First Look at the Gac Fruit and an attempt to make Gac Juice

gacfruit

Last weekend I bought some Gac fruit, which is often labelled as a super-fruit due to its high nutritional value. In Thailand it is called “Fak Khao”. From what I understand the name “Gac” is Vietnamese which leads me to believe that the fruit is native to that country. You don’t see it often in Thailand but it is starting to turn up more regularly in specialty markets like farmer’s markets and riverside markets. They have some at Bang Namphueng Floating Market. You will see the gac juice more often. I tried some at the same place where I bought this fruit and found it refreshing. But, after I attempted to juice the fruit myself, I realized two things. Firstly, they must have put in a lot of water as my version was very thick. I think they put in 50% water. Secondly, the taste is pretty bland and so I am guessing they added something else. Maybe sweeteners.

Inside the fruit there are black pips that obviously cannot be juiced. I washed the red juice off this with my fingers and  a cup of water. I also peeled the fruit and added the orange flesh to the blender together with the red juice. No idea if this is correct so if anyone has any experience can you please let me know in the comments. I am also looking for ideas of what to add to the juice to make it taste better. Maybe pineapple. If you are buying one for yourself to juice, just buy one fruit as it does need to be watered down. One fruit goes a long way!

16 thoughts on “First Look at the Gac Fruit and an attempt to make Gac Juice

  • August 9, 2018 at 8:19 am
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    I just arrived at this page after drinking some in the Bahamas. The brand is Sun Splash.

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  • September 27, 2016 at 4:44 am
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    Anyone know where I can buy Gac juice or Gac fruit in Toronto. Thanks

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    • November 13, 2016 at 1:09 pm
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      You can go to look for them in Chinatown near you. They are native to Vietnam soil, but Southern China has it grown too. If lucky, during Luna new year , you will see a lot of fresh Gac for sale in Chinatown, Vietnamese market but cost more, bc its for also lucky color of its added to new year for good luck

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    • April 4, 2018 at 6:47 am
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      I have a gac fruit and gac powder
      From thailand

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  • November 24, 2015 at 12:19 am
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    Hi,

    Where can I get gac fruit in the US?

    Thanks,
    Elaine

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    • March 7, 2016 at 8:53 pm
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      I don’t think you could get this fruit in the U.S. at this moment, as the shelf life of Gac fruit is too short for exporting out of Vietnam or northern Thailand. Nevertheless, there are many beverage manufacturers looking into using Gac as one of the ingredients. And for sure, this is a super fruit which will ‘save lives’.

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    • November 13, 2016 at 1:05 pm
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      Most likely you can find in Vietnamese markets in frozen section or if you live in Southern California, you can find it in open market in the same building of ABC super market. Do not eat fresh, cook it any way you like, bc it can make u sick when you consume it rawly. Im Vietnamese, grew up in Vietnam and helped my grandma season after season to grow and sell and learnt to cook them. I look for them in US wherever I live during them Luna new year.
      Its true about health benefits of Gac

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      • May 23, 2017 at 5:38 pm
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        Juice and cook only the red in the middle and throw out the rest? Or cut off the skin chop and cook?

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        • June 16, 2023 at 5:04 am
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          There are a few different species, some with edible flesh, some are not. Just give a little taste of the flesh, if it is not bitter, you are good to use the flesh too, otherwise, just use the aril around the seeds.

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  • November 27, 2014 at 9:25 am
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    I also read not to eat the flesh of the fruit, but a Thai mentioned as long as it was cooked it was okay. For juice just the red stuff for juicing. Greg above had a great article on it, but unfortunately, the site is no longer up.

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  • August 22, 2014 at 10:18 pm
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    I read in several articles about gac fruit that the flesh of the gac fruit is poisonous. Is this true?

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  • January 17, 2014 at 10:18 pm
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    I think what you are referring to is a pomegranate. Very good for making cocktails (drink variety).

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    • November 11, 2016 at 3:52 pm
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      It’s not pomegranate. It’s Gac .

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  • September 16, 2013 at 3:59 pm
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    Hi Richard,

    Nice information giving with us here so thank you very much. I would like to tell you, that is among the most powerful superfoods, like Acai, goji, Noni, fucidan, Mangosteen and Seabuckthorn. These are the best anti-oxidants in the world. Now, Idrink the juice together in the same bottle. Very, exciting!!!

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    • March 2, 2014 at 5:29 am
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      Jamie, Just read your post and am excited to read about the anti-oxidant foods you mentioned. Do you juice them yourself into the bottle, or are you buying a particular brand – what is the brand?

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  • September 15, 2013 at 12:34 pm
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    Gac by itself is not sweet and does not go down well. It should be cut with Orange Juice or Passion Fruit Juice or some other sweet juice. Adding a little banana also helps. No need for water if you use these other juices, and only a small amount of the Gac will get the full health benefits from the drink. Gac has some amazing health benefits that make it well worth taking every day. Here’s my report on it: http://americanexpatchiangmai.com/the-amazing-power-of-gac-fruit/

    Reply

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