Northeast India was secluded to the rest of the country for a very long time. The region is blessed with superb flora and fauna that are very unique and can be found in this region. One can find several fruits that are native to the region and are not found anywhere else in the country. The texture of the native fruits along with its taste and colour is kind of different and its exciting for someone to experience it for the first time. Now lets’ go through some of the native fruit offerings of the North East.
Cantaloupes are fun fruits and are mostly eaten in the summer days. It is high in water content and helps people in staying hydrated. Apart from water, the fruit also contains several vitamins and many other antioxidants. Cantaloupes are also known by other names in different parts of the world such as muskmelon or mush melon etc. Cantaloupes can be found in most of the countries in the middle east. However, in India almost all the production is received from the Northeast. Cantaloupe is yellow in colour and has a sweet and juicy flavour to it. Northeastern people tend to enjoy cantaloupes as juice or in slices. In the Northeast, cantaloupe cultivation can be mostly observed in Sikkim, parts of Mizoram and Manipur and few regions from Nagaland as well.
Sohphie and Sohphie Namboth belong to the Myricaceae family and can be found in the state of Meghalaya.
Sohphie has a zesty taste to it and is mostly eaten raw, however some of the local people prefer to enjoy it as a pickle. These fruits ripe in the early summer days and locals like to mix it with water and have it as a summer drink. The skin of the plant has medicinal properties and is also used to cure stomach problems such as dysentery.
Sohphie Nam has a high composition of glucose and starch. The fruit can also be found in few regions of the Indian Himalaya. Locals prepare fresh drinks from Sohphie Nam. There are many medicinal values intact to the plant of Sohphie Nam. People from Meghalaya use the tree bark to prepare medicine to cure many diseases such as fever, asthma, dysentery among many others.
Soh Lyngdkhur is a black coloured sweet fruit and can be found in vast regions of Meghalaya and Tripura. Apart from the fruit, the leaves of the Soh Lyngdkhur plant is very famous for feeding the Eri silk-worms for silk production. The native fruit is a very unique breed of black mulberry that is nowhere found in any other parts of India. Like other exotic fruits of Northeast, Soh Lyngdkhur plant also has a lot of medicinal benefits to it. Local people uses it to treat liver related problems.
Soh-Shang- The famous Soh-Shang is found in the state of Meghalaya. The fruits ripe around March and the local markets get filled up with the fruits. These fruits are mostly eaten fresh and cannot survive more than 3 to 4 days. Fruit is pink in colour and has a sour taste to it. Few people use salt to cut down on the sourness of the fruit. This plant is also found in other places of the world such as Burma, China etc. A mature tree bears around 12 kilos of the fruit in a year.
Sohiong starts filling up the local markets of Meghalaya around the mid of October. These fruits are purple in colour and have a slight acidic taste to it. These fruits are very juicy and leave a purplish tint in your mouth once you finish eating it. Many regions of Meghalaya also prepare wine from Sohiong fruit and enjoy the same while celebrating local festivals.
Bottom Line:
Apart from the ones mentioned above, there are many other exotic indigenous fruits in the North-Eastern region of India. Try the fruits.... whenever you have the chance...
