FRUITS OF BANGLADESH

I have been pretty busy lately and finally I could spare some time at home to write something for this blog. As I type now I am enjoying a ripe fresh mango cut and served. This was grown in one of the mango trees we have in our compound. The taste is very good. Actually summer is the time when a large variety of vibrant tropical and sub-tropical fruits are available in Bangladesh. Our national fruit is Jackfruit. There are plenty of Jackfruit trees all over the countryside. The other most widely cultivated fruits in summer besides these two are Litchi, Black Berry, Melon, Watermelon, Pineapple, Tamarind etc. May, June & July are specially treated as fruit festival months in Bangladesh when almost all the major and minor fruits are matured & available. The fruits that are available throughout the year include Papaya, Coconut & Banana. The common imported fruits are Orange, Apple, Grapes & Dates.

Mango, the most popular fruit tree in the country has about 3000 varieties both in cultivation and in wild. Over this season a typical Bangladeshi family would be consuming almost 10-15 common varieties of ripe mangoes found in the market. The green mangoes are used to make pickles and chutneys, which are a common table side dish consumed round the year.