National Tropical Fruit Day Date in the current year: July 18, 2024

Tropical fruits are fruits native to the tropics with their unique combination of heat, humidity, and rainfall. They are a botanically diverse group of fruit that includes representatives from numerous families. Some well-known tropical fruits include, but are not limited to, avocado, banana, citrus fruits, coconut, dragon fruit (also known as pitaya or pitahaya), durian, guava, kiwi, lychee, mango, mangosteen, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, rambutan, and many more.

Tropical fruit are a staple in the diets of people in their native regions, but they are often seen an exotic delicacy elsewhere; this is why they are often referred to as exotic fruit outside of tropical areas. Thanks to the development of efficient transportation systems and refrigeration technologies, the production and export of fresh tropical fruit has become an important source of revenue for many developing countries in recent decades. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), developing countries account for about 98% of the total production of fresh tropical fruit, while developed countries account for 80% of their import.

Even though some tropical fruit are now available all the year round at affordable prices, many people still view them as something special because their taste reminds them of summer vacations and trips abroad, sandy beaches and colorful tropical cocktails in tall glasses with little umbrellas.

Most people value tropical fruit first and foremost because of their taste, but these fruit aren’t just delicious. They are also good for your health due to being rich in vitamins, micro- and micro-nutrients, antioxidants, and dietary fiber. Some tropical fruit are widely regarded as superfoods; they include, for example, açaí, acerola, avocado, bananas, citrus fruits, goji berries, and many others.

National Tropical Fruit Day is the brainchild of Amy Monette, a staff member at National Day Calendar. A big lover of tropical fruit, especially papaya and mango, Amy thought that this delicious food day would be a great addition to the summer holiday calendar. The inaugural celebration took place in 2023, and National Tropical Fruit Day has been celebrated every July 18 since then.

There are many ways to celebrate National Tropical Fruit Day. You can have a variety of tropical fruit for dessert, try tropical fruit you have never tried before, make a bucket list of tropical fruit you want to try and set a goal to cross all items from the list before the next Tropical Fruit Day, experiment with recipes that use tropical fruit as an ingredient, order a tropical food box, and post about your favorite tropical fruit on social media with the hashtags #NationalTropicalFruitDay and #TropicalFruitDay to spread the word about the holiday.