Google Nutrition Search is Live and Thorough: Ten Freaky Foods You Can Find

Now you can look up nutrition information on thousands of foods through Google without opening up another website. Google's done a pretty good job so far; here's 10 uncommon fruits and vegetables you can find nutritional information on right now.

Google's new addition to its convenient knowledge graph — the side bar of information that occasionally pops up when you're searching and obviates the need to click on any links — went live Thursday. Announced late May, nutrition search has been rolling out for the last several weeks, and is now available to everyone, according to Google's Blog. Just try searching "how many calories in a cupcake," and see what pops up.

The search includes nutritional information on over 1,000 basic foods like fruits, vegetables, and meats. It's designed to respond to simple questions or phrases. You can even ask questions, like "what about a cookie?" as a follow up to the cupcake query and you'll get the information you want.

In addition to the graph, which displays nutrition information much like the back of a package of food, you can also select serving sizes to calculate answers to specific nutrition-related questions. If the food you're looking up is a specific member of a larger category, you can use a drop-down menu to broaden or narrow your conversion table search. All of these options function on desktop computers with web browsers and smartphones, too.

So does nutritional information on 1,000 foods sound like a lot, or a little? Judging by the fact that the following 10 exotic foods got results, Google has certainly done its homework.

Durian

Durian is native to Southeast Asia and is quite a weird fruit. Grown on trees, the fruit can be up to one foot long and half a foot in diameter. It has a tough, thorn-covered husk, which surrounds the meat of the fruit inside, which apparently is delectable, though it smells like a mix between stale vomit and raw sewage.

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads have a funny name, but are used in cooking across the planet. They're the curled fronds of a fern, which has a grassy flavor and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, though some varieties have been known to be carcinogenetic.

Calabash

Calabash, also known as the bottle gourd, is probably from Africa, and in addition to being used as a vegetable, can be hollowed out, dried, and made into a bottle or pipe.

Dandelion

Dandelions aren't exotic for people living in the United States, but their use as a food still is more uncommon then not. Nevertheless, Google has its nutritional information on their information graph.

Rambutan

Rambutan is a tropical plant, native to Indonesia and Malaysia. By it's wild appearance, it may look inedible, but once you get beneath the thorns, they're sweet.

Jackfruit

Jackfruit are the largest fruits in the world, sometimes growing up to 80 pounds. They're native to South and Southeast Asia, and often used in Asian cuisine.

Loquat

The loquat is native to China. Apparently it tastes sweet and juicy, and the texture is like a melon. It's often used to make jams and jellies, and can be made into wine too. Google hasn't listed the alcohol content for loquat wine just yet.

Lychee

Lychee fruits look a lot like raspberries, but you can't eat their hard outsides. It comes from an evergreen tree native to southern China and parts of Southeast Asia.

Soursop

Soursop comes from an evergreen tree common in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. It has a sour citrus flavor, like a combination of strawberry and pineapple, and has notes that taste a little like coconut or banana. According to Google, it's pretty calorific.

Feijoa

Feijoa, also known as pineapple guava, comes from an evergreen shrub and is usually eaten by cutting it in half and scooping out the insides with a spoon. They're juicy, and it's a sweet fruit. They're native to South America.

Of course, some of these foods may not be so exotic to you, but the point remains, Google has really stocked their knowledge graph with a lot of varieites of foods. If you're not impressed with this list, by all means, think up the most exotic food you can and try searching it yourself.