The King and the Queen"

so many days I have crossed Burliyar, a place between Mettupalyam and Coonoor,on no occasion I witnessed, what I saw last week."The Array of Fruits" These fruits are green spiny outside, like a miniature jack fruit.and few with spiny plums and a black hard tomato. I remembered that days afternoon class on Thai cuisine, where Tropical fruits were discussed. Only to witness it in my own place, in between the hills. We people from Nilgiris often stop at Burliyar for a tea break, when we take that route. The same thing happened last week, in my case I stopped for a cup of Coffee.After munching two mirchi pakoras and one aloo vada , my hungry palate turned toward the fruit on the racks.


The first one is Rambutan , small red fruit resembling plums,exept for the red spines outside, The name rambutan is from the Malay word rambutan, which literally means hairy caused by the 'hair' that covers this fruit, and is in general use in Malay, Indonesian and Filipino cuisine, which make it the origin.The outer skin is peeled exposing the milky, fleshy fruit inside which is then eaten. It is sweet, sour and slightly grape like and gummy to the taste.One can keep munching it for hours.


Next to it was the humble , Mangosteen,a tropical evergreen tree believed to have originated in the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas of Indonesia. The rind of the fruit, which is not edible, is a deep reddish purple when ripe. The fragrant edible flesh that surrounds each seed is sweet and tangy, juicy, and somewhat fibrous.with so much of nutrients in it, and with its delicious taste, no wonder in calling it the "Queen of fruits"




Next comes the King of all tropical fruit, The Durian, known for its stinky smell, despite its popularity the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia. I knew the reason why its prohibited, the smell is Shit.Exactly the fruit Smells like hell, and taste like Heaven. The segments inside is a rich custard .The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked, and there are even durian ice creams. Es durian (durian ice cream) is a popular dessert in Indonesia, sold at street side stall in Indonesian cities, especially in Java.Durian fruit contains a high amount of sugar,vitamin C, potassium, and the serotonergic amino acid tryptophan, and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It is recommended as a good source of raw fats by several raw food advocates.With all theses medicinal and nutritive values these fruits are available only during these months from June to October, hurry, a small stop on the way to the Nilgiris at Burliyar, "The King and The Queen" is waiting for you.