Rowal, raw

Rowal is a small, tart-sweet fruit eaten fresh off the branch, or crushed and strained into a pulpy juice or syrup used to make cooling drinks, sometimes with a pinch of salt and sugar stirred in to balance its sharp acidity. The berries can also be simmered down into a thick jam-like preserve, and their tartness makes them a natural match for spiced or salted preparations rather than plain sweet ones, similar to the way a tart cherry or cranberry gets balanced with sugar and spice in cooking. In some regions the strained pulp is also frozen into ice pops or churned into a simple sorbet as a warm-weather treat.

Choose berries that are deep-colored and slightly soft to the touch, avoiding any that are shriveled or leaking juice, and keep them refrigerated since the delicate skin bruises and spoils quickly at room temperature, much like a raspberry or mulberry. At 111 calories per cup (114 grams) with 6.2 grams of fiber and 14.1 grams of sugar, it eats more like a tart summer berry than a neutral snack. It also carries vitamin C at 29% DV and fiber at 22% DV, so a handful blended into a drink or spooned over yogurt adds both tartness and fiber to an otherwise plain dish.