Wood-Apple Chutney

Today is Mahashivratri. Though I am not a very religious person, I do prepare some fasting delicacies on such special fasting days. I know, many non-Indians get surprised to see the variety of food we eat when we are “fasting”. In India, at least in Maharashtra, meaning of fasting has changed (for bad) over the years. Now ‘fasting’ means eating a different set of food. This food is generally more greasy and unhealthy. In Marathi we have a saying that goes like, “Ekadashi Ani Duppat Khashi” meaning on the day of ekadashi, when you are expected to fast you eat double.

So today we all fast for fun and not as a religious practice.

Having said that, I must accept there are some really exquisite food items that we make only on special occasions like this one. We get plenty of Kavathas in market in this season and we prepare simple chutney with them.

Wood-Apple Chutney
1 KavaTha / Wood Apple*
4 Table spoons Jaggery
A generous pinch of Salt
½ Table spoon of Red Chilly powder
Slightly crushed Jeera

Break shell of Wood apple. This is how it looks like after breaking the shell :



Take out all soft, eadible part. Mash is with hands. Mix all other ingredients. Chutney is ready.

This is how ready chutney looks like:

A funny thing I noticed about English names of fruits, whenever they come across a new / unknown fruit they call it so and so apple. For example, custard apple for Sitaphal, Pine apple for Anannas, Wood Apple for Kavath!