Why kokum, a beloved souring agent, hasn’t evolved into a commercial success

What defines a great meal? The portion size, flavour, colour, aesthetic, or price? To each their own. For me, it is memory—a meal’s ability to forge itself into my mind.

The one memory of food that makes me salivate instantly revolves around kokum. Just the sight of the sour, violaceous fruit can roll time backwards, taking me back to my nani’s chawl, barefoot on a sun-warmed terrace. The dish itself was simple—boiled potatoes, cubed and steeped in a kokum-laal mirchi paste which was ladled out every evening by Ayesha aunty, who ran a brisk, informal business. Children lined up for the potatoes, priced at Rs 2 for 4–5 pieces, but the real demand was always, “Thoda extra masala, please.” The fiery paste clung to our fingers and lit up our tongues. The dish, typically made by Mumbai’s Bohra community, was tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves, but its highlight remained the kokum.

Years later, a sudden craving for the dish struck me while I was living in Bengaluru. I wandered through markets, only to be met with confusion. “Kokum?” one shopkeeper asked, as if I had made up the word. The lack of excitement about the fruit in the city led me to trace why a souring agent so central to my childhood—and to many regional Indian kitchens—remains unknown elsewhere.

The kokum tree (Garcinia indica) grows wild like a dome of green capped by ruby-red fruit. Across India, it goes by many names—ratamba in Marathi, punarpuli in Kannada, kaattampi kokkam in Malayalam, and even brindao in Portuguese. In Sanskrit, it’s poetically called amlasaka and vrikshamia. Kokum is considered a Non Timber Forest Product, signifying its role in the lives and livelihoods of local communities who carefully collect and sell the product, holding up a very robust ecosystem.

When dried, the fruit resembles a shrunken plum. Its rind, once soaked and simmered, has a mauve hue and lends a sweet-sour aftertaste to food and drink alike. The fruit’s pulp is blended, combined with sugar syrup, and then mixed with water to make sharbat, the beverage of choice for many Indians on the western coast during the sweltering summers. Its refreshing tartness is even served at Mantralaya, the Maharashtra state secretariat in Mumbai. Along the highways of the Western Ghats, roadside eateries offer kokum soda to travellers. And then there’s solkadhi, a beloved drink made of coconut milk and kokum. The creamy pink appetiser is flavoured with aromatics like grushed garlic and ginger, coriander leaves and green chili; it pairs beautifully with the spice-laden fish curries of the coast.

Kokum was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2016.

For me, kokum will always be a flavour that tastes like childhood. But when I began speaking to people who have written and talked passionately about the fruit for years, different viewpoints emerged. Veteran agriculture journalist Shree Padre, who has tracked the crop for decades, says, “It’s a fruit of the future.”

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Mapping the kokum’s trail

According to journalist-cum-farmer Padre, kokum remains untapped in India due to two major reasons. “First, there is a lack of awareness outside the Konkan region, Maharashtra, and parts of Karnataka. And secondly, the difficult post-harvest operations, which are labour-intensive,” he says. Padre is referring to the manual process of soaking, draining and drying the fruit’s pulp and rind carefully–and importantly–within precise windows over a cycle of a few days.

For context, Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district is the de facto kokum capital of India. “If Konkan is the body of kokum,” explains Padre, “then Ankola and beyond are its tails.” Further south, in Kerala, kokum is virtually unknown; here, the region's native fruit Garcinia gummi-gutta–a botanical cousin–has been traditional to the native cuisine for generations. The dried rind of the fruit is used in fish curries and exported as a diet supplement.

Kokum can be cultivated either through grafting or by planting a seedling–the choice determines the fruit-bearing period. When grafted, fruits begin to appear within 3-4 years of cultivation, and with a seedling, it can take anywhere from 6-8 years. Kokum fruits flower over the winter and are ready to be harvested about 120 days from the fruit bearing. A strong, 15-year old seedling plant can bear 30-50 kgs of fruit.  If there had been better awareness about kokum and its counterparts, producers may have experimented with farming practices to suit the ecological conditions of other regions beyond its native range. They could have studied soil requirements, rainfall patterns, and shade preferences that can support the plant’s growth. However, since its knowledge has largely remained within local communities, such attempts have rarely been made.

Its short shelf life means it is seldom consumed fresh, leading people to adapt by drying it, blending it, or turning it into a value-added product.

Kokum was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2016. This made the name ‘Sindhudurg & Ratnagiri Kokum’ exclusive to the kokum grown in these regions. It thus became the first kokum variety from India and the 13^th product from Maharashtra to earn the label. According to a survey by the Chief Conservator of Forests, Maharashtra is home to nearly 46,600 kokum trees, the vast majority of which are found in the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. But this data remains outdated, with no clear estimates about the extent of the crop’s cultivation in the past 15 years or so.

