Fruits That Start With E

The letter E produces a smaller but nutritionally distinguished fruit collection. It includes elderberry, one of the most studied fruits for immune support, with clinical trial evidence for reducing the duration and severity of influenza and cold infections that few other foods can match. It includes the Emblica, another name for amla or Indian gooseberry, whose vitamin C concentration has already been discussed in the A series. It includes the fig’s smaller cousin, the elderflower, and a suite of tropical and subtropical fruits, including the egg fruit, the emu apple, and the exotic-named emu berry.

Most compellingly, the E list includes three fruits whose nutritional profiles are genuinely exceptional even by the standards of this series: elderberry for its immunological research base, emblic for its medicinal applications, and the exotic Etrog citron that holds sacred significance across multiple religious traditions while delivering a distinct bioactive profile.

Research published in PMC confirms that the anthocyanins, flavonols, and terpenes in elderberry produce direct antiviral activity against influenza A and B viruses in cell studies and randomized controlled trials, making it the most evidence-supported fruit for acute respiratory illness management.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health identifies diverse fruit consumption as one of the most modifiable dietary behaviors with the greatest impact on long-term health outcomes, with each additional serving of whole fruit per day associated with measurable reductions in cardiovascular disease risk, type 2 diabetes incidence, and all-cause mortality.

10 Fruits That Begins With E: Complete List with Health Benefits

1. Elderberry: The Immune Support Superfruit

Elderberry is the fruit of the Sambucus nigra tree, a small deciduous tree or shrub native to Europe, North America, and Western Asia that produces large clusters of tiny, deep purple-black berries in late summer. It is the most clinically studied fruit for immune function, with multiple randomized controlled trials specifically demonstrating reductions in the duration and severity of cold and influenza infections.

The primary active compounds are cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-sambubioside, anthocyanins specific to elderberry that have demonstrated direct antiviral activity through multiple mechanisms: inhibiting viral surface protein binding to host cell receptors, stimulating cytokine production in immune cells, and providing antioxidant protection to immune cells under oxidative stress from infection.

Raw elderberries contain sambunigrin, a cyanogenic glycoside that causes nausea and vomiting and must be destroyed by cooking before consumption. Only cooked elderberries or commercially produced elderberry products that have been properly processed are safe to eat. Never eat raw elderberries directly from the plant.

Health benefits: Clinical evidence for reduced duration and severity of influenza and cold infection, anthocyanins for cardiovascular protection, quercetin and rutin for anti-inflammatory effects, and vitamin C for immune function. Mayo Clinic identifies elderberry as one of the most evidence-supported natural supplements for immune function, with multiple clinical trials showing reductions in cold duration of 2 to 4 days compared to placebo.

Safety note: Always cook elderberries or use commercially prepared elderberry products. Raw elderberries, elderberry leaves, bark, and roots are toxic.

Best eaten: As a cooked syrup, elderberry gummies made from cooked syrup, elderberry jam, or commercially prepared elderberry supplements. Elderflower cordial is a related product from the flowers, not the berries.

2. Eggfruit (Canistel): The Egg Yolk Fruit

Eggfruit, botanically Pouteria campechiana and commonly called canistel, is a tropical fruit native to southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador, widely cultivated across the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Its name is entirely earned: the ripe flesh is deep yellow-orange with a dry, smooth, mealy texture and a flavor profile that combines sweetness with egg yolk-like richness, producing a uniquely satisfying eating experience unlike any other fruit.

The flesh is extremely dense and filling relative to its calorie content because its very low water content concentrates its carbohydrate and fiber in a format more similar to a starchy vegetable than a juicy fruit. A medium canistel can produce profound satiety at approximately 150 calories.

Health benefits: Exceptional beta-carotene and vitamin A content from the deep orange flesh, vitamin C for immune function, niacin for cellular energy metabolism, and dietary fiber for digestive health. Cleveland Clinic identifies beta-carotene-rich fruits, including eggfruit, as supporting immune function through conversion to vitamin A, with vitamin A specifically required for the differentiation of immune cells and the maintenance of mucosal barriers that prevent pathogen entry.

Best eaten: Fully ripe when the skin is deep golden-yellow, and the flesh yields to pressure. Eaten with a spoon directly, blended into milkshakes and ice cream, or spread on bread like a thick custard. Pairs well with lime juice and salt to balance its richness.

3. Emblica (Amla / Indian Gooseberry): The Vitamin C Record Holder

Emblica officinalis, universally known as amla or Indian gooseberry, appears in this series under its botanical genus name. It has already been covered in the A series under Amla but warrants inclusion here as well, given that it is frequently catalogued as Emblica in botanical and nutritional literature.

Amla provides 600 to 900 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, making it the highest vitamin C fruit in temperate and subtropical cultivation. Its vitamin C is unusually heat-stable due to the presence of tannins that protect ascorbic acid from oxidative degradation, which is why amla retains its vitamin C through drying, cooking, and processing at rates that citrus cannot match.

