FRUITY FESTIVALS IN INDIA

As the saying goes in India, ‘another day, another festival’. Well, truth be told, this is not a recognised phrase in India – or anywhere, for that matter. We made it up. But the idea behind the phrase remains – whenever you are in India it can feel like as soon as one festival is over another is just around the corner. And where there is a festival in India there is also food. Most of us will have heard of the festival ‘big hitters’ – Holi and Diwali for example – but there are many, many more festivals on offer. Here we take a closer look at some of the lesser known food festivals India has to offer – all on a fruity theme.

Chikoo Festival (February)

First held in 2002 in Dahanu, a coastal city in the state of Maharashtra, the Chikoo Festivalfeatures a chikoo safari, exhibition of chikoo-based products and dance performances. With a backdrop of sand and surf it is sure to give anyone a new-found (or rekindled) love of chikoo.

Jackfruit Festival (June)

New in 2014, Kerala saw its first ever Jackfruit Festival organised by the Kerala Agricultural University. Aimed at promoting the jackfruit – a fruit that is found growing in many gardens within the state but is often overlooked in the kitchen – the festival showcases recipes and methods used to make jackfruit-based dishes including payasam, dosa, halwa and ice cream.

Mango Festival (July)

For two days of the year, India’s capital becomes a haven for mango lovers. The festival, which started in 1987, showcases more than 1000 varieties of the delicious fruit and features mango eating competitions, mango tasting, quizzes, mango carving and mango folk performances. During the course of these two days Delhi is also the place in which to buy the very best in mango chutneys, pickles, pulp, juice and plants, as well as the fruit itself.

Pineapple Festival (August)

Running since 2008, Manipur’s Pineapple Festival is another two-day event. Day one of this fiesta features a pineapple show contest in which pineapple farmers from across the state compete in the hope of winning a cash prize for the finest fruit. Prizes are Rs 60,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 30,000 for gold, silver and bronze respectively. The second day is all about celebrating pineapples and includes a fruit-eating competition (generally a World Record breaking attempt) and the search for the state’s Pineapple Queen.

Apple Festival (September)

This two-day fest takes place in the town of Shimla in Himachel Pradesh and celebrates all that is good about apples. The state, often referred to as the fruit basket of the country, grows a wide variety of apples and the festival features apple exhibitions, dishes using apples and entertainment (presumably mostly apple-based). Horticulture and tourism are two of the things Himachel Pradesh’s economy depends on, with apples being the main horticultural crop. This festival addresses both of these – promoting apples to tourists!

For an authentic taste of India’s cuisine that is slightly closer to home, head to one of London’s Indian fine dining restaurants. There’s sure to be a fruity little number on the menu for you to try.