text and images britt-arnhild
We were not even out of the car where we stopped on top of a mountain to look at the view before the fruit seller was there. Like beads on a string he showed us one exotic fruit after another, opened themwith his knife, let us taste, told us their names in Portugese and wasn´t satisfied until I could repeat the name perfectly correct.
Growing up as a Nordic girl, I had to start traveling the world have my eyes opened to more fruits than apples, grapes, oranges, bananas and a few more. I will never forget the first time I tasted freshly made guava juice. It is 10 years ago and I was driving from Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, down to Masawa, a town on the Red Sea coast. Asmara is situated up in the mountains and has a very pleasant climate. Masawa is the hottest place I´ve been, the sea was almost too hot for a swim. As we drove down the narrow hairpin bend roads it got hotter and hotter, the juice which was made by a local Eritreat in a tiny little cafe along the road tasted heavenly.
Three weeks in India with Carolyn as my teacher opened a new world of colourful, tasty exotic fruits to me. My tastebuds feasted for 21 days.
The fruit seller understood my interest and my love of fruit immediately. Terje grabbed a fruit, and with his teeth deep into it walked over to watch the amazing view. Little did he know that when he finally turned around to see what I was doing, he had to fight hard to get his wife back......from a local fruit seller.
Luckily for all of us Terje won, the fruit seller sold a bag full of fruits and I have a list of strange names in my notebook; maracuya banana, tomato maracuya, maracuya rose, filodendro........and in the kitchen I have a huge, ripe annona and absolutely no idea what to do with it.
What is your favorite fruit?
How do I eat an annona?
Why did I fall in love with Maderia?