The issue of post-harvest processing that Padre raises is particularly prominent during the rainy season. “Since most kokum comes from wild collection rather than commercial cultivation, drying is a challenge. Many collectors dry kokum on roadsides in unhygienic conditions, reducing product quality. A social worker from the US once attempted to import kokum but faced difficulties in securing a reliable, high-quality supply. Although some training efforts were made, large-scale exports never materialised,” explains Padre.

Part of the fruit’s obscurity comes down to timing and toil. It ripens at the peak of summer just before the monsoons and is highly perishable. “Once harvested, fruit flies attack it immediately,” says Savita Uday, a researcher and educator who has worked deep in the forests of the Western Ghats for over 12 years. “Because of this, many people who drink kokum juice have never actually seen the fruit.”

From forest produce to commercial crop?

Secluded in India’s Western Ghats, the kokum tree produces fruit that is processed into dark, sticky orbs with curled edges. But it is more than just the dried chunks found in glass jars at spice stores. Across the Konkan belt, it is a staple, a source of refreshment, and a marker of tradition. For the people of Maharashtra, Goa, and parts of Karnataka, kokum is omnipresent in dals, bhaajis, and kadhis. Yet it is rarely spoken about outside culinary contexts, perhaps because kokum isn’t a typical table fruit or commercial staple. Its short shelf life means it is seldom consumed fresh, leading people to adapt by drying it, blending it, or turning it into a value-added product.

For over two decades, the Western Ghats Kokum Foundation, established by Ajit Shirodkar in Goa, has worked to reposition kokum as a commercial crop. Formed in 2000, its mission has been to raise the fruit’s profile. To do so, the team has conducted national seminars and worked to raise awareness about kokum. “During one such seminar, it was noted that there are 48 patents related to kokum across India. Despite this, research remains limited, as kokum is not considered a commercial crop but a minor forest fruit. Only the Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth in Dapoli has conducted significant research, including experiments on pruning to facilitate harvesting,” Padre says.

The foundation published a Resource Book on Kokum, one of the few comprehensive documents available on the crop. Miguel de Braganza, a horticulturist and kokum enthusiast from Goa, and the editor of the book, was also the first to exhibit kokum in a full-fledged festival. The impact of the Konkan Fruit Fest (KFF), he says, was such that “people began planting grafts of the variety in Vengurla.” 

Priya Devi, Principal Scientist at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, who has studied the fruit for over a decade and who wrote her doctoral thesis, too, on kokum, points to the efforts being made by multiple institutions across the country to bureaucratically popularise the fruit. “Different organisations are taking efforts to promote commercialisation of the crop,” she notes. The ICAR–National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources has a mandate for Garcinia indica. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority also provides guidelines for registering kokum varieties. As part of their research, Devi and her team attempted to grow kokum across several Indian states, but found that it only performs well in Peninsular India, especially in the Western Ghats.

Adding value to a beloved ingredient

In 2012, an American celebrity doctor claimed that Garcinia extracts were a weight-loss “holy grail” on national television. The trend saw Google searches for ‘Garcinia’ skyrocket, and a multinational market was created almost overnight, which branded the plant as the ‘newest, fastest fat-buster’. The claims, though, had little scientific basis, as Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine found no evidence that hydroxycitric acid, garcinia cambogia’s active ingredient, encouraged weight loss, but that has not stopped sales.

Debates about weight loss aside, the leathery fruit has long been a trusted natural remedy—to ease digestion, cool the body, and treat inflammation. The Indian Ministry of AYUSH has even listed it among 140 important medicinal plants that receive support for cultivation, a recognition of its value in traditional healing. Moreover, the smooth, stable and rich butter made from its seeds has a demand in the cosmetics world as an alternative to cocoa butter. In places like Italy, kokum butter has found a small but growing export market.

If you visit the Konkan region and throw a stone, it will likely hit someone involved in kokum value addition at the domestic level.

“Value addition is necessary,” states Devi, encouraging people to experiment with the many properties of the kokum fruit. For instance, she points out that kokum butter, which is also used as a base in chocolates, is superior because of its ability to hold form without instantly melting in the hand. She also explains how this makes the butter valuable in both the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Padre adds, “Value-added kokum products have significant demand due to their numerous benefits. Kokum butter and kokum aamsul (salted rinds of the kokum fruit) are already well-known, but there are many unexplored possibilities. If you visit the Konkan region and throw a stone, it will likely hit someone involved in kokum value addition at the domestic level.”

