Kafal

Wild Himalayan bayberry — the small, round, deep-crimson berries of Myrica esculenta, which ripen in April and May on hillside trees at 1,000–2,100 metres across Garhwal and Kumaon. The kafal vendor's call — 'kafal pakko, mein nee chakho' (the kafal is ripe, I haven't tasted it) — is the sound of a Uttarakhandi spring. Sold by hillside vendors in leaf-cups sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder, the berries are eaten fresh: intensely tart with a sweet-fruity finish and a crunchy seed. Briefly available each spring, the kafal season lasts barely four weeks.