A ‘berry’ good time with fruits growing in homesteads and neighbourhood

Fruits such as water apple, mulberry and bilimbi, so much a part of the landscape of Kerala, are today much in demand as pesticide-free fruits that are usually foraged from homesteads

May 17, 2019 05:22 pm | Updated 05:22 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Gooseberries spilled out from a basket on white background

Gooseberries spilled out from a basket on white background

Rosy, juicy water apple, green gooseberry, deep-purple mulberry, cherry-red lovelolika and anjili chakka. Come summer, the burst of colours on trees and bushes must be the envy of every artist as nature paints the fruits in vivid colours. This is in addition to mangoes and jackfruits that fruit in abandon during this season. Summer vacations in Kerala is also about feasting on these fruits that grow in most homesteads.

When there is much concern over carbide-ripened mangoes and colour-filled guavas, perhaps it is time to look to our local produce and forage for fruits in the neighbourhood.

Many of these fruits made their way to Kerala from Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Java, Malaysia, parts of China, Moluccas islands and so on when Malayalis went there to earn a living in the many estates and plantations in these places or to work with British companies stationed in the colonies at the turn of the twentieth century. Ancient trading routes also brought some of the fruits to the shores of the Arabian Sea.

Mulberry

Mulberry

When the early non-resident Malayalis returned home, the plants travelled with them and found a home away from home in the tropical climate of the State. “The warm and humid climate and plenty of rainfall were ideal for the plants that soon became a part of our landscape,” says Anitha CS, Agricultural Office, Directorate of Agriculture.

Many summers ago, while foraging for fruits, mostly often during the vacations, one had to be adept at climbing trees and had to have a sound knowledge of the lay of the land to know where the best fruits grew. Once these trees and bushes were mapped, it was easy to keep track of the fruits and harvest them before adults in the family decided to take them all away for preserves and cooking. Even the humble bilimbi (pulinchikka in Malayalam), which, incidentally, is said to have travelled from the Moluccas islands near Indonesia, was not spared. Those were eaten with salt and everyone had a good laugh while watching the eater’s expression and puckered face while feasting on the tangy pulinchikka.

Favoured by home chefs

Rose water apples, called chambakka, was easier to relish. All one had to do was bite into the fruit or split it open, remove the fairly big seeds, and then enjoy the sweet chambakka. It’s lovely pink colour can now be found in jams, pickles, squash and wine, all made by enterprising home chefs.

The purplish-black mulberry was another bush that used to grow freely in gardens and yards. Although they seem to have done a disappearing act from many gardens, many locals would remember the fruit that would turn from a tender green to an interesting pink before becoming a deep, joyful violet. No one could get away with eating just one and no one could ever deny having eaten a mulberry or two because the fruit would stain fingers and tongue with a deep mauve colour.

Rose water apple

Rose water apple

The poetry of the names of the fruits, many of them migrants from shores far away, is lost when they are translated into English. Imagine, the lovely, tart lovelolika that resembles ruby fairy lights on bushes is called the Indian coffee plum! No love at all for the pretty berries that could be pickled, made into jams and squashes or eaten raw.

The local names of some of the fruits gave a clue to the origins of some of these fruits. So if references to the nellika (gooseberry or amla) can be found in Sanskrit texts and manuscripts, ‘sheema’ or ‘ari’ nellika, its smaller cousin, seems to have been an import that made itself at home in the fertile coastal soil. Sure enough, Google guru says that this variety of gooseberry is called Malay gooseberry or Tahiti gooseberry.

If Cashewnut was brought to Kerala by the Portuguese, custard apple from South America was reportedly popularised by the Spanish. In Malayalam, cashewnut trees are still referred to as Parangi maavu (Portuguese mango tree)! Similarly, custard apple’s old Mexican name is ‘ate’. Perhaps that is why in Malayalam, this fruit is also called Athipazham .

Latter-day arrivals

Today, many homes in the high ranges in Kerala are home to hairy red and yellow rambutan that tastes a little like lychee, and purple mangosteen, both from South East Asia. In fact, many growers have turned into exporters of rambutan and mangosteen.

Summer vacation in the past was a time to explore, eat and energise. Shrinking spaces and apartments have seen many of these fruits vanish into the hinterlands or to rural areas. Now, enterprising vendors make a quick buck by selling them to nostalgic residents or health-conscious and environment-conscious residents going glocal. Or maybe just for a taste of old times’ sake.

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