Hi folks !!! Vinayagar Chathurthi Wishes to you all 🙂 Today am sharing here a long forgotten grandma recipe which we can make only during the Vinayagar Chathurthi Season…Guess what? It is a recipe with a very healthy fruit that is considered to be one of the most favourite of Lord Ganesha..Yes, It is none other than our own Vizham Pazham or Wood Apple. 

Scientifically – Limonia acidissima 

Also known as – Elephant apple, monkey fruit, vilampazham, Belada Hannu, Bael fruit, Kath bel

It is indigenous to South India. It is also cultivated in. tropical Asia.

Wood apple, also called as Elephant apple as it is the favourite of elephants.Hence this fruit is offered to Elephant-headed God, Lord Vinayaka, on Ganesh Chathurthi.

The thick rind must be cracked with a hammer and the pulp is scooped out along with the soft seeds that are embedded which is eaten raw or with palm sugar.The pulp of an unripe fruit is sour in taste.

It is rich in  mineral and vitamin, like calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and also has abundance of oxalic, malic citric acid and a concentrated tannic acid.

It is an antidote for poisons and also helps in curing sore throat. 100 gms of this fruit pulp provides 140 calories and is therefore, a good energy booster.The ripe fruit is refreshing, aromatic, digestive and a tonic. It is useful in preventing and curing scurvy(a vitamin C deficiency). It is also useful in preventing cancer of the breast and uterus and helps cure sterility due to a deficiency of the hormone progesterone.

Here is a simple recipe made with this wood apple. (Originally shared in my blogspot on Sep 2016 )

Don’t forget to make this recipe this season as you get this fruit only this time 🙂 Would love to hear your feedback 🙂