Seasonal flavours

Bengaluru has seen a tremendous rise in temperatures this Summer. Likewise, the demand for fruit juices, soft drinks and salads has also grown.

This season brings to us the ‘king of fruits’, mango, but there is also another variety of exotic summer fruits that are are not sold in all retail markets, rather they are mostly found on the streets.

Vendors start lining up their carts on the roads mid-summer and these seasonal fruits are seen selling like hot cakes.

The peddlers buy these fruits at wholesale prices and sell them in small portions since many like savouring a variety of them in little quantities. Many of these fruits are sold on cycles and pushcarts. Lychees seem to be the crowd favourite.

Akash Janardhan, a resident of Vijayanagar, says,” I personally believe lychees are god’s gift to us to go through and endure the summer. I love these delicious fruits and make sure that my mother gets them on her way back from office, at least once a week.”

Valeska Dias, a student of Mount Carmel College, says, “I’m lucky to be staying in Malleswaram as it’s really easy for me to go down the road and buy these fruits whenever I crave for them.They sure are very yummy and I wish they were available all-year-long”.

Arun, a vendor who sells many of these exotic fruits on Malleswaram 17th Cross Road, says, “This fruit business is my summertime occupation. People come and buy them everyday and at the end of the day, my baskets are empty. These fruits are good for diabetic people and many older citizens come here to buy them, especially the ‘jamuns’.”

The prices of these fruits are never fixed and they fluctuate from locality to locality. The concentration of vendors is higher on the streets of Malleswaram and City Market.

The vendors stand one after the other and arrange their fruits in the most unique ways to attract the attention of passersby. So before Summer comes to an end, make sure you relish some of these exotic bites of goodness!