I am looking and searching and reading and going crazy with the thought that I won't find the name or any other information about some of the tastiest culinary berries out there.
Those berries are nearly forgotten in between Goas hills, known only by the former generations and the poorer populations of the villages.
It is frustrating to watch a fruit disappear in front of your eyes.
This has been happening since Goas development has taken a sharp commercial turn.
Locals blame the illegal hill cutting, illegal privatization, illegal mining and corrupt goan government for the disappearance of the bio diversity and so of the berries and I have observed it over the past years with a bad stomach feeling, knowing that I can't do anything except make people aware of what they are about to loose.
Imagine, locals are not even allowed anymore to go on their own hills to pick the berries, because some Indian corporations have built 5 star resorts there and trespassing is not allowed!
Maybe educating and sharing the last natural remains will help to preserve my husbands ancestors knowledge.
Who knows, maybe those berries can cure an illness, or maybe they help you with other ailments or they might help to heal wounds!
Even if they don't cure Aids or malaria, the berries are ambrosial and unique!
The internet should actually help to protect and share all the information, but I came across a huge dead end, a lost knowledge.
Imagine, I have been looking for names and information in the past weeks without finding the smallest of hint, except that maybe one of them might be part of the botanical family of Bridelia.
One more Sir has been looking for names online and he had posted photos on flickr (Goa Edgar) here asking for any hints from fellow folks who might be able to identify and provide informations.
The problem too is that the berries are only known to us in the konkani language and konkani is a language which differentiates immensely from village to village.
At least the local's knowledge (or what is left of it) provided a starting point for my research.
Today I am asking here for information about this 3 Berries, in the aim of providing in the future an article for each fruit on Masala Herb and wikipedia.
The names are known to us in konkani (Goan language) in Bardez, Goa (Coastal side).
The Zunna Berry (जुनना)
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with Spices and Herbs
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Jump to:
- The Zunna Berry (जुनना)
- The Kanta berry (कानटा)
- The Zara Berry (जारा)
- If you can help us to preserve the knowledge all around those berries, please don't hesitate to share it with us all. Those berries are very rare and we want to make sure that our descendant will have the chance to experience and use natures goodness in the future!
- 💬 Comments
The Zunna berry is not much bigger then 1 cm in diameter and grows on low bushes.
The raw berry is green and ripens to a white color till it drops and turns a bit transparent.
When it is over ripe the flesh dissolves in your mouth, leaving a small white seed bare.
The flesh is kind of mealy and tastes light sweet, which is incomparable to other fruits in this world.
The fruits ripen around April-May depending on the region and weather situation in Goa.
The Kanta berry (कानटा)
The Kanta berry is the rarest and maybe the most valuable berry of the 3 introduced here today.
It grows on higher bushes around April and May and the fruit has a dimension of 1 inch, with ⅔ of the fruit being flesh (the seed is brown and quite tiny).
This fruit is particularly tricky because you have to be lucky to find a sweet one, but if you do you ll discover that the taste comes close to a cherry's.
One of the berries on the picture has a white sticky substance on the skin, that's some type of fruit glue which the berry emits.
Its extremely sticky!
The Zara Berry (जारा)
The Zara berry is sold by local ladies in April-May in the Mapusa Market, which makes its availability quite common for a few days in those months.
The fruit is 1 cm in dimension, green unripe and the skin ripens purple/black while the flesh and seeds keep their greenish hue.
The fruit is sweet but at times quite sour too, the taste can be compared to the European gooseberries.
One interesting fact of the fruit seed is, that locals keep it to dry in the sun, to crash it afterwards.
Inside that green seed is another smaller beige colored seed which is consumed as delicacy, even the ants were going crazy for the inner seed, carrying the pieces quickly away.
As mentioned above those 3 berries are known under this names in the Bardez Taluka, so names might vary all over Goa and even India.
There are no English names most certainly, so what we are looking for is a botanical name and its nutritional values.
Most surely those berries can be processed to further use in the kitchen.
