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Eating in India: Fruit Carts and Markets

One of the best additions to my diet here in India was a little unexpected -- why did nobody think to tell me that the produce here is amazing? The fruits and vegetables sold from an average Indian pushcart could give the most la-di-da Manhattan grocery a run for its money. One current obsession are the oranges (narangi in Hindi). I paid 10 rupees for these four, but you can probably do better.

Although there are also varieties here that look just like the jumbo Sunkists back home, the smaller, greenish ones are a lot less watery and much more tangy. In a branch of the Food Bazaar store back in Bangalore, the stockboy told me that the big ones are for eating, but the smaller kind is for juicing. (An acquaintance told me the exact opposite, so I go ahead and eat them both.)  

If you're out hunting for fruit of your own, it pays to be flexible. There's not telling what the cart around the corner might have. It's a good idea to stick to fruits you can peel, or at least wash everything well. Some other hits include the tiny limes used for fresh lime sodas, the figgy sapodillas (they look like round potatoes), and melons of all sorts.