Miguel Braganza
The summer heat reminds us of the beachfront and a dip in the Arabian Sea. Along with the Indian cherry or Kanddam (Carissa carandas), and Churna (Zizyphus rugosa), the rose apple and the Malabar plum are favourite fruits to snack on by the beachside. We did not know about antioxidants, minerals and vitamins they contain; we just loved to eat them!
The watery rose apple of our childhood was an off white to pale green fruit of Syzygium aquem. However, Syzygium has dozens of species. The pink fruits of the Malacca apple (Syzygium malaccense), made its appearance more as an ornamental tree than a fruit to eat. It was insipid and not interesting to ingest. Then came the rose apples that were rosy red on the outside and pink to milky white inside, the Syzygium samarangense. These fruits are good to eat fresh or candied, in tossed salads with vinaigrette or as fruit salads. In Goa, a vast majority of rose Apples are eaten as fresh fruits.
The Malabar plum (Syzygium cumini), is also known as Java plum, Jamun, Jambhul or Zambllam. These are small tropical fruits with evergreen trees that are native to the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia. Jamun trees are a part of Hindu cosmology. The legend has it that Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, survived off Jamun during his 14-year exile in the forest. Temples dedicated to Lord Rama often have Jamun trees around them. The trees have been utilised for their timber, bark, fruits and as shade trees along roadsides.
Jamun fruits are small, oblong to ovoid shape with blunt ends. The fruit’s skin is thin, smooth, glossy and taut. They are green when young, transitioning to variegated hues of green, pink, red, and finally, to a dark purple, almost black hue when ripe. Underneath the surface, the flesh ranges in colour from pink to white and is aqueous, tender, and succulent. Jamun fruits have a subtly sweet, tart, and sour flavour followed by an astringent aftertaste. The sweetness will vary per fruit and variety, and the juice of the fruit will stain the lips and tongue, sometimes lasting for several hours. Now, there are named varieties of such as ‘Goma Priyanka’ from ICAR-Gujarat; ‘Konkan Bahadoli’ of RFRS-Vengurla and ‘Badlapur’ in Maharashtra; ‘Chintamani’ from Karnataka and ‘Ram Jamun’ from the Indo-Gangetic Plains. There is a seedless variety named Mittu and also albino Jamun that is simply known as White Jamun. These varieties ripen in the month of May-June.
Jamun can cooked into syrups and drizzled over desserts and drinks, or be used in puddings, mousse, bread, and cakes. Jamun is a good source of vitamins A, B6 and C; and minerals like potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. In Ayurvedic medicine, the fruits and other parts of the Jamun tree are used to treat anemia, act as a blood purifier, soothe digestive issues and sore throats, and assist with respiratory infections. Its hard, green-purple seed is dried, powdered and used for control of diabetes.
The rose apples and Malabar plums belong to the Myrtaceae family and are relatives of the clove (Syzigium aromaticum). The range of varieties available has increased exponentially in recent years with the proliferation of roadside nurseries.
