Not so in Thailand. One of the great things about taking a holiday in the land of the endless summer is that fruit is everywhere – all year around. In a place where one hot sunny day follows another, a good way of keeping track of time passing is keeping an eye on which fruits are bursting at the seams on the tables of roadside stalls.

Fruit, not surprisingly, is a cornerstone of the Thai diet. Thais don’t generally sit down to their three square meals a day, but tend to nibble from the time they get up until they pack it in at night. (They must have the most well-toned jaw muscles in the world.) Much of the time this snacking style of eating involves fruit.

In keeping with this fruit obsession, many areas of the country hold annual fruit festivals during the month of May, when many of the Thailand’s fruits come into their peak season. The festival includes cooking contests, parades, farm tours, and of course, beauty contests (where a young girl gets to hold the dubious title of “Miss Durian” for a whole year!).

Unlike most westerners, Thais often eat fruits before they are fully ripe and like most Thai cuisine, combine the sweet, sour and savory. A prime example of this is the famous dish somtam, which is shredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with chillis, peanuts, lemon juice, fish sauce (and other ingredients which vary regionally), and eaten with sticky rice. Most people from the northeast eat this spicy concoction every day.

Mangos are another fruit that most Thais prefer to eat while still green, dipping it into a mixture of salt, sugar and chillis. There is an exception though – mango and sticky rice, which may well be the most delightful yet simple dessert ever concocted. Sweet, delicate ripe mangos like the smiles of angels are laid over top of sticky rice and drizzled with sweetened coconut milk. If you get a chance to try this one, seize it with both hands – it is gorgeous.

Fruit has even moved into the realm of art in Thailand. Fruit carving is a long-standing tradition that has reached such a high level that the country’s countless cooking schools offer courses in the subject – popular with tourists on learning vacations.

While there are many fruits you may already be familiar with, there are some exquisite ones that many Westerners have never seen or heard of – so there are some pleasant surprises in store.

The more familiar ones on the list are strawberries (grown in the cool air of the northern mountains), watermelons (very sweet), grapes, pineapples, papayas, bananas (in more shapes, colors and sizes than you might have thought possible), mangos, and coconuts (technically a nut, not a fruit, but it goes so nicely on a fruit platter).

Some of the more “exotic” fruits you’ll encounter during the May festival are:

Durian:
This large, hard, spiky fruit looks more like a weapon than something edible – and some say its pungent aroma is something of a weapon as well. Though it gives off the smell of a compost heap, the soft, slightly fibrous flesh inside the vicious exterior is very creamy (and high in calories, by the way). Though this one isn’t for everybody, those who take to it tend to love it with a passion, regarding it as the king of fruits.

Lychee:
Though it originates in China, Thailand has mastered a juicy version that is sweet with a pleasant tartness. For those who haven’t encountered it, the lychee has a thin, brittle red skin that peels off easily to reveal a huge grape-like flesh surrounding a smooth brown stone. These ones can be a little pricey, but well worth it.

Mangosteen:
This dark purple fruit is rarely found outside the tropics, because it doesn’t travel well. It has a thick, dark purple bitter skin, which breaks open easily to reveal a white-segmented flesh that looks something like a little brain. The taste is indescribable, but in my experience, everyone who tastes it for the first time enjoys something resembling a religious experience. It is sweet and tangy and tongue smacking. Trust me – try one, it won’t be your last.

Rambutan:
You occasionally see these in Chinatown markets in western countries, but it’s unlikely you’d recognize them as a fruit. About the size of an egg, they are covered with a thick skin with hairy soft spikes – when ripe the main body is red and the spikes are green. They look a bit like an unhusked chestnut. When cut or split open the inside is grapelike, similar to a lychee, but the flavor is quite different. They are sweet, mildly flavored and highly addictive – you can work your way through a small mountain of them in a single sitting. Because the rambutan tree has such a high yield, at peak season in May and June, they are so cheap as to be virtually free. You can eat them until you are blue in the face for less than a dollar.

So if you happen to visit Thailand in May, don’t miss out. With all that fiber and vitamins, it could be the healthiest holiday you ever had.