In Goa it is mostly consumed raw directly from the trees because they don't keep very long and rotten quickly enough.
If you can help us to preserve the knowledge all around those berries, please don't hesitate to share it with us all. Those berries are very rare and we want to make sure that our descendant will have the chance to experience and use natures goodness in the future!
I had promised last week in the zamla/jambul article that I d show you some pictures of the Tiracol fort this week.
Well,... I have decided to postpone that to next week and instead I ll show you where we picked up berries on Goas border hill sides.
This is right at the border to the Indian state of Maharashtra.
To reach there you have to take the ferry, since there is no bridge crossing the river yet.
Well, actually the government is building a bridge right now and once that bridge is up and running, this whole region will be developed and commercialized as well.
You can see the industrial estates in Maharashtra in the back, and right in front some zara berry bushes.
Those are a few zunna berries, there are plenty on those hills.
No soul ever passes over there only once in a while you ll get to see kids and neighbor ladies roaming about the hills to pick up berries and to do their business. ^.^
Further down is the shore, touching the Arabian sea.
Our people come there to go fishing since it is a lovely tranquil spot.
Wild monkey business a 100 feet ahead!
I didn't go any closer because the females started to move and I hadn't come to disturb them... This sight is rare in goa and it was the first time that I had seen wild monkies hanging around like that!!
This photo wasn't taken in Keri but while coming back to the civilization, between mapusa and siolim.
Everybody knows this place here!
It used to be a valley of forests full of nature, now it is a huuuuge dumping place for garbage.
Nowadays at least its a bit better, it used to be soo much worse 2 years back. I remember seeing a horde of vultures around that area, like death taking its rounds...
HI I M ALSO FROM GOA LIVES IN DELHI BUT TILL TODAY I ALSO REMEMBER SAME BERRIES KNOWN AS ‘Assale’.These are black in color and very sweet and are grown on a plant which grows about 2 metres in height. The berries are about a centimeter long. I remember my childhood days WHEN WE USED TO GO TO SHAALA शाला AT UCCASAIM AND WHILE GOING TO ST . ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL POMBURPA - GOA AND ONE MORE FRUIT WHICH I REMEMBER THAT JAGMA AND AS WELL AS AADAV IN KONKANI. WE ALSO USED TO COLLECT THE ASSALE ABOUT IN KILOS IN POMBURPA - GOA. THESE TYPE OF TREES YOU WILL FIND IN POMBURPA NEAR CASHEW TREES AT ARRAO SITE ALSO.
THANKS BY ( 05/07/2020)
Hi Helene,
Pls get in touch with Dr Prabhakar Rao from Hariyalee seeds. He has revived several rare varieties of vegetables.
Thank u for writing about it!
Thanks for the info Sania! That's indeed amazing news 🙂
It is not zunna but churnna
You gotta respect the various dialects that pronounce it differently in Konkani.
Hello mam, your post are very interesting and i like this interesting rare berry post, but i need your small help, if you can be able to tell me the scientific name of Zara berry.
Hi Rocky, unfortunately we don't know the latin botanical name. This is something you might want to ask a university. I am sure if you just search out a uni online and contact them by showing them this post, they will be able to help you further with the botanic name. Feel free to come back then and share with us what you learned.
Carissa spinarum
Hi Helene. Lovely article on Goa's wild berries. I've been a regular visitor to Goa for about 20 years now, and have some family there too, but this summer was the first time I saw these berries! Now I'm addicted to them.
I've even brought some kanttam back with me to Bangalore, but the journey has made them all sticky and gooey. Would you know of any jam/ chutney recipe I could use to save them? Can't think of chucking these lovely juicy treasures!
I think there might be a kantam pickle, alas I have not made anything like that before. you could make a chutney with the precious fruit just the way you would make a tomato chutney or any other chutney. Unfortunately, I am not that wise in the chutney making process.
