Over the past couple of years, the term “superfruit” has taken hold and generally refers to more exotic fruits that have high antioxidant levels and an abundance of nutrients.  There’s nothing wrong with the standard fruits at the store, like strawberries, oranges, or blackberries, but this new breed of superfruits has been elevated onto a pedestal and given some sort of glamorous image.  It started off with blueberries and pomegranates, which are relatively accessible.  Then came açaí berries that became all the rage, yet no one really knew what they were.  Certainly understandable since most of us will never encounter a fresh one in our lives.  From what I know, they are highly perishable items and are generally found in the Amazon region.  By the time they could get shipped to the US, they would have gone bad, so they are only found as juices or flavorings.

Along the way, other exotic fruits have gained popularity, like goji berries, maqui berries, chermoyas, etc.  They haven’t been quite as well-known as blueberries, pomegranates, and açaí berries though.  Based on the products I see being sold, that trio has been unbeatable.  Now it seems that a new fruit is on the verge of breaking into their market share.  The yumberry, aptly named, is a red fuzzy fruit that I have also never seen fresh.  As a child I knew them as yang mei (??) and often ate preserved ones, which are delicious!  Forget about plums or apricots or whatever else dried fruit you may have had – these things are the bomb.  (Well, to someone like me who loves tart things anyway.)  And now Honest Tea and Jamba Juice have added them to their products as they slowly gain popularity and recognition.  Though the drinks don’t really remind me of the dried fruits I used to eat, I’m glad to see they’re getting their day in the spotlight.

So if you haven’t tried them yet, go explore and try to get a real one.  But if you can’t, you might luck out at a local Asian supermarket with the preserved ones.  I’m going to try to hunt them down too!