Elaeocarpus serratus, also called Ceylon olive and Wild olive, is a species indigenous to Sri Lanka.
Locally known as Veralu (Sinhala) and Karai or Ulankarai (Tamil), this tropical fruit is found in the Indian Subcontinent, Indo-China and South East Asia. The Veralu tree is a medium size tree with leaves similar to avocado. In fact, many people mistake it for an avocado tree when they first see it, but they are not related. The Elaeocarpaceae family and its fruits are almost similar to the large green olives (the commonly known olive, Olea europaea , of the family Oleaceae).
The Ceylon olive trees are naturally grown in home gardens across the country. The tree usually measures from 8 to 15 metres in height and 5 to 10 metres in width. The plant is commonly grown in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. This sun loving tree grows on Loam soil and requires low maintenance. The delicate, lacy, white flowers usually attract a myriad of insect pollinators, notably flies, wasps and flower beetles.
The Ceylon olive become smooth, green oval shaped when ripe. It has a brown coloured seed inside the fruit. The seeds have been popularly used as beads to make religious jewellery in South Asia and South East Asia. The flesh outer portion of the fruit is edible. The fruits fall when ready and spoil rapidly if not gathered and used. The flesh texture is pasty and avocado-like, and has a slightly sour taste, which indicates that it is a good source of vitamin C.
Great for pickles
In Sri Lanka, these fruits are used as mustard pickles. The unripe fruits are first boiled, then squashed flat. The whole fruits are combined with diced shallots to make a mixture called country mustard. These pickles are also known as "Veralu Achcharu ." The Ceylon ol
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