John Traicos might have not tried Del but we certainly should
A few years before they were given full membership in the ICC, the
Zimbabwean cricket team toured Sri Lanka. I remember going to see an
unofficial test between the two countries, probably at the P Sara
Stadium. I can’t remember the scores but I remember the inimitable Percy
Abeysekera spitting out (literally too) the following: “Zimbabwe, your
captain is John Traicos; well, if you can’t do that, let him try Del!.”
He was punning on the last part of the Zimbabwe captain’s name, Kos
being the Sinhala word for Jak fruit. Del of course is Sinhala for
breadfruit.
This morning Del thoughts arrived in my inbox from my friend
Susantha. He claims he has been trying to promote Del for years. He has
written the relevant government officials, corporate heads and top
politicians urging them to grow breadfruit for commercial purposes, to
no avail. Here’s an anecdote he had related to all of them.
Money-tree
“When I was a scout, we were invited by the Christ Church Toc H Scout
group for lunch, almost opposite Elephant House. We sat at the table,
and you know what was on the table? Boiled Del, Pol Sambol and dry fish
curry, served on plantain leaf. Believe me, we could not have had a
better meal than that.”
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Grow breadfruit for commercial or
domestic use. Picture courtesy: Google |
There had been two Del trees in Susantha’s ancestral home in Nawala.
During the season, his father would get the fruit plucked and made him
distribute six-seven of them to each of their neighbours and of course
let the plucker take what he wanted as well. His grandmother would get
the fruit sliced and then fry it all, one part with sugar and one with
chillie and salt. The chips were stored and consumed over several
months, Susantha said. Del Chips, Susantha claims, are more delicious
than their potato counterparts. I agree. Del, then, like Kos, is a
money-tree, waiting to be turned into gold.
Let’s consider some facts. It grows in a variety of soils and has a
high degree of adaptability. Look around and you’ll realize that it can
be grown anywhere in our beautiful island. It takes just six years to
bear fruit and keeps producing for over half a century.
Domestic use
It is a high-energy food with a fair source of Vitamin C. It is rich
in fibre. Del seeds are a good source of protein and this has been known
even by our prehistoric ancestors, the ‘Balangoda Man’ for example. Del
leaves contain Vitamin C, iron and calcium.
Del is not difficult to store. It can be dried, buried or frozen.
Either for commercial purposes or for domestic use. And you can turn it
into flour too.
It is not just about being nationalist of anti-West. It is about
opting for the more delicious, the more nutritious, less damaging to the
environment and the more valuable (if money is the most important
determinant of choice?).
I don’t know if the former Zimbabwe Cricket Captain heard Percy that
afternoon or if someone told him what that biting line meant. I don’t
know what he tried, but we certainly can try Kos and we can try Del too.
We do, I know, but perhaps not enough.
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