Country of Origin: Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Class / Cat: 1 (Premium Quality)
Average Weight: 575 Grams

Introduction

The English name for this fruit is Elephant Apple, because it’s a massively popular food-choice amongst elephants! Chalta is the original Hindi name.

History

Chalta originated in India and Sri Lanka, and then made its way across Southeast Asia, Vietnam, and China. It’s thought that elephants helped to distribute Chalta seeds, since it’s one of their favourite foods.

Regions

Nowadays, Chalta grows throughout Asia and even some parts of Australia. It thrives in swamps and semi-tropical, highly humid forests.

Flavours & Texture

Chalta fruit has a gelatinous pulp that, when ripe, has a sour to sweet-sour flavour. Thanks to this flavour and its refreshing aroma, Chalta pulp is often used to make pickles, jams, jellies, and juices in traditional northeastern cuisine. 

Preparation

The Chalta fruit can be eaten raw or cooked, depending on your preference. As mentioned above, Chalta pulp is often used in pickles, jams, jellies, and juices. They may also be mixed with coconut and spices to make delicious chutneys. You can use ripe or unripe Chalta in cooking.

Nutritional Value

Chalta is packed with B-vitamins, protein, and healthy fats. 

Calories per 100 g	59
Fat	2
Carbohydrates	13.4
Fibre	2.3
Protein	0.8