16 Most Favorite Homegrown Fruits in Kerala that you must try while you are in Kerala!
The tropical land of Kerala is home to a wide variety of fruit trees. Please have a look at some of the main fruits grown in Kerala:
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Mango
Mango is known as the king of fruits and is the most common tropical fruit. When it comes to mango, the variety is almost endless. In India alone, more than 100 assortments are known. Every type has its very own particular attributes. A remarkable variety of mango trees are there in Kerala. Raw mangoes are widely utilised for making pickles and chutney. Ripe mangoes are eaten as such and also used to make a variety of desserts, jam, juice, pulp, drinks, toffees, and so forth.
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Banana
Banana trees prefer tropical humid lowlands which is why Kerala is able to export a huge quantity of bananas every single day. Bananas have an assortment of sizes and colours when they are ripe. They can be yellow, red and also purple. Ripe bananas are exceptionally sweet and they can be eaten as such while raw bananas can be used to cook various dishes. Banana chips are really famous in Kerala. Eating banana diminishes the danger of breast cancer, colorectal cancer and renal cell carcinoma in ladies.
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Jack fruit
Jack fruit is the biggest tree-borne fruit on the planet. The tree is generally found in the tropical lowlands. This fruit is fleshy, fibrous and is contained in the spiky casing. Raw jackfruits can be used to make various recipes. The seeds can also be eaten by roasting, baking or boiling. Jack fruit tree is utilised in the treatment of different sicknesses, for example, skin ailment, diarrhoea, urinary retention and also a weakness.
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Papaya
The papaya is a tall plant and has a solitary stem that grows up to around 5 to 10 meters tall. The Ripe fruit is eaten as such, and the unripe papaya is cooked and eaten. They are utilised to make curries, stews and salads. It has a high amount of gelatin in it that can be utilized to make jams. It also has its medicinal benefits. Soup of raw papaya or unripe papaya slices is eaten to end undesirable pregnancy in the early stages.
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Cashew
The cashew tree gives the cashew nuts as well as cashew apples. The cashew nutshell fluid derived from the fruit is rich in anacardic acids. This can be utilised efficiently for tooth issues as they are destructive to the bacteria. The cashew nut is the most loved snacking option, and they are eaten as such or mildly salted, sugared or coated in chocolate.
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Custard Apple
Custard apple mainly grows in the tropical hot and humid climate. The Ripe fruit is darker or yellowish in colour with some red. The fruit has a sweet flavour. The fruit pulp can be eaten as such and can be additionally used to make a beverage which is as a substitute for milk. The raw fruit can fix dysentery as well as diarrhoea.
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Coconut
Coconut fruit is among the healthiest foods on this planet. This fruit has loads of health benefits and also beauty benefits. It can help control cholesterol and furthermore could make your skin and hair more beautiful and healthy. Moreover, it was demonstrated that coconut might help treat different diseases, such as kidney issues, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetic issues, and so on. Coconut is used in various types of cuisine, and the oil is also used for cooking.
Coastal areas such as, Trivandrum, Alappuzha, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kannur Kollam have sandy soils which suitable for coconut trees.
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Rose Apple
Rose apple is also called wax apple, bell fruit, mountain apple, etc. The colour of the fruit varies from white to green to red. It turns red when it ripens. It is sour in taste, hence used in salads and to make pickles. The fruit is rich in vitamin C. This fruit helps to reduce cholesterol levels too.
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Sapodilla
Sapodilla fruit is huge with an elliptical or round shape and looks like a potato and has around 3-5 seeds inside. The pulp of the fruit has a light yellow to brown colour with a granular texture. It can be eaten as such and also used to make milkshakes.
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Black Plum
Black Plum has a sweet and sour flavour. As the name suggests, the fruit colour is black with tender pink flesh. The raw fruit is green and changes to pink and finally to black colour as it grows. Wine and vinegar are additionally produced using the fruit. It is high in vitamin A and as well as vitamin C.
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Tamarind
Indian households mostly use Tamarind as a spice. The sweet, as well as sour taste of tamarind, makes it an imperative flavour of the vast majority of the cuisines. It can give a pleasant, sour flavour to dishes. The tamarind mash is can be a great condiment in dishes. It likewise has numerous therapeutic properties. The Ripe fruit is eaten as such and furthermore utilised for healing wounds.
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Guava
Guava is fleshy and has a sweet taste. It can be eaten as such or also used to make juice, jams, etc. Each fruit has many tiny and edible seeds. The fruit contains fibre, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, B3, B4, and so on.
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Indian Gooseberry/ Amla
Indian Gooseberry or Amla finds excellent use in Ayurveda, and many in Kerala grow it for this very reason. The flavour of this fruit is a blend of astringent, sour and bitter. The bitter taste changes to sweet if we drink water alongside it. All parts, for example, the fruit and its seeds have different healing properties and henceforth utilised in making ayurvedic meds. It can relieve various medical problems, for example, digestion issues, fever, constipation, cough, blood purification, asthma, and so forth. You can eat the fruit raw or use it to make pickles and dried amla.
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Rambuttan
Rambutan fruit is found in tropical areas, and are very similar to lychee & longan. The ripe fruit tastes sweet. It is often used to make juice or it can also be eaten just as such. Lychee mainly grows in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala.
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Egg Fruit/ Canistel
Egg Fruit is local to tropical regions. Western Ghats district of Kerala is famous for producing eggfruits in India. The fruit is yellow in colour and almost resembles the egg yolk.
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Cocoa Fruit
The Cocoa Fruit from the cocoa tree is native to tropical regions. It grows in some regions of Kerala. Cocoa is a primary ingredient in making chocolate.
These are some of the popular fruits that grow in Kerala; however, there are many other varieties too. If you visit Kerala, you must take advantage of Kerala’s wide variety of fruits and snack on them whenever you can.
Need help with planning your trip to Kerala? Have a look at some of the best packages for holiday in Kerala.
