Lapsi (Nepali Hog Plum)
ネパールにしか存在しない！？梅干しよりも酸っぱい山の果実
Description
A highly rare fruit endemic to Nepal (Anacardiaceae family) growing wild only in mountainous areas at 1000-2000m. Looks like a green plum or large olive. Biting it raw is face-twistingly sour, so it's never eaten straight. ALWAYS boiled, peeled, and simmered with sugar/spices to be consumed as Achar (preserve) or sweet-sour candy (Mada).
Classification: Fruit, Acidulant, Nepal Endemic
Shops selling Lapsi (Nepali Hog Plum)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The How to use section below is a general reference, not instructions from the listed shops.
How to use
Ingredients
- Lapsi fruit(Fresh)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Boil & Prep]: Boil raw Lapsi in a pot until soft. Once boiled, the skin slips off, revealing fibrous, sour yellow flesh and a large seed.
- [Process into Achar/Candy]: Boil down this sour flesh with massive brown sugar (Chaku), chili powder, and spices until syrupy, creating a long-preserving sweet-sour-spicy paste (or dried candy).
Learn more Substitutes, pairings, tips
Key spices
Extreme sourness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Boil and mash JP 'Plum (slightly green)' or 'Plum' to mimic the vibe
Pairing
(Not eaten raw; processed into dishes or snacks)
Trivia
Since it's harvested only in Nepal, it's the representative 'taste of home' that Nepalis living abroad miss the most and buy massively when returning. The seed is huge, so you eat it by sucking the flesh.
Eating tips & etiquette
For Nepalis, just hearing 'Lapsi' makes saliva flood the mouth like Pavlov's dog, much like Japanese imagining Umeboshi (pickled plum).
Allergen
None