There"s another fruit posted on the web from Goa. Its red in colour and flowers are like Ixora. Local name is pitkuli - Ixora coccinea
Hi,
I think you may have already found the names of the wild berries.
But here are the names that I found
Chunna - Ziziphus Rugosa
Kanna/ Kanta - Carissa Carandas
Char - Buchanania Lanzan
There is another fruit ..we call them Jogma -Filacoartia Indica ( Governor's Plum)
You must add bhedsa berry in that list.
This fruits contains lot of vitamins and minerals which improves digestion and immune system . To preserve this natural wild fruits there's only solution that price of it should be high. than only will come to know the value of it. for eg. soursop fruit (Katya ponos) good for cancer.
I had eaten Bhedsa berries in cavelossim in my childhood in the 80s. They were blackish blue in colour. They ripen in May.
Hi Helene,
Hope you doing well and thanks for the article written on Goan Wild berries.
My name is Arun Mota and I’m an Interaction designer. I'm originally from Goa, currently i live and work from Denmark.
I came across you post of "Rare Indian Berries and more North Goa Impressions" while i was searching the Goan wild berries. I was born in this small village of Loutulim and have grown up eating this fruits.
I totally see a need of preserving and documenting this rare fruits we find in our jungles of Goa. I would be glad to be a part of a collaborative project of brining out something more substantial of the wealth and usefulness of this rare find we have in Goa.
Let me know what you think about the same and looking forward to hear from you.
Arun Mota
Founder Minimiles // Interaction Designer
Hi Arun,
Thanks for your comment.
I am absolutely game for such a creative project. What do you have in mind?
As you rightly said these berries are now known mostly by the elder generation or the people directly in touch with the forests. The berries mentioned above are known by the following names in Konkani (Karwar, Karnataka)
1. Chunna
2. Kanja
3. Chara
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, it's good to know what the berries are known as in other parts of the Konkan coastline.
hi helene i loved reading your post which i found while i searched and still searching for the english name and benefits of tefla berry used in fish[especially mackerel] curry ..my family stays in goa and i have tasted all the berries you mention in your post.
I tried to find out about tefla berry in the past months but I didn't get much info after reading Parijat's comment further above. I think it might be called differently here around.
Hey there, I am from Goa.There are also some wild berries locally known as 'Assale'.These are black in color and very sweet and are grown on a plant which grows about 2 metres in height. The berries are about a centimeter long. I remember my childhood days when me and my friends would venture out during our summer vacation(month of May) and collect about two kilos of these berries a day.Earlier Alto Povorim(between Mapusa and Panaji cities-the place where PDA colony is situated and its surroundings) was covered under dense cover of such berry plants.Today the land where such berries used to grow are covered with buildings.
I remember these black Assale berries. Favourite pastime for me and brothers was go berry picking. We grow up in the donapaula area and our favourite haunt was the road from donapaula to bambolim. I am getting terribly nostalgic now.
ITS NICE TO SEE A NATURAL THINGS AND I LOVE TO EAT IT
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING.
THANKS A LOOOOOOTTT.
HI I M ALSO FROM GOA LIVES IN DELHI BUT TILL TODAY I ALSO REMEMBER SAME BERRIES KNOWN AS ‘Assale’.These are black in color and very sweet and are grown on a plant which grows about 2 metres in height. The berries are about a centimeter long. I remember my childhood days WHEN WE USED TO GO TO SHAALA शाला AT UCCASAIM - GOA AND ONE MORE FRUIT WHICH I REMEMBER THAT JAGMA AND AS WELL AS AADAV IN KONKANI. WE ALSO USED TO
COLLECT THE ASSALE ABOUT IN KILOS IN POMBURPA - GOA. THESE TYPE OF TREES YOU WILL FIND IN POMBURPA NEAR CASHEW TREES AT ARRAO.
THANKS BY
Hi Neeta, thanks so much for sharing your memories with us. I think they will be very useful to others here. It can help in preserving these fruits before they go extinct.
