India, Jan. 22 -- Hog plum is a great souring agent and can help in cancer, diabetes treatments

At first glance, the hog plum looks like a green unripe mango. However, a closer look reveals that in fact, the small fruit has very little pulp and is more sour in taste than an unripe mango.

The hog plum, called ambara or amra in Hindi, is used as an important souring agent in several cuisines all across the country. For instance, in the Western Ghats, especially the Konkan area and Goa, the hog plum (called ambade or ambado in Konkani) iprovides a tangy taste to noth vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes like khatkhate , a mixed vegetable stew. It is also used to make a sweet and sour chutney in Goa and in West Bengal. In Kerala, the fruit ...