Thai fruit by season
Thai fruit is known for following the calendar. Mango peaks from March to May, eastern durian around Chanthaburi follows from about April, and mangosteen, rambutan and longan carry the markets through the wet months, so the best basket is whatever the stall has piled highest.
Photo: Dennis Wong from Hong Kong, Hong Kong (CC BY 2.0)
Mango peaks March to May. Durian in the east, around Chanthaburi, runs from about April into June, with later waves in the south. Mangosteen and rambutan follow from May into September. Northern lychee is about April to June. Longan is about July to September. Longkong in the south is about August to October. Pineapple, banana, and papaya are year-round.
Common fruit at a market is often 40 to 120 THB a kilo. Durian costs more and is always priced by weight, so ask before they cut. Or Tor Kor is the graded hall in Bangkok, morning only. How to eat the sweet plate is on Thai desserts.
How to buy
- Ask the kilo price before anyone cuts durian or pomelo.
- Smell mango and durian. No smell often means it was picked green.
- Pomelo is a Nakhon Pathom crop with a long season, roughly August to February.
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- When is durian?
- About April to June in the east, later in the south. Hotels sell it whenever they can import it.
- Best Bangkok hall?
- Or Tor Kor in the morning. It is graded fruit, not a dinner market.