Health benefits: Extraordinary vitamin C concentration, chromium for insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation, ellagic acid for antioxidant and potential cancer-preventive activity, tannins with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, and iron. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition identifies amla’s bioavailable vitamin C as producing superior antioxidant outcomes compared to synthetic ascorbic acid supplements at equivalent doses, confirming the superiority of whole food vitamin C sources over isolated supplements.

Best eaten: As a dried powder in smoothies and warm water, as chyawanprash (traditional Ayurvedic preparation), fresh with honey and salt to offset the extreme sourness, or as a supplement capsule.

4. Emu Apple (Kunzea pomifera): The Australian Ground Berry

Emu apple, botanically Kunzea pomifera, is a small prostrate shrub native to the coastal heathlands of Victoria and South Australia in Australia, producing small, round fruits approximately 1 cm in diameter that ripen from green to deep red-purple in late summer. It is one of the most significant bush tucker fruits of southeastern Australia and has been consumed by the Ngarrindjeri and other Aboriginal nations for thousands of years.

The fruit has an intensely complex flavor combining apple, spice, and eucalyptus notes that reflect its membership in the Myrtaceae family alongside tea tree and eucalyptus species. Its phytochemical profile has attracted significant research attention: it contains leptospermone and other phloroglucinol derivatives found in Kunzea species that provide antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity.

Health benefits: Vitamin C, anthocyanins and other polyphenols from the deep red skin, antimicrobial phloroglucinol derivatives, and dietary fiber. NIH identifies native Australian fruits, including Kunzea pomifera, as providing distinct phytochemical profiles unavailable in any cultivated fruit, with their bioactive compounds spanning chemical families not represented in the Northern Hemisphere fruit taxonomy.

Best eaten: Fresh when ripe, in jams and preserves, or incorporated into Australian native cuisine preparations. Available from specialty Australian native food producers as a jam, dried powder, or fresh seasonal product.

5. Etrog (Citron Variety): The Sacred Jewish Citrus

Etrog is a specific variety of citron held sacred in Judaism as one of the Four Species used in the Sukkot festival, where a perfect, unblemished etrog is required for ritual use. It is one of the three original ancestral citrus species from which all modern hybrid citrus fruits were derived, grown without hybridization for religious purposes for over 2,000 years to maintain its ancient genetic purity.

Nutritionally, etrog shares the characteristics of all citron varieties: very thick, aromatic rind with minimal juice and flesh, high essential oil content dominated by limonene, and significant pectin in the pith. Its essential oil profile is distinctly floral compared to standard citron, with linalool and geraniol alongside limonene providing a fragrance used in Yemenite Jewish communities to make a traditional post-Sukkot jam called etrog jam.

Health benefits: Limonene and other essential oil terpenes with documented anti-inflammatory and potential cancer-preventive activity, pectin from the thick pith for cholesterol management and gut health, vitamin C from the rind, and aromatic compounds with established antimicrobial properties. Johns Hopkins Medicine identifies citrus limonene as one of the most studied terpene compounds for anti-inflammatory and metabolic health applications, with clinical research supporting its role in reducing inflammatory cytokine production.

Best eaten: The rind candied or made into jam, zested over dishes, or used as a flavoring ingredient. Not juiced for consumption due to minimal juice content.

6. Eastern Mayhaw (Crataegus aestivalis): The Deep South Jelly Berry

Eastern mayhaw is a small red to yellow berry produced by the mayhaw tree, a species of hawthorn native to the swamps and wetlands of the southeastern United States, particularly Louisiana, Georgia, and the Carolinas. The berries ripen in May, giving the tree its name, and are celebrated across the Deep South for producing what many consider the finest and most distinctly flavored jelly available from any American native fruit.

Mayhaw is closely related to hawthorn, a plant with its own significant evidence base in cardiovascular health research, sharing the same class of oligomeric proanthocyanidins and flavonoids that have been validated in clinical trials for improving heart function, reducing arterial stiffness, and supporting healthy blood pressure.

Health benefits: Oligomeric proanthocyanidins for cardiovascular protection, vitamin C, dietary fiber from pectin for cholesterol management, and the hawthorn-family flavonoids associated with improved cardiac function. The American Heart Association identifies hawthorn-family fruits as providing oligomeric proanthocyanidins associated with cardiovascular protection through improved endothelial function and reduced arterial stiffness.

Best eaten: As mayhaw jelly with minimal added sugar, which is the traditional and most widely available preparation. Fresh mayhaws are very tart and not commonly eaten raw.

7. Elephant Apple (Dillenia indica): The Sour Asian Cooking Fruit

Elephant apple is the common name for Dillenia indica, a large tropical fruit native to India, Southeast Asia, and southern China, named for its popularity as food for wild elephants in its native range. The fruit is large, pale green, and extremely sour-acidic, producing a flavor similar to a tart apple with astringency. It is not eaten fresh but used extensively as a souring agent in South and Southeast Asian cooking, where it substitutes for tamarind or green mango in curries, chutneys, and traditional preparations.

Its thick, fleshy sepals, rather than the fruit wall itself, contain the edible sour pulp used in cooking. Elephant apple is used in Ayurvedic and traditional Southeast Asian medicine for fever reduction, diarrhea management, and skin conditions.

