There are many fruit gardens in the hilly areas of our country. in Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. With the change of weather in the month of March-April, different types of juicy fruits start appearing. First of all, we see Alubukhara, which is also known as Aloocha. After some time, peaches and apricots start tempting. Historians believe that all these fruits reached India from Central Asia. In much the same way that potatoes came here from South America with the Portuguese. That’s why some people speculate that this name was given to plums – Potato of Bukhara. Small sized potatoes are very sour, and they are used only for making chutney or pickle. In the cuisine of Kashmir, where this fruit is widely available, both fresh and dried plums are used. Among Wazwan’s dozen dishes, there is also a plum korma, which is traditionally prepared with lamb meat.
Vegetarian Alubukhara Kofta has been made in Punjab, which is rarely seen and tasted nowadays. With great effort, the kernels of potato are taken out, an almond is filled inside it, and then the potato is carefully kept in potato or bottle gourd or paneer kofta. This dish is labor-intensive to prepare and earlier also it was cooked only for the hospitality of special guests. To balance the pungent-sour taste of plums, tomato or curd is not used in curry or broth, rather it is given some sweetness from butter etc.
The English name of plum is Plum, which is called Pulam in Hindustani pronunciation. Sauce made from plum has its own place in Chinese food, especially plum sauce is used to dress chicken or duck in a unique way. A slightly modified form of plum sauce is also seen in Korean barbecue. During the British rule, it was common to make jam and jelly from plums like other fruits. But we Indians like sweet jams more, so this product did not become very popular in India. Yes, the spicy chutney of plums definitely makes its presence felt every now and then. Call it plums or plums, apart from its taste, one of its specialties is its ruddy color leaning towards purple. Be it syrup or cold tea or any liquor, it easily gives it false color.
Nowadays fruits imported from America or Philippines are available in the market. Nutrition scientists believe that it is very beneficial for health. These contain sufficient amount of fiber and protein and minerals. Prune is also a member of the potato family. However, these fruits have less sweet juice and more pulp. After removing the kernels and cutting them into small pieces, they are being used in various dishes just like dry apricots.