There are times in life when everyone needs a little help. And to this end, having read with interest the latest statistics on exotics published in FPJ last week, I found myself reaching for the dictionary - the Concise Oxford one, to be precise.

What actually is an exotic? Applying the logic of the wholesale market, such products, whatever they were, used to come under the universally accepted, but not so politically correct nowadays, classification of “queer gear”.

The basic problem seems to be that, as far as fresh produce is concerned, the market is always on the move.

After all, there was a time in the 1950s when buying melons was still something of a novelty. Honeydew was all the rage, until Israel came up with Ogen, and then Galia.

About the same time, grapefruit (the white-fleshed type) might also have been considered exotic, followed by avocados and kiwifruit. Likewise pineapples, once the luxury of the fruit bowl at Christmas, became freely available in all sizes year round. Now most consumers will agree all these lines are part of the mainstream.

But, reading the statistics, many of these still appear to be classed by TNS - an organisation for which I have the greatest respect - as remaining in the exotics category, and apparently contribute 80 per cent to the sector’s sales value.

So maybe I am wrong; which is where I thought the dictionary would come in handy.

“Exotic” is variously defined. What about “introduced or originating from a foreign - especially tropical - country”? That could fit the bill but, with the majority of fruit being imported, and not forgetting vegetables, the market would be greater then £327 million.

So how about the definition “of a kind newly brought into use”? That takes me back to where I started and still poses the question of how long it takes before a product becomes commonplace. I suppose if it has taken the consumer 10 years before being tempted to try anything alphabetically between an Abui and a Zalacca (viz: the Re:fresh Directory), that logic would fit.

The definition “attractively or remarkably strange or unusual” seems to be nearer the mark. It certainly covers something such as cerise and green dragon fruit or, to give it its other name, pitahaya. That particular fruit’s reputation has been enhanced, as it was selected to feature in an episode of Star Trek alongside Captain Kirk and the Enterprise.

But even if the consumer comes from nearer home than Planet X, the definition may still not stand up. To quote a more recognisable example, an American neighbour of mine came with me on a trip to the old Covent Garden and had a traditional English breakfast. He was blown away by eating kippers for the first time. Perhaps I would have felt the same at Hunt’s Point market in New York if confronted for the first time by a stack of pancakes and maple syrup!

So it’s really down to local habits and knowledge. Which is why the subject of what constitutes exotic will always be a talking point.

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