One such stakeholder is Ganapathi Bhat from Honnavar, Karnataka, who has 10–12 kokum trees on his 1.5-acre farm. Around 2006, when Bhat’s father fell ill, he had to take over family responsibilities. At the time, he was working as a clerk in a cooperative society, earning a modest salary of just Rs 1,000–Rs 3,000 per month. A local entrepreneur, who was producing various fruit squashes, came to source kokum from the area. Aware of Bhat’s financial difficulties, he suggested that the then-clerk try making kokum products at home. With his guidance and training, Bhat began producing agal or kokum squash (fruit syrup, meant to be diluted with water for a drink).

“My mother took the lead in the beginning,” he recalls. Kokum fruit is harvested in April and May, and the Bhats followed a traditional method of preparing the squash:

1. Remove the seeds from the kokum fruit
2. Add sugar
3. Leave it in direct sunlight for three days to allow the squash to form

That first year, they produced 100 bottles, which sold out within a month. Encouraged by the demand, they increased production the following year. Eventually, Bhat decided to resign from his job and fully dedicate himself to the squash business.

Over time, they developed five types of kokum-based products:

• Fresh fruit squash – Made directly during the harvest season
• Kokum rind squash – Made from dried kokum rind, boiled and mixed with sugar, cardamom, and pepper for added aroma
• Sugar-free kokum extract – Made with ginger and pepper, used in cooking as a tamarind substitute
• Hot kokum or kokum tea – A spicy drink made with a rare local chili, native to the region
• Garlic-infused hot kokum tea – A savory, tea-like drink served hot

“Every year, we process about 5–6 tons of kokum and sell approximately 25,000 kilograms of raw kokum,” Bhatt says with pride.

Still, the fruit’s full potential remains largely untapped. Padre has more ideas, like kokum jam, which are yet to be explored. He mentions kokum dispensers at railway stations—once built, now abandoned. Kokum candy was developed by the Central Food Technological Research Institute, but it is not widely available. “The colour is the USP,” he insists, referring to the fruit’s deep, jewel-toned hue that paints every dish it touches.

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Quality concerns

Despite the praises sung by kokum’s advocates, the fruit struggles to carve out a market for itself. The main reason: widespread adulteration.

Many manufacturers dilute genuine kokum with artificial citric acid and synthetic food colouring to cut costs. “This affects the demand for authentic kokum. I often receive bulk orders from cities like Bengaluru and Mangaluru, but due to adulteration, only about 50% of the kokum available in the market is pure. The rest is mixed with artificial additives,” explains Bhat.

For the average consumer, kokum remains a mystery. Even if they’ve tasted it in sharbat or curries, they’ve rarely seen or touched the fruit itself. Savita Uday, who works to introduce urban dwellers to kokum in an intimate and experiential way, emphasises that the fruit’s perishability is a major issue. 

“When I began living in the forest, I wondered how to bridge this gap,” Uday recalls. She started organising one-week programs where people could visit, harvest kokum, process it, and take ownership of the experience. Alongside local communities, she compiled kokum recipes and created a book. Initially, they were harvesting from just 2–3 trees, but she encouraged locals to participate in harvesting more. Eventually, they began producing and selling kokum fruit preserves, which became especially popular with school groups.

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Echoing Padre’s concerns about hygiene in kokum processing, Uday adds, “In villages, people often dry kokum in their courtyards, but when it rains, they don’t always bring it in on time. We began drying it on white sheets, carefully selecting only the best fruits. That one change significantly improved quality, and demand for both dried kokum and kokum preserves increased.”

She further highlights the importance of timing: the fruit ripens at the peak of summer, but if the monsoon arrives early, the crop gets infested with worms and becomes unusable. “Timing is everything. Sometimes I announce a harvest date, only to find that the fruit isn’t fully ripe yet. Then I have to rush to another village, where the fruit might ripen a week earlier or later,” she explains.

For the average consumer, kokum remains a mystery. Even if they’ve tasted it in sharbat or curries, they’ve rarely seen or touched the fruit itself.

The fruit is threatened by decreased rainfall and hot temperatures; one study suggests that kokum may go extinct by 2050 as a result of climate change. But experts are in disagreement about the study and the fears it raises. 

Kokum’s distinct and yet humble nature allows it to blend into countless dishes. In tracing this fruit I discovered as a child, I uncovered not only its deep-rooted cultural archive, but also the many recipes, virtues and initiatives that have kept it alive across generations. 

Kokum aloo recipe: 

Boil 8-10 baby potatoes until just done (don’t overcook), then peel and halve them. Meanwhile, grind 4 soaked pieces of kokum with red chili powder, fennel seeds, and a little water into a thick paste. Heat some oil in a pan, add sliced green chilies and curry leaves, sauté briefly, and mix in the kokum paste. Adjust spice by adding more red chili powder if desired, then season with salt and a bit of sugar. Toss in the halved potatoes and stir well so the flavors coat them evenly. Finish by garnishing with pomegranate seeds before serving.

Edited by Neerja Deodhar and Anushka Mukherjee

Additional edits by Durga Sreenivasan