Monday, April 27, 2009

Wild bread-fruit - 'Kalay del' - Sinhalese, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Bread fruit forms an important part of the diet, of the villager in Sri Lanka. The bread-fruit could be skinned, sliced and boiled and eaten. It could be sliced into small pieces and deep fried and eaten. A nice snack could be made by dipping the latter in melted sugar. It forms a delicious part of the Sri Lankan cuisine.
There are three varieties of bread fruit. The one with longish fruits is called 'Kalay del'. There is another variety which has spherical fruits but the skin is thorny. This latter is called 'Val del'. The domestic variety has spherical fruits which lack the thorny skin.
The photograph above shows a 'Kalay del' tree with its fruits. You could also see a bird's nest on the tree.