Fruit guide
Wood apple, the fruit visitors skip
It smells strange, cracks like a nut and tastes like nothing else.
By Aurora TropicsPublished
Walk through a Sri Lankan market and you will see piles of what look like grey cricket balls. That is divul, wood apple. Most visitors walk straight past. Most Sri Lankans stop.
The shell is hard enough that you open it by knocking it on a step. Inside is a sticky brown pulp with small seeds and a smell that is hard to place: fermented, fruity, a little like blue cheese and tamarind at once.
How it tastes
Sour, then sweet, then something smoky that stays. On its own it is a lot. Blended with water, a little jaggery and ice, it turns into one of the most refreshing drinks on the island.
If you only try one fruit you have never heard of this year, make it this one.
Our wood apple starts the way it does at home in Sri Lanka: pulp from ripe fruit, made into a drink. Serve it very cold.
Questions about this post
What is wood apple called in Sri Lanka?
Divul. It is sold in piles at Sri Lankan markets and looks like a grey cricket ball.
What does wood apple taste like?
Sour, then sweet, then something smoky that stays. The smell is hard to place: fermented, fruity, a little like blue cheese and tamarind at once.
How do you open a wood apple?
The shell is hard enough that in Sri Lanka it is opened by knocking it on a step. Inside is a sticky brown pulp with small seeds.
How should I serve a wood apple drink?
Very cold. At home in Sri Lanka the pulp is blended with water, a little jaggery and ice, and it becomes one of the most refreshing drinks on the island.
