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Durian
In Sri Lanka many fruits are eaten in a savoury way, curried or stir fried or as a pickle, bringing out different nuances in the flavour. What better place to enjoy amazing tropical fruits?
There are too many excellent fruits on offer to limit the list to 10, for this there are no apologies as you should be thrilled to be introduced to more than 10 wonderful fruits. As you may have guessed, my enthusiasm for this topic is vast. For clarity I have divided the list into categories: deliciously everywhere, intriguing and elusive, and sample at your own risk.
Deliciously everywhere
1. Many people are familiar with mangoes (ambe in Sinhala), as they are fairly widely available outside Sri Lanka. However, unless you have been in a country that produces mangoes, you will be very pleasantly surprised to try fresh ones. Sri Lanka has an impressive selection even out of season. A favourite apart from eating the mango itself is mango juice. Sweet, fragrant and juicy, they are definitely my favourite fruit in Sri Lanka.
2. Passion fruit (known locally as passion fruit). A super sour superfruit, rich in antioxidants and vitamins! Although it is a bit sour, it is lovely in a fruit salad and also as a juice. Be sure to let the person making the juice know whether you want it natural or with sugar/salt added as this is common in many places. I would recommend drinking it pure or if you aren’t such a fan of sour things, with a little sugar added. Locally available you will also find the sweet passion fruit, which is sweet and in my opinion not nearly as tasty or full of character.
3. Bananas are known as kesel, although they are usually referred to by their individual names. My favourite has to be the aanamaalu, a sweet, slightly vanilla-flavoured long greenish variety with a smooth texture. Other popular types include seeni kesel (particularly nice in a smoothie or if you can find it a banana lassi), ambul kesel which has a slightly sour tone believe it or not, kolikuttu which are widely available in the south, and the red bananas which are a bit less popular and harder to find. But it doesn’t stop there, there are more types for serious banana fans to explore, and don’t miss the ash plantain (alukehel) which is savoury and comes curried (in some places they even make a dish with its skin!).
4. Papaya is one of those fruits that people seem to either love or hate, a good friend of mine can’t stand it as she says it reminds her of smelly feet (!) but don’t let that put you off – I like it. It is particularly good for the digestive system (especially if you are having problems) and is great paired with a squeeze of lime juice, or as a juice by itself or with other fruits.
5. Even if you have never really been a fan of pineapple, I recommend tasting the pineapple found in Sri Lanka – or annaasi as it’s known locally – derived as many Sinhalese words are from the Portuguese word, after the Portuguese brought many influences with them when they colonised Sri Lanka. Freshly picked it tends to be sweeter, juicier and less acidic than what you may have tried in a non-pineapple-producing country. Also look out for the local way of eating it – with a pinch of salt and pepper, in a curry or as an achchaaru (pickle).
Intriguing and elusive
1. Jackfruit – the jackfruit is a very nutritious and widely eaten fruit in Sri Lanka. Apart from being eaten when it is ripe as a fruit, young jackfruits are eaten at various stages – kos as a creamy coconutty curry, or mallung (lightly cooked accompaniment to food), polos which may be curried or pickled, and of course the nutty kos atta (seeds) which are tasty roasted/fried or curried. Ripe jackfruit is sweet, succulent, fragrant and notoriously annoying to get from its skin and seeds – look out for the sticky sap! But so worth the effort.
2. Do not mistake the rambutan for a lychee – despite being similar in some ways the hairy rambutan (available in yellow or pink, mostly during June/July/August) is sweet and lovely in its own right (and fairly different from the lychee, although it comes from the same family). The flavour is slightly reminiscent of a grape but in my opinion more tasty! Did you know that rambutan has the same name in many languages, and originally comes from the word rambut which in Malay means hair.
3. Mangosteens are also available around the same time as rambutans, a dark purple, firm fruit with glorious white, sweet juicy segments inside (some have a small seed/stone inside). If you are in Sri Lanka in mangosteen season it is not to be missed! Choose fruits that are slightly soft when squeezed hard to know whether they are ripe enough.
4. You will do well to find junglefruit (palupulam) as it is not widely available. If you are in the dry zone (northern parts of Sri Lanka including Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, the east and south eastern corner) you may be able to find them at a market or if you ask around. I only tried it once but I remember the small yellow berries being very, very sweet and tasty.
5. Naminam – the ugly appearance of this fruit is not in any way related to its cute name and tasty nature! Wrinkly, odd looking fruits that sprout around the trunk of the tree have an interesting flavour that is worth the hunt to find them. You may be more likely to find naminam growing in a garden or by the side of the road than in a market.
6. Gaduguda is an interesting fruit indeed, with a funny name to boot. The outside is pale yellow and once carefully opened reveals soft membrane-enclosed segments which look ready to burst and which are juicy, tasty and have a sweet-sour flavour.
