeled to get rid of the bitter-tasting skin. The flesh is generally eaten raw. Sometimes, they are added to fruit salads or desserts.
Next in our list of fruits starting with the letter V are the Valencia oranges.
3. Valencia Orange Fruit
Valencia orange fruit is from Valencia, Spain. Its scientific name is Citrus × Sinensis – a pummelo × mandarin orange hybrid parentage. (*, *, *)
The Valencia orange fruit is cultivated for orange juice production.
This round to slightly oval orange species may have up to six pieces of cream-colored seeds and 12 pulpy sections.
Taste: The pulp of the valencia orange fruit is known as juicy, tender, sweet, tangy, tarty, and less acidic.
Benefits: Valencia orange fruit is rich in vitamin C, folate, and fiber. They also have antioxidants that help boost the immune system.
How To Eat: Just simply peel and eat the valencia orange fruit like any other orange.
The peeling comes off easily, and you can use the orange juice and the zest for your marinades for meats.
Valencia oranges also give flavor to your custard and sauces recipe or use them for garnishing a dish.
Another on our list of fruits beginning with V is the vanilla fruit.
4. Vanilla Fruit
As one of the most expensive spices in the world, have you ever wondered where your favorite vanilla flavor comes from?
Yes, it is true that it falls under the orchid family, and it is also considered a culinary spice, but it apparently comes from the vanilla fruit!
The vanilla orchid is the only orchid member that produces edible fruit.
Some of the notable vanilla cultivars are the Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla fruit, Mexican vanilla, Tahitian vanilla, and West Indian vanilla.
Taste: The vanilla fruit has an aromatic compound called vanillin.
The taste and aroma of vanillin are like the taste of marshmallows. Some say vanilla has an exotic aroma – creamy, warm, and comforting.
Benefits: Aside from its flavor and aroma, vanilla fruit also has some interesting health benefits. It is found that it can provide relief to people with sleep apnea because of its calming effect.
How To Eat: Vanilla is primarily used as a flavoring for many desserts and drinks such as baked goods, ice cream, smoothies, yogurt, coffee, soups, stews, and sauces.
Next, we have the velvet tamarind as one of the fruits, starting with the letter V.
5. Velvet Tamarind Fruit
Cultivated in the dense forests of Africa, the seasonal velvet tamarind fruit (Dialium guineense) belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The velvet tamarind is also native to certain Asian countries such as Laos, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The size of the edible brown velvet tamarind fruit is like grapes. The hard shell that embraces the velvet tamarind flesh is not edible.
The seeds of the velvet tamarind fruit are shiny, and their shape resembles a watermelon seed.
Taste: The orange pulp of the velvet tamarind fruit is both sweet and sour or tangy. The astringent flavor of the velvet tamarind resembles the baobab fruit but is sweeter.
Benefits: The velvet tamarind contains iron, calcium, and potassium.
How to eat: Remove the inedible shell and just eat the pulp. You may eat it raw or soak them in a glass of water if you want to use it as a beverage.
6. Voavanga Fruit (Voa vanga)
Also known as Spanish-tamarind or tamarind-of-the-Indies, the voavanga fruit is scientifically known as Vangueria madagascariensis of the Rubiaceae family. (*)
These are large, round, smooth, and shiny, and yellowish-brown fruits are considered essential and medicinal trees in the sub-Saharan African regions.
Taste: The pulp of the voavanga fruit or Spanish tamarind has a pleasant sweet chocolatey flavor, with notes of some astringent and acidic taste of apples and tamarind.
Benefits: The voavanga fruit contains micronutrients such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, calcium, chromium, phosphorus, and iron.
This fruit also possesses antibacterial, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antimalarial properties.
As a medicinal plant, the voavanga fruit is used to treat pain, gastrointestinal problems, malaria, and skin diseases.
How to eat: The voavanga fruit pulp is commonly eaten fresh. However, you can make this Spanish tamarind into jellies, jams, juice, pudding, or add them to stews and meal porridge.
7. Valencia Pride Mangoes
Originating from Florida, USA, the hybrid parentage of the Valencia pride mangoes is ‘Haden’ x unknown, and it is under the Mangifera indica species.
