Weird Timorese Fruit
#1: Strawberries
Strawberries themselves are not unusual or weird in any way. What makes them weird in this context is that Timor Leste is located in a tropical climate. As a foreigner, you do not expect them growing here, and yet there is a small, local, strawberry industry.
Strawberries are relatively cheap here, one full box costs maybe one or two American dollars (yes, that is the currency in Timor). The box in the picture is not full, that’s about a third of the original content. However, before you can buy them, you need to get to them first. Most of them you will find in the mountains, where the locals sell them on the street. That is the only place cold enough for them to grow. If you don’t want to make that bumpy road trip, you might also find them on some of the bigger markets in Dili, like Taibesi Market. They taste very good, but of course, they don’t look as shiny as from the supermarket.
If you want to buy local timorese strawberry jam or juice, you can stop by the “Projeto Montanha”, a local restaurant with the objective to also support local people. I would not rely on it being available, but the other food is tastes good as well and they have a nice selection of souvenirs in their small shop, so going there will pay off either way. They have a facebook page, or you can just google “projeto montanha timor leste” for more information.