Hi Helena,
Nice to know that there are people like you who are so much keen toknow about these fruits which are very rare to find in Goa nowadays. Well let me tell you that I am from Goa and when i was a kid i used to eat these fruits alot. Kantas, zamblam, churna and zogma ( zara berry). These fruits are easily available in villages besides the zara berry. Good luck to u n God bless.
thank you for the blessing Stela and your lovely comment =D
Forgot to add the exotic chapehra
Looking out for this berry!
Dear Ma'm thanks n happy for so much info on d berries of Goa in fact d gift of d sahyadri mountain western ghats, d berry in d pic above below d tiracol fort are kanna/karwanza/karnza used in marinated pickles when ripe n turn blakish blue either oval or round shaped also used in preparation of sherbet n d zunna or chunna/ churna berries are white with pinkish tinges when ripe well these are d konkani names, there are others apart from chunna, karnza, charaa mentioned above. The others are wild sour berries (bhindaa or kokum), zamblaa, bedshe/ bedsaa, chippa ( mangroove fruits on d banks of rivers zuari, mandov), chivraa, kanera, boraa. All have medicinal properties n multiple edible use apart from sherbets.
Hello prasad! So happy to learn about more berries. I recognize some konkani names such as chunna, bora, zamblaa and kokum but the other names are rather new. I will definitely look into this and May is the right time of the year for these fruits. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge here!
Hi I really loved your article, you should also find out about ( hasaye)( fatorfonna).
Glad you enjoyed it Roshan. What's that what you mentioned?
Hey, I m planning to build a company & guess I ll be starting with a nutty berry chocolate. So if u could send me a few berries, we could actually commercialise these berries.! Only when people know about its importance, the berries could be saved!!
Hi Vimal,
That's a noble and interesting idea. The thing is that sending perishable goods can't be done. I don't know if you are situated in India, maybe you could get them in your near otherwise you will have to just simply go to a place where the berries are commonly growing in India. Also the berries only grow at certain times of the year, they are very seasonal. I agree with you, only when people know about something, they will notice and give some importance. Thanks for your comment!
Had been to calangute market today and I found a lady selling kanta ( or is it karvanta) berry. Amazing. This eventually led me to ur website. Great pics and good info. Since I am a cook I will try getting a tart going with the same.
Your effort in starting the blog needs to be commended.
try prof. madhav gadgil at the indian institute of science, bangalore
Hi Helene,
Nice post.. I'm going crazy over finding the name for "Tefla". I live in the US and my wife landed here with some of those in her luggage. The immigration officials couldn't identify them and disposed them. Would you happen to know the name for tefla in English or any other language?
Hi Parijat,
English name for ''Tefla" is Sichuan Pepper.Don't go crazy no more.
hi helene
your site providing information about berries which are found very rare & grown in limited area. This shows that u have great interest in having indian food with various test. so vist various places in india u will definitely find some rare fruits, vegetable & other eating items in different styles because main thing is here this country is agro based country & every 5 kilometers u will find different language & different taste of india. by see u once again with different search.
I come from a place bordering Goa (Karwar) and these berries can be found over there but is rarely being sold in the market.
I know from a neighbor lady who comes from a village near Karwar that these berries do grow there. Village people mostly use them directly so maybe that's why they are not much sold during summer time in the Karwar market.
Hi Helene, I live in Goa since the past 6 years and so many of the things you write about are things which I have wondered.
In April and May, each day on our walk to the cliff for sunset, I would devour 70-100 zunna berries and when their time was over then we would collect the kanta berries. It was my favorite time of the year. Sometimes I didn't make it to see the sunset because I couldn't stop searching for and eating the sweet berries. I love reading about your insights and learning about the deeper layers of Indian & Goan life.
Thank you.
lol, those berries are really nice, I agree. I get addicted to the taste as well, and I hope that they wont disappear from the hills here, it would be a pity. Thank you Marci, its nice to know that you enjoy the work I put into this space. I hope too, that I ll be able to mesmerize and surprise you with more interesting content in the future. =)