Avocados in India

[fruitlovers]

I just encountered my first avocados in India. I was deliirously happy as i was suffering from severe avocado withdrawal symptoms after not eating any for 2 whole months!  Don't ask me what type they were, they were already sliced into my salad. Unless some avo expert can ID them from a photo of slices in the salad?  I think these avos are being imported to India from neighboring Sri Lanka.
Right now i'm about 1800 miles south of my previous destination in the state of Goa at 15N. It's very hot here even thought it's December. Lots of cashew, coconuts, and spice farms around, like cardammon and vanilla. Hope i have time to visit some of them.

[johnb51]

There's gotta be somewhere in India where they can grow avocados, as they grow mangos galore.

[fruitlovers]

There's gotta be somewhere in India where they can grow avocados, as they grow mangos galore.

Yes, like all of Southern India. It's not that they can't grow them it's just not a popular crop. I guess most of the demand would be from visiting tourists. Avocados are missing from most of Asia.

[bangkok]

In Thailand (Bangkok)  they have them in every supermarket though. Also local grown huge avocado's but they are so hard and big that i never bought them. They sell them only by the kilo so trying one is not possible. They all like to eat sushi and then learn to appreciate a good avocado in it.

Do they have sweet mango's now in India? Here they have sweet nam doc mai but not cheap now. The mango-tree's start flowering now but it is not really 'cold' yet.

[fruitlovers]

In Thailand (Bangkok)  they have them in every supermarket though. Also local grown huge avocado's but they are so hard and big that i never bought them. They sell them only by the kilo so trying one is not possible. They all like to eat sushi and then learn to appreciate a good avocado in it.

Do they have sweet mango's now in India? Here they have sweet nam doc mai but not cheap now. The mango-tree's start flowering now but it is not really 'cold' yet.

I noticed avocado in Thailand on my last trip, but also only in restaurants frequented by tourists. This is only in the last few years, before that you couldn't get avocados anywhere. I think it's a smart move as tourists are willing to pay top dollar for the foods they like.
Haven't seen any mangos here so far, but i've only been in S. India for one day.

[DurianLover]

Restaurant owners in Goa told me avocados comes from the hills in neighboring Karnataka at this time of the year. Grown just for tourist. You may get lucky and see some passion fruits and custard apples in Goa at this time (practically not found anywhere else in India). Karwar market ( next door to Goa) has them in December.
I think Sri Lankans avocados would be in Bangalore and Chennai, but I highly doubt the trouble will taken to transport them to Goa. There are no flights from SL to Goa. Sri Lanka maybe the only country in Asia where avocados adopted very well with local people. You get them year round in all markets, but during peak season roadside stalls overflowing with them. Basically they are given away for free.
There are no mangoes in India right now, maybe occasional few from some isolated microclimate.

[fruitlovers]

Restaurant owners in Goa told me avocados comes from the hills in neighboring Karnataka at this time of the year. Grown just for tourist. You may get lucky and see some passion fruits and custard apples in Goa at this time (practically not found anywhere else in India). Karwar market ( next door to Goa) has them in December.
I think Sri Lankans avocados would be in Bangalore and Chennai, but I highly doubt the trouble will taken to transport them to Goa. There are no flights from SL to Goa. Sri Lanka maybe the only country in Asia where avocados adopted very well with local people. You get them year round in all markets, but during peak season roadside stalls overflowing with them. Basically they are given away for free.
There are no mangoes in India right now, maybe occasional few from some isolated microclimate.

Thanks for the info. Restaurant menu had the avocados marked as from Sri Lanka.

[nullzero]

Restaurant owners in Goa told me avocados comes from the hills in neighboring Karnataka at this time of the year. Grown just for tourist. You may get lucky and see some passion fruits and custard apples in Goa at this time (practically not found anywhere else in India). Karwar market ( next door to Goa) has them in December.
I think Sri Lankans avocados would be in Bangalore and Chennai, but I highly doubt the trouble will taken to transport them to Goa. There are no flights from SL to Goa. Sri Lanka maybe the only country in Asia where avocados adopted very well with local people. You get them year round in all markets, but during peak season roadside stalls overflowing with them. Basically they are given away for free.
There are no mangoes in India right now, maybe occasional few from some isolated microclimate.

Thanks for the info. Restaurant menu had the avocados marked as from Sri Lanka.

No trip to Sri Lanka planned? I have best friends from Sri Lanka, the fruit diversity sounds interesting in Sri Lanka.

[DurianLover]

Oscar do you want me to PM a phone number of the guy who is brokering accommodations in private residences on Palolem beach? It's the most beautiful beach in India, comparable to those in Southern Thailand. Just crowded a bit. Alternative bamboo shacks are not really sound proof.

[fruitlovers]

Restaurant owners in Goa told me avocados comes from the hills in neighboring Karnataka at this time of the year. Grown just for tourist. You may get lucky and see some passion fruits and custard apples in Goa at this time (practically not found anywhere else in India). Karwar market ( next door to Goa) has them in December.
I think Sri Lankans avocados would be in Bangalore and Chennai, but I highly doubt the trouble will taken to transport them to Goa. There are no flights from SL to Goa. Sri Lanka maybe the only country in Asia where avocados adopted very well with local people. You get them year round in all markets, but during peak season roadside stalls overflowing with them. Basically they are given away for free.
There are no mangoes in India right now, maybe occasional few from some isolated microclimate.

Thanks for the info. Restaurant menu had the avocados marked as from Sri Lanka.

No trip to Sri Lanka planned? I have best friends from Sri Lanka, the fruit diversity sounds interesting in Sri Lanka.

I was actually thinking about going to Sri Lanka, would love to see it, but you can only squeeze so many countries and things into one trip! I found plenty of avocados at first fruit stand i encountered. Vendor verified the avos were from Kerala, not Sri Lanka. Not sure what cultivar they are, look kind of like Reeds, round medium cannonball shaped. I'm about to slice into one right now. I also found plenty of mangos of 2 different  cultivars. I couldn't make out what the vendor said was the cultivars, but one is classic pointed Thai shape, and the other is classic green Indian mango.
Just tasted the mangos, The S shaped one was totally fiberless with strong taste, but a little bit turpentiney tasting. The green Indian mango i think was over ripe, and not picked at right stage as it had a bit of sourness, it was also totally fiberless. Will try to post photos later.
First fruit stand also had sugar apple, chico, Passiflora ligularis, guavas, and the usual pomegranates, bananas, citrus, pineapple.

[fruitlovers]

Oscar do you want me to PM a phone number of the guy who is brokering accommodations in private residences on Palolem beach? It's the most beautiful beach in India, comparable to those in Southern Thailand. Just crowded a bit. Alternative bamboo shacks are not really sound proof.

Thanks for the offer but no shortage of great places here, ant i'm already at the perfect place. My definition of perfect place: free wi-fi from my hammock strung between 2 coconut trees looking into the sea, super clean and uncrowded beach, a large refrigerator in my room so i can chill plenty of coconuts for later drinking, room 30 seconds walk from water, short distance to nearest fruit stand. I also just tried Cashew Feni for first time. It is an alcohol made from cashew apples. Pretty tasty. They also have coconut fenni/toddy here. I'm not at all into alcohol, but had to try it once!

[Mike T]

Oscar don't get drunk and fall out of your hammock.Instead of sweltering in the viscous air here I would love to be frolicking on a beach of the subcontinent.

[fruitlovers]

Just found out the indian mangos are Neelams and the Thai shaped ones were called something like Tota Peni.