Of tomatoes and rasbharees

One of the most exciting discoveries of our Kodai trip was this fruit that they call tomato, available in every fruit shop and there were so many of these shops, which don't look so tomato like. A duller brick red, shape more oblong and the bottoms pointy rather than flat but when when you cut it open you see the tomatoeness of the fruit. A thick, fleshy center with an exploding population of bright seeds stuck all around it and the characteristic spongy inner layer under the peel. Taste wise, it was tangy with a hint of bitter but the flavour was strikingly similar to those green juicy fruits called as rasbharees in Kanpur. I still recall marveling at the amazing natural packaging of rasbharees in paper thin brown covers. Anyhow, many Kodai tomatoes peppered with salt and chilly powder were consumed while debating over why is it called a tomato and stating how long it has been since we had rasbharees.