7. Velvet tamarind or gal siyambala is seasonal and may be found for sale on the side of the road for a few months from September if I am not mistaken. The small, velvety fruits are intriguing: gently crack open the silky dark brown ‘shell’ to reveal an equally velvety light brown layer covering a small shiny seed. The light brown layer is what you eat, and it just the right combination of sweet and sour. Although it is time consuming to open and eat, they are a great snack, and if you have the time and means after peeling you can simmer down the pulp, remove the seeds and make a tasty syrup (add a little sugar and water) which makes a nice compote for yogurt or even a good base for a cocktail.
8. Lovi is not that easy to find but is an interesting fruit to sample if you get the chance, it small and red, with a texture like a cherry but with a more sour and non cherry-like taste. You can find love at small local markets.
9. Known as sour sop in English, katuanoda (or aatha) is a firm favourite of mine. It has a slightly spiky green skin, and soft, juicy, creamy white flesh, with sweet and sour tones. It is easier to enjoy as a shake because of the seeds but definitely worth trying to eat as it is. if you have the opportunity
10. Rose apple or jambu grows everywhere but you may not be able to buy it. Ask around and someone may know where you can get it from. The firm white-pinkish fruits have a texture reminiscent of apple but the flavour is quite sharp and very clean and fresh on the palate.
11. Beige-coloured, dusty-looking hard outside shell and dark brown mushy insides, the wood apple or diwul isn’t the most beautiful fruit you are going to come across in Sri Lanka. But the taste is intriguing and unlike anything else you are likely to try in your life. This is best eaten as a smoothie with a little sugar, salt and even coconut milk. Its taste is slightly sour and sharp and as a brown smoothie it doesn’t look great, but is worth trying. Wood apples grow in the dry zone and can be found here and there during the right season, check out roadside stalls and markets.
12. Ambarella is a wonderful fruit – it isn’t particularly sweet but is really tasty. It can be curried, pickled and eaten with salt and chilli, and is also lovely as a juice. Prepare yourself for the sourness and you will enjoy the taste. They are generally eaten before they are completely ripe but if you manage to find a ripe one you may like the taste of it as it is, as it becomes slightly sweeter and softer. Worth looking out for!
Sample at your own risk
1. Durian is famed across South and Southeast Asia for its pungent smell and strong taste, and is not for the faint hearted. In Sri Lanka when passing stalls you will know because of the smell, in fact some Southeast Asian countries have banned it from being carried on public transport because of the stench. This is a love it or hate it fruit – it takes a lot to get over the smell to taste it. They say the smell is worse than the taste, and it is known to be a superfruit. Either way, it’s not for me and you will find many people have a strong reaction to talking about it when you bring it up. Try at your own risk!
2. Laulou – this is a seldom seen fruit which looks a little like a small yellow mango from the outside. The inside however, can only be described as sticky and claggy – sticking to the inside of your mouth in a not-so-pleasant way, and its sweet cloying taste is not particularly tempting. If you manage to find one though you could always try it, just to add another fruit to your list.
3. Veralu – the Ceylon olive is hard, bitter and in my opinion not as tasty as the more widespread ‘traditional’ olive as we know it, but makes a tasty pickle or achaaru that can be a nice snack or complement a meal. Have a try and see what you think.
4. Nelli is an ayurvedic fruit, said to have healing properties in traditional ayurvedic medicine. It’s not the kind of fruit you eat for pleasure – it has a very bitter taste that leaves your mouth dry. I find it fun because if you have a nibble of it and then drink some water, the water tastes sweet and sugary due to the sheer contrast with the bitter nelli. If you can find it (probably on a local market) try some water afterwards for a fun trick.
5. Belli may sound like nelli but is very different. Another fruit with a very hard shell, the insides are generally scraped out and made into a smoothie. It has quite a difficult taste, sweet and perfumy and quite strong. It is not my cup of tea but many people love it, and it is another ayurvedic fruit said to have healing properties. The flowers are also made into a bitter tasting tea with medicinal properties.
Gal siyambala
Others not to miss
Don’t forget to try the ever-present lime or dehi – super tasty as juice, found in many dishes, and good squeezed on fresh fruit salad especially papaya. Also watermelon or komodu – very sweet and also found with yellow flesh in Sri Lanka. Try it as a juice with ginger for a refreshing blend.
Pomelo (a type of grapefruit), which is locally known as jambola, is super tasty, less bitter than other types of grapefruit and also good for you. Sri Lankan pomegranates are lovely too, locally known as delum and with pink rather than deep red flesh.
Starfruit or carambola is a real refreshing treat – cool, crisp and slightly sour. And don’t miss the guava or pera with its sweet, spicy flesh – try to eat it as ripe as possible for the best taste.
Mangosteen
Rambutan
Woodapple
(Trekurious together with DailyFT explores Sri Lanka for the curious traveller. Trekurious works with talented individuals and great brands to create amazing experiential tours, activities, and events in Sri Lanka. You can find out more at www.Trekurious.com.)
