Tropical almond. The fruit looks similar to the almond and is usually pale green, though it may be reddish-purple. There is a fibrous seed containing a pointed kernel, or nut. It can be eaten fresh and raw, or cooked. It is sometimes difficult to remove the fibrous seed without damaging the nut. There is a thin covering of skin on the nut, and it is worth removing it as it can be very astringent. In Australia, this is bush tucker.
Bael fruit; a close relative of the citrus. The fruit is about the size of, and has the appearance of a greyish-yellow orange with a thin woody rind. The floury pulp is pale orange in colour and has numerous seeds. Dried slices are soaked and boiled and the resulting liquid sweetened and drunk. Used for medicinal purposes.
A name for the banana prawn, a yellowish-beige translucent king prawn with no obvious spots or bands, fished in the waters of tropical northern Australia. There are two types, white, with white legs and redleg with red legs. They are found around 25 cm (9½") long. The flesh is sweet and quite soft.
Indian bay leaves are not bay leaves at all. They are actually cassia leaves, an aromatic herb.
Bitter apple. Colocynth. A type of gourd about the size of an orange. It has bitter, spongy flesh and is used as a laxative. It is drought resistant so grows well in sandy places.
A variety of peach either with white flesh swirled with crimson flesh or with entirely crimson flesh. It has an intense flavour of berry fruits and a strong aroma. They do not transport well so they are not often seen. In North America they are most often used to colour peach ice cream. In France they are known as pêches de vigne.
The Indian carplet, also known as the mola carplet is a fish that grows to 10cm (4") in length, found in ponds, ditches, nullahs and slow moving streams. In the West it is collected as an aquarium fish but may be found in markets in north eastern India.
