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Fruits like no other Sri Lanka is a haven of fresh fruits says Mr. Reinzy Fernando – the founder and owner of Roots, the popular fresh fruit juice chain in Colombo. Though April and May are the months for the more exotic varieties of fruits*, Sri Lanka is blessed with succulent fruits* right round the year, he continues. Though it is a hard choice, mango could be voted as king of Sri Lankan fruits*. Native to South Asia, mango has a history of thousands of years. Even Mahinda Thera, the head of the envoy that rooted Buddhism in Sri Lanka had referred to a nearby mango tree and its fruits to test the intelligence of King Devanampiyatissa. Thus, delicious flesh apart, mango has an interesting historical connotation to Sri Lankans, reminds Mr. Fernando. According to Mr. Fernando, mango is the better version of chocolates for it is a comfort food without been fattening or fatal to teeth. Full of vitamins A and C, minerals, oxidants and 40% of the required daily fiber, mangoes have a soothing effect. Thus, the best times to have a mango are early in the morning, perhaps as a smoothie with honey and yoghurt and after a heavy meal as a dessert. There is a mango tree in almost every part of Sri Lanka. The best mangoes are found within the altitude of 600 m says Mr. Fernando. Though there are over thousand varieties, the most popular varieties are:
Another most popular fruit in Sri Lanka is the papaw, continues Mr. Fernando. Papaw is actually a native of West Indies and found its way to Asia with the Portuguese. Today, however, almost every Sri Lankan garden sports this short, woody tree that in its short life bears fruits of deep orange colored flesh and flavors similar to cantaloupe. This is really the secret ingredient behind the famous Tropical Cooler of Roots, which is rich in color and a great thirst quencher. Watermelon is another great thirst quencher. During the hot, hot months, the fruit becomes extremely succulent and sweet. Even if not refrigerated, the fruit is very cool and lovely. During the rains, the flesh tends to be less sweet and sometimes its juices require a sprinkling of sugar, but it is still great in drinks says Mr. Fernando and is thus a regular ingredient in a number of his concoctions such as such as his Mango Mania and Mango Tango. There are now a number of varieties in Sri Lanka and the Silver Melon is becoming very popular for both its color and its sweetness. Talking of thirst quenchers, one cannot forget the wonderful star fruit, says Mr. Fernando. This five-point star shaped fruit holds an incredible amount of juice in its golden waxy skin. One of the best ways to eat this is to slice it and perhaps sprinkle with a bit of salt. One fruit* the traveler is not going to miss in Sri Lanka is the pineapple, laughs Mr. Fernando. Indeed, the start of the most strategic highway of Sri Lanka – the Colombo-Kandy Road – is full of shacks upon shacks selling mounds and mounds of pineapple by the roadside. The adventurous should really try the dices with the chili-salt mixture that are available in these pineapple shacks he says Mr. Fernando. He notes Sri Lankans have many uses from this fruit*. Simplest way is to sprinkle salt and lime, which pronounces the sweet-sour flavors of the fruit* and a curried dish graces almost every special occasion and the fresh fruit is a vital component in the Sri Lankan fruit salad. A fruit* that is not well known to many visitors is the sour sap remarks Mr. Fernando. Despite its soft spikes and its many seeds, making this a rather messy fruit to enjoy the flesh is very delicious and makes a very nice drink with treacle. Other fruits to look out for while in Sri Lanka are our pomegranate as well our passion fruits. These are literally tiny sacks of nectar. Finally, says Mr. Fernando, there is not a single Sri Lankan who does not have fond childhood memories of our guavas. These are only but a few fruits from a humungous range that one can enjoy while in Sri Lanka conclude Mr. Fernando. * To know more about the fresh fruits in Sri Lanka visit our food and drink file in www.bojoon.com – the web-portal for the food and drink of Sri Lanka. Visit www.bojoon.com for free recipes of popular Sri Lankan curries or join our culinary tours and cooking classes. |
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Pol amba (amba means mango in Sinhala), which has earned its name for its round shape like a coconut (pol means coconut in Sinhala)
Karatha Kolumbu, considered the best of the varieties
Beti amba, so called for its tiny size
kohu amba for it is a most fibrous fruit (kohu refers to fiber, coir in Sinhala)
Vilad, a palm sized fruit which is delicious despite its pale yellow color
Yapane amba, which as the name denotes is from Jaffna (Yapane means Jaffna – the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka – in Sinhala) and the best mangoes are considered from Jaffna and this includes even the Karatha Kolumba
Gira amba, which has a pointed head like a beak and with its green color resembles somewhat of a parrot (girawa is parrot in Sinhala)
Mee amba, which is a very sweet fruit
Wal amba, which is wild variety (wal when used as a prefix for fruits means wild in Sinhala, but as a prefix for people means notorious) 
