Ceylon gooseberry

Dovyalis hebecarpa · Tropical fruit

40 pairings

The Ceylon gooseberry (Dovyalis hebecarpa), also called ketembilla or kitambilla, is a small, velvety, deep-purple berry of the willow family (Salicaceae), native to the wet lowlands of Sri Lanka and southern India. Intensely tart and richly juicy, it is rarely eaten out of hand and instead prized for magenta-red jams, jellies, syrups and juices.

Picking a good onedrag

UnderripeOverripe

Colouring, still firmMorton notes slightly unripe fruit is highest in pectin, so this one sets a jelly. Too sharp to enjoy raw, and a lot at once will bother a tender stomach.Best for jelly

Skin colourOrange going red, the purple patchy and uneven

The squeezeFirm, the first give under a thumb

Stem endStem browned but holding on

SmellFaint sharp berry, only right at the skin

Reading a just ripe one. Move the slider and the rest of this page — nutrition, pairings — re-scores with it.

Preparing