Health benefits: Vitamin C at meaningful levels, dietary fiber, betulinic acid and other triterpenoids with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties identified in research, and organic acids that provide its souring function alongside digestive stimulation. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics identifies traditional souring fruits used in cooking across South and Southeast Asia as providing bioactive phenolic compounds that support digestive enzyme activity and gut health.

Best eaten: Cooked as a souring agent in curries and chutneys. The sour pulp can be added to dal, sambar, or fish curries in the same way as tamarind. Available in Indian and Southeast Asian grocery stores as a fresh or preserved product.

8. Emblic Myrobalan (Phyllanthus emblica): The Ayurvedic Tonic Fruit

Emblic myrobalan is another name for the same plant as amla and emblica, Phyllanthus emblica, appearing under its third common designation in ethnobotanical and Ayurvedic literature. In this context, it refers specifically to the dried fruit preparation used in Triphala, the most widely used Ayurvedic formulation in existence, combining emblic myrobalan with bibhitaki and haritaki in a three-fruit combination consumed for digestive health, detoxification, and longevity across South Asian traditional medicine.

The specific application in this entry is the dried fruit preparation rather than the fresh fruit: dried emblic provides the same extraordinary vitamin C content with enhanced shelf stability, concentrated tannins, and the chromium compounds associated with insulin sensitivity improvements.

Health benefits: Concentrated vitamin C from heat-stable ascorbic acid protected by tannins, chromium for blood sugar regulation, ellagic acid for antioxidant protection, and the synergistic Triphala formulation benefits for gut motility and microbiome health. Research published in PMC identifies Triphala, including emblic myrobalan, as producing significant improvements in gut microbiome diversity, bowel regularity, and metabolic markers in clinical trials.

Best eaten: As part of Triphala powder in warm water, as a standalone powder supplement, or in traditional Ayurvedic preparations. Available in Indian grocery stores and online.

9. Elderflower Berry (Sambucus nigra flowers/berries combined)

While elderflower is technically a blossom rather than a fruit, elderflower berries refer in some regional traditions to the small, immature fruit of the Sambucus plant collected alongside the flowers in spring preparations. The elderflower itself, used in cordials, fritters, and teas, contains flavonoids including quercetin and kaempferol alongside essential oils with documented anti-inflammatory properties.

The elderflower cordial tradition across Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia, has made elderflower one of the most widely consumed foraged products in temperate countries, with its floral, lychee-adjacent fragrance producing one of the most recognized and beloved seasonal flavors available.

Health benefits: Quercetin and kaempferol from the flowers for anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular protection, essential oils with antimicrobial activity, and the combined immunological benefits shared with elderberry from the same plant. WebMD identifies elderflower preparations as providing quercetin and rutin alongside the immune-supporting compounds of the Sambucus family, with traditional use validated by modern analysis of the flavonoid content.

Best eaten: As elderflower cordial made from freshly picked flowers and lemon, as elderflower fritters (flowers dipped in batter and fried), or as elderflower tea. Commercial elderflower cordial is widely available with varying sugar content.

10. Emu Berry (Grewia retusifolia): The Australian Bush Plum

Emu berry, botanically Grewia retusifolia, is a small fruiting shrub native to northern and eastern Australia, producing small red to purple-black berries that have been a significant food source for Aboriginal Australians across Queensland and the Northern Territory for thousands of years. The berries are sweet and edible raw, with a flavor described as mild and pleasant, making them one of the few bush tucker fruits that are genuinely enjoyable without cooking or processing.

Emu berry belongs to the Grewia genus, related to the Indian phalsa berry, with both sharing a similar anthocyanin and polyphenol profile that positions them alongside other dark-colored berries in terms of antioxidant and cardiovascular protective capacity.

Health benefits: Anthocyanins for cardiovascular protection and anti-inflammatory effects, vitamin C for immune function, dietary fiber for gut health, and the diverse polyphenols characteristic of Australian native fruits that have evolved in isolation from Northern Hemisphere berry families. NIH identifies Australian bush tucker fruits, including Grewia species, as providing unique polyphenol combinations unavailable in any cultivated fruit, with their chemical diversity reflecting tens of thousands of years of independent evolutionary development.

Best eaten: Fresh and raw when ripe, in jams, or as a flavoring for drinks and desserts. Available from Aboriginal-owned bush food enterprises in Australia.

Fruits That Start With E: Complete Nutrition Summary Table

The Bottom Line

The E fruit collection is the most medicinally oriented of any letter in this series. Elderberry has more randomized controlled trial evidence for a specific health outcome than almost any other fruit. Emblica holds the vitamin C record for cultivated fruits. Emblic myrobalan in Triphala is the most widely consumed traditional medicine preparation in human history. Etrog is both sacred and bioactive. Eastern mayhaw shares the cardiovascular evidence base of hawthorn, one of the most studied herbs in cardiology.

The unfamiliar fruits in this list are not obscure due to a lack of quality. They are unfamiliar due to a lack of distribution. Each one does something specific and does it exceptionally well.

All nutritional values are approximate and based on USDA FoodData Central data and available scientific literature. Values for exotic or tropical fruits may vary by variety, ripeness, and growing conditions.