I was thinking about fruits we usually have on New Year’s Day as a tradition.
Duhat (Java Plum)
We have this thing about having 13 round fruits in a fruit bowl over the dinner table on New Year’s Day for good luck.
This is just one of the many superstitions to ensure prosperity throughout the year. Anyway I thought of duhat but realised that we do not have duhat in December as they are sort of summer fruits.
Thinking of duhat, I remember how delicious they are. Duhat is sweet and tart and best eaten with salt.
Duhat or Java plums are bursting with goodness. My mother used to put some in a bow sprinkled with a bit of salt, covered the bowl with a plate or lid and shake it for dear life. The shaking incorporates the salt to the bruised ripe duhats. Once you have tasted a duhat, you’ll never forget it as it leaves not only a sensorial memory but also a temporary purple colour to your tongue and lips and if not careful a more permanent stain to your clothes, but so worth it.
Duhat, a Filipino term for the fruit, is from an evergreen tropical tree called Syzygium cumini, which is native to the Indian subcontinent and its neighbouring South East Asian regions.