If you have a soft spot for tropical and subtropical fruits, Burma is the place to be because here they grow. From A as in 'Awza thee' or custard apple, as it is called in English, to Z as in 'Zee thee' or plum. But there are not only tropical fruits in Burma. Here you get something for every taste even when allowing for the fact that not everyone likes every fruit and that non-tropical fruits like the apple are here not as tasty and juicy as in the countries they are native to.
Grapefruit or shaddock or pomelo is locally called 'Kyew gaw thee' but do not be mistaken, although the name pomelo is commonly used for both grapefruit and shaddock there are differences between them what goes for the fruits as well as their origin.
The grapefruit, being smaller and finer than the shaddock/pomelo and a variety that is bigger than the orange, is of yellow colour, globe-shaped, varies from 4 to 6 inch/10 to 19 cm in diameter and develops from large white blossoms and in clusters. The fruit consists of easily separable segments with juice cells and white seeds and a thick rind. Its acid pulp is usually light yellow in colour but a few pink-pulped varieties have been developed.
The grapefruit tree is covered by dense foliage of thick dark green leaves, grows to a height of approx. 20 feet/6 metres and is most probably originated from Jamaica. The grapefruit is readily crossed with other members of the citrus genus. It is a low-calorie food, an excellent source of vitamin C and 'inositol', a member of the vitamin B complex.
The grapefruit is common breakfast fruit, salad fruit and/or juice fruit. Since the people of Burma/Burma usually have a soft spot for everything that is sour this fruit is much liked here. The grapefruit is classified as a variety of 'Citrus maxima'.
The shaddock or pomelo is native to Indonesia. It's very large fruit that sometimes weighs 14 lb/6 kg and on average 10 lb/4.5 kg develops from equally very large white blossoms. It is roundish and of pale yellow colour. The bitter rind is thick and light yellow; the pulp is slightly acid and aromatic, greenish in colour and watery. It is a pleasant cooling fruit, often used for preserves but also eaten in a fresh state and processed into juice. Both shaddock and grapefruit are often called pomelo or pummelo. The shaddock is also classified as 'Citrus maxima'.
Pomegranate, its local name is 'The le thee', is the common name for a small tree or thorny shrub in the pomegranate family and its fruit. The only genus is native to tropical Asia and is characterised by large solitary flowers. The pomegranate is of bushy growth with glossy leaves and red flowers.
The fruit is about the size of a large orange and filled with seeds. The fleshy outer seed coat consists of a sweet, acid, edible orange-red pulp. The astringent rind is used in medicine and for tanning. The tree is cultivated for its fruit in warm regions throughout the world. Dwarf varieties bear ornamental blossoms. The pomegranate belongs to the family 'Punicaceae' and is classified as 'Punica granatum'. In Burma the pomegranate grows throughout the country. People eat the seeds and it is also processed into syrup.
The avocado, the Burma call it 'Htawbhat thee' or 'butter fruit', grows in Burma but although it is very nutritious and tasty it is relatively little known.
Avocado, because of its shape that resembles a large pear also called 'alligator pear', is the common name for a woody tree or shrub that produces aromatic oil in its tissues and is native to tropical America as well as for the fruit of the tree. The tree propagates by seeds that cannot disperse far as the seeds fall close to the tree/plant and germinate there almost at once.
The fruit is a greenish, thick-skinned drupe of the size of a large pear. When ripe its flesh has the consistency of firm butter and a faint nutlike flavour. The avocado has a high fat content, containing 10 to 20 percent oil that is reach in protein and is a good source for pyridoxine what is needed in proportion to the amount of protein consumed. The fruit is used chiefly for making salads and for soups. It is also eaten fresh with a spoon directly out of the skin.
The avocado tree belongs to the family 'Lauraceae' and is as this name implies a genus of the laurel family that has 30 to 50 genera and more than 2000 species. As such the avocado tree, classified as 'Persea americana' is related to e.g. the cinnamon and camphor.
The last before last year-round fruit to be included into this chapter is the coconut. Coconut, the local name of which is 'Ohn thee', is the common name for the fruit of a tree of the palm family, widely distributed in tropical regions. The tree, called coconut palm, has a cylindrical trunk about 18 inches/45 cm in diameter and can grow up to a height of 100 feet/30 metres. At the summit it bears a crown of about 20 primate leaves that generally curve downward, each of which is about 10 to 15 feet/3 to 4.5 metres long. The fruit grows in clusters of 10 to 20 or more nuts. 10 to 12 of these clusters may be seen on one tree.
The mature coconut is about 12 inch/ca. 30 cm long, is oval shaped, has a thick fibres outer husk and a hard inner shell. The lining or kernel of the inner shell is a white oily meat that is dried to produce commercially valuable 'copra'. Copra contains 60 to 65 percent oil that is used in the manufacture of soaps and candles. Within the kernel is a sweet-tasting, milky fluid. The meat of the coconut is either raw or prepared an important food in the tropics. Raw and fresh it is soft as butter, very delicious and healthy at that. But be careful. The high contents of fat does - if eaten in too large a quantity - create serious stomach problems. So, do not overdo it. The coconut milk is best when drunk directly from the fresh nut. If you wait too long and drink it after the fermentation process has started you may get a bit tipsy. By the by, a famous local dish is 'Ohn Thamin' (coconut rice). It is very tasty; but be careful. Coconut rice raises the blood pressure. If you have problems with that do not forget to take your medicine. Also you will get a bit tired after having had some Ohn Thamin.
The coconut palm's terminal bud, known as 'palm cabbage' is considered a delicacy and trees are often cut down for the sake of it. The central part of the young stem is also succulent and edible. The sap or 'toddy' is like that of some other palms a favourite beverage in tropical countries; either in the natural state or after fermentation, which takes place within a few hours. Palm wine, or arrack, also a spirituous liquor is obtained by distillation of fermented sap. The tree's root possesses narcotic properties and is sometimes chewed. Dried leaves are used for thatch and by plaiting the leaflets, mats, screens and baskets are made. 'Coir', the fibre of the nut's husk is used to make ropes and foot mats.
The coconut palm belongs to the family 'Areaceae' (formerly 'Palmee') and is classified as 'Cocos nucifera'. The coconut is eaten in a fresh state, its milk drunken and the copra is shredded and used in candies and baked goods.
The last stop of our journey in the area of 'year-round fruits' of Burma is the fig or 'Tha pan thee' as it is called here. Fig is the common name of a genus of the mulberry family and the fruits of these plants. The common commercialised fig is native to Southeast Asia and widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries. The fig tree - another fact you may wonder at, a relative of the rubber tree - is about 15 to 25 feet/about 5 to 8 metres high.