A week ago, I visited the homes of a couple of MCC staff in Pirgacha, in the middle of the Modhupur forest. It is a beautiful, peaceful place -- and my visit was well timed for the pineapple season. I don't think I've ever eaten so much or such good pineapple. It is the main crop of the area, and the naturally ripened fruit they pick for themselves is so much better than what you get in the bazaar.
But pineapple wasn't the only fruit around. During a short walk in the jungle, I got to taste four fruits that I had never even seen before. I'm regularly amazed by the variety of fruit around here. After living in this part of the world for most of my life -- and making a point of trying every fruit I come across -- I am still discovering new ones. Below is Shuvro with meur guta (Bengali) or ti-kring (Mandi). It is something like lotkon ...nothing like any Western fruit I can think of.
But pineapple wasn't the only fruit around. During a short walk in the jungle, I got to taste four fruits that I had never even seen before. I'm regularly amazed by the variety of fruit around here. After living in this part of the world for most of my life -- and making a point of trying every fruit I come across -- I am still discovering new ones. Below is Shuvro with meur guta (Bengali) or ti-kring (Mandi). It is something like lotkon ...nothing like any Western fruit I can think of.
Modhupur is also one of the few places in Bangladesh where you can get a view like the one below. It used to all be native Sal forest, but now not much of that remains. Before local people cleared the forest for farming, and after the not-yet-cleared forest became government land, the government forest department continued the clear cutting. Huge swaths have been cleared and replanted with timber trees plantations.
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