Living near the equator, we, tropical countries, have figured out several ways to beat the heat we face during the summers. Hydrating oneself could be a plausible solution, as you may have thought but twerking it with different flavors is our style of doing things.

Why have carbonated drinks when equipped with rich biodiversity, right?

Iced drink – well served

In this blog, we shall know about a special summer coolant of North-eastern India called Thekera Tenga Sherbet.

Plant description

This plant (Garcinia pedunculata) is called Bor thekra in Assamese and Sohdanei in the Meghalaya regions. This plant is raised from the seeds that take about six months to germinate and grow to 10 to 12 meters. Leaves are borne opposite to each other with prominent mid-rib and leathery textures. The plant is dioecious as both male and female flowers are borne on the same plant at the time of September – October. The green fruits of 8-12 cm in diameter can be harvested by January and fully ripened by April.

The ripe fruits are sliced, sun-dried, and stored for extended uses and one of which is making the sherbet.

Fruit and slices Bor

How to make Thekera Tenga Sherbet?

Step 1 – To make three glasses full of sherbet, take a handful of dried slices of Thekera Tenga.

Step 2 – Soak them in water for 1 to 2 hours.

Soon you see the essence of the slices diffusing onto the water, making it turn brown.

Step 3- Strain the liquid and add a pinch of salt and one tablespoon of sugar.

Step 4 – Refrigerate it or serve it with ice cubes.

(or)

Extended version of Step 3 – After soaking it for a few hours, you can blend the softened slices into a paste and dilute them further.

Ice tea party with family and sherbet

Health aspects of the drink

Anti-oxidant rich – Like all fresh fruits, it is also bundled with anti-oxidants. The harmful free radicals are formed in the creation of energy, exposure to pesticides, consumption of fried foods, smoking, and alcohol. They stand responsible for fastening the aging process, cataracts, and other heart and neural damages. These need to be and are monitored by the anti-oxidants.
Weight loss – The fruit of Thekera Tenga has hydroxycitric acid (HCA) in its rinds, acting as a natural appetite suppressant. One of the ways to deal with weight issues related to obesity is eating less; that’s when doctors prescribe this in its marketed forms as HCA-SX and Super CitriMax.
Action against Scurvy: It is nothing but bleeding gums. The deficiency of Vitamin C is the massive cause for it. Thekera Tenga acts as an antiscorbutic agent helping in fighting scurvy.

Trivia Points

The male flowers are green in color.
This plant is endemic to southeastern Asia and available in NE India.
The dried pieces of the fruit are added to the dishes to bring out the sour flavor.
We Indians flavored our teas with ginger to cardamon, lemon to butter, and these dried slices are also used to replace lemon.