Wild Delight

Sohphie, a sweet-and-sour fruit, marks the arrival of spring in Meghalaya. It is relished raw as well as in pickles Shalini Dhyani.

- Shalini Dhyani

SUMMER WAS at its peak across the country when I was traveling through Meghalaya on a research project. Fatigue remained at bay in this abode of clouds, as the name of the state literally means. At one point, the weather and the vegetation suddenly started changing and we were greeted by an overcast sky and a short drizzle. The driver declared that we were at Duwan Sing Syiem, a tiny hamlet that marks the entrance to Cherrapunjee, still famous for being the wettest place on Earth. The town locally referred to as Sohra, sits on a plateau that rises more than 600 meters above the surrounding valleys. Its gorges remain covered with lush green forests and waterfalls. While admiring the picturesque view, my sight fell on baskets neatly arranged with tennis-ball-sized fruits. They were of different hues, from greenish-red to dark red and even purple. The women selling the fruit referred to them as Sophie.

I bent down to take a closer look at the fruit when Bansara Khunkynthei, one of the sellers, warned me that the greenish-red ones taste sour. “Choose the ripe ones, which are dark red or purple,” she said. “These are sweet. If you still want to taste the green ones, temper them with salt and red chili powder first.”