Galgal: The Original Citrus Fruit from the Foothills of Himalaya
December 2023, I visited Bir, a small village in Himachal Pradesh. As I drove from the bus stop to my lodging — the scenic views of this valley brought back memories of vacations: the time to do nothing, to achieve nothing, to bask under the sun relishing fruits & endless refills of lemonade.
And the next thing I spotted was a tree laden with giant lemons in the garden outside a quaint little pahadi home. Then another and another and another. In the 15-minute ride, I spotted at least 30 trees of this giant lemon. With high curiosity, I enquired about the cab driver and he called it “khatta”.
Thus began my quest to know the Khatta.
Every time I asked any local about the giant lemon, they’d just dismiss my question with a short answer. As if this magnificent fruit was of no significance. I wanted to know a lot more — what do you make out of it? Is it picked? Or eaten like oranges? Is it very sour or sweet? Why are you growing it so much if it is not important?
Nobody gave a very satisfactory response:
What is it called? Khatta.
What do you make with it? Khatta.
What does it taste like? Khatta.
But then, I fortunately met Shashi & Manish at Sukoon Bagh who introduced me to their childhood memories of Khatta.
Local name of the fruit is Galgal. It is also called called pahadi lemon.
Galgal or Citron is one of the original citrus fruits from which all other citrus types are developed through natural or artificial hybridization (as per Wikipedia)
It grows between October to January and is about 5 times bigger than a regular lemon.
The locals make a quick dish with it, which is called khatta.
Khatta is more of an evening snack. It aids digestion which is a big challenge at such high altitudes.
I was told that Khatta is not a culinary gem that the locals take pride in and hence all the shuddering I got. I found it quite interesting though.
Here’s a recipe for this quick pahadi snack. Or as Manish calls it “timepass ka khana”.
Recipe: Galgal ka Khatta
Recipe from Manish, Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Galgal (approx 200 g)
20 g Garlic Leaves
20 g Coriander Leaves
20 g Mint Leaves
2 Green Chillies
1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
30 g Salt
Sugar Powder as per taste
Method:
Remove the skin and seeds of Galgal.
Grind garlic, coriander and mint leaves with green chillies, red chili powder and salt. Keep the paste coarse. Traditionally, this paste was made on a silbatta (grinding stone).
Add some paste to the Galgal pulp and mix well.
Add sugar as per taste.
Note:
A local I met insisted on using a small pinch of hing in the paste.
PS. DO NOT eat too much. It is tangy!
