Hyderabad: With the arrival of winter, the push carts full of ber fruit (also called Indian jujube) or botanically Zizyphus Mauritiana Lamk have dotted the city roads.
Irrespective of the age or gender, people love the fruit. For years, the ber fruit remained one of the best winter snacks for the people of Hyderabad. The fruit was earlier locally grown in the backyards of the homes, farm houses and villages. Disposable
“Now, its cultivation is limited to a few pockets of Telangana. During the winter season, the fruit arrives in Hyderabad fruit market from Karnataka and Maharashtra,” said Mohd Qadeer, a fruit trader cum commission agent at Jambagh market.
Jambagh market had been the oldest fruit market in the city before it was moved to Gaddianaram in Kothapet. The market was again shifted to Batasingaram in Hayathnagar. Followin requests from local traders of the Old City, a small market is now coming up at Pahadishareef to cater to their needs.
The fruit is being sold for Rs 20 per kg in wholesale market, while the retail price is Rs 100 per kg on push carts.
“There are many varieties of the jujube fruit. The smaller ones, preferred by people, are sold on push carts or bicycles by vendors. It is brought at the market during November and December in small jeeps,” said Jaweed, a trader.
The bigger variety of the ber, the hybrid, is also known as apple ber or chameli ber. “The hybrid variety is brought by the farmers from Rajasthan and Gujarat to the city markets,” said Shiva, a commission agent at Jambagh.
Different varieties of the fruit are cultivated all over the country particularly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam.
According to online health magazine, healthline.com, the Jujube fruit is low in calories but rich in fibre, vitamins, particularly vitamin C, and minerals. “Due to their high fibre content and low calorie count, jujubes make an excellent, healthy snack. They also contain a fair amount of potassium, which plays vital roles in muscle control and electrolyte balance. In addition, jujube fruits contain carbs in the form of natural sugars, which provide your body energy,” suggests a report.
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