Historical reports revealed that Valencia pride mangoes are grown from the seed of a Handen mango.
The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in the 2009 International Mango Festival selected the Valencia pride mango as a “Curator’s Choice.”
Taste: The yellow flesh of the Valencia pride mango is firm, juicy, fruity sweet, and aromatic. Furthermore, the flesh of this mango variety is almost fiberless.
Benefits: Valencia Pride mangoes are rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, vitamin C, fiber, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, and folate.
How to eat: All you need to do is wash it, peel it, and then cut it into the shapes you want. It can be in big slices, diced, or cubes.
8. Van Dyke Mango
Under the Mangifera indica species, the Van Dyke mango is a commercial mango cultivar that started in South Florida. (*)
The harvest season for this mango variety happens from June to July. Plus, the Van Dyke Mango variety is resistant to Anthracnose and powdery mildew.
The shape of the Van Dyke mango is oval, but the base of the fruit is round. It weighs less than a pound, and the texture of the outer skin is smooth.
The Van Dyke mango has an attractive yellow with a blush of bright crimson color.
Taste: The yellow mouth-melting flesh of the Van Dyke mango is almost fiberless, and it has a rich and sweet flavor and aroma.
Benefits: The Van Dyke mango fruit contains fiber, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, and C.
How to eat: Just like any kind of ripe mango, just wash it first. You may peel off the skin or slice the mangoes the way you want to serve them.
Next on the fruits starting with the letter V is the Victoria plum fruit.
9. Victoria Plum
Scientifically known Prunus domestica, the Victoria plum or English plum, was originally cultivated in Britain. It’s a plum cultivar under the egg plum group. (*)
Taste: The fruit has red or mottled skin, and the color of its flesh is light yellow, and it has a delicate balance of delicious sharp and sweet taste, with hints of almond flavor when ripe.
Benefits: Plums are generally nutritious fruits. They can provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
This fruit contains healthful properties that can help lower the risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
How to eat: You can eat the fruit raw, but plums are popularly used in British cuisines. They are mostly made into preserves and used in baked goods such as cakes and pies.
One of the fruits starting with V on our list is the Volkamer lemon.
10. Volkamer Lemon
The Volkamer lemon (Citrus volkameriana) is a centuries-old citrus hybrid of mandarin orange and citron. (*)
It was originally cultivated in Italy, but now you can see them growing in the USA and in some parts of Asia.
Volkamer lemon also comes in different names such as Wo er ka mo ning meng in China, limone Volkameriano in Italy, and chanh Volkamerin in Vietnam.
Furthermore, the Volkamer lemon serves as a rootstock for commercial lemon varieties as they are resistant to plant diseases.
Taste: The taste of the Volkamer lemon is acidic and somewhat bitter. At the same time, the fragrance of the fruit is pleasing to the senses.
Benefits: They basically contain vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, and vitamin C.
It also has calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
How to eat: Just use it like how you use classic lemons in your food preparation. You can zest it, juice it, make them into marmalades or include them as an ingredient for marinades, baked goods, and other entree dishes.
Last but not least on the list of fruits starting with the letter V is the Vicar of Winkfield pear.
11. Vicar of Winkfield pear
Known as the centuries-old cooking fruit, the Vicar of Winkfield pear was originally found in the woods near Villers-en Brenne, France.
It’s a large calabash-shaped fruit with green to yellowish-green smooth skin.
Taste: The only granular part of this white-fleshed pear is only concentrated near the center. The flesh is tender, juicy, sort of astringent. It does not give off any impressive aroma when raw, but they’re great for cooking.
Benefits: Pears are generally a low-calorie fruit rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, phytonutrients, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, potassium, copper, and iron.
How to eat: These pears are best used for cooking rather than eating them raw. However, you may use it as a dessert pear during winter.
Final Thoughts
Finally! You just learned almost a dozen of fruits beginning with v!
And it’s great to see that we have fruit names that are easier to remember than other fruits listed on different alphabets.
After checking a list of fruits with names starting with the letter V, you might also want to check another fruits name list:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, Q, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z.
