English
বাংলা
The story
Amra is the hog plum that every Bangladeshi schoolchild knows: a green, egg-shaped fruit with crisp, tart flesh around a fibrous, spiny stone. It grows in many districts, but the canal-laced lowlands of Barishal division, especially Jhalokati, Pirojpur and Barishal itself, produce the large, fleshy fruit that markets in Dhaka and Chattogram sell under the Barishal name. Here amra trees are planted on the raised beds between canals, often alongside guava, and once mature they bear for years with little care.
The harvest starts around July and reaches its peak in the Bangla month of Bhadra, from mid-August to mid-September, before tailing off in October. In Jhalokati, amra is traded from boats at Bhimruli and nearby canal markets, and since the Padma Bridge opened, trucks and trawlers carry hundreds of tonnes a day to the cities. Amra keeps better than guava, which gives growers a little time to wait for a better price. It is eaten fresh with salt and chilli, sliced into street-food bhorta, cooked into tok dal, and made into sweet and sour pickles and chutneys.
In April 2025 the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks handed the Barishal deputy commissioner the Geographical Indication certificate for Barishal's amra. The registration names a regional product with a long local history; it does not grade individual trees or sellers.
How to spot the real Barishal amra (hog plum)
Good Barishal amra is large for a hog plum, firm and heavy for its size, with smooth, glossy green skin that may carry small brown freckles. When cut, the flesh should be pale green to cream, crisp and juicy, with a clean sour-sweet taste and only a thin layer of fibre around the stone. Fruit that is very small, shrivelled or soft, or that feels light, has either been picked too young or kept too long. As the fruit ripens on the tree it turns yellowish and sweeter; some buyers prefer green fruit for pickling and salty snacking, and some prefer the yellow ones to eat as they are. Avoid fruit with cracks, dark sunken spots or a fermented smell. There is no visible feature that proves a fruit came from Barishal rather than another district, so ask about origin.
Buying tips
Ask the seller which district and upazila the amra is from, when it was picked, and whether you are getting green fruit for pickles or riper fruit for eating. If you want to pickle, ask for even-sized, firm fruit from one picking, since mixed batches soften at different rates. Amra survives a few days on the road better than most soft fruit, but it still needs an airy carton rather than a sealed plastic bag.
Every Midmart shop sets and charges its own delivery, so ordering amra and guava from two different sellers means two delivery charges. Midmart does not take your payment and does not deliver; payment and courier are agreed directly between you and the seller. A listing that says Barishal is the seller's claim, so confirm the details before you pay.
Keeping it fresh
Keep whole amra in a basket or open bag in a cool, shaded place; firm fruit usually stays good for a week or more and slowly turns yellow. In the fridge it keeps longer but loses some crunch. Wash only before eating. Cut amra browns and softens quickly, so slice it just before serving, or turn a large batch into pickle or chutney.
Find Barishal amra (hog plum) on Midmart
Shops from where it is made
No shop from Barishal, Jhalokati, Pirojpur is on Midmart yet.
Every shop on Midmart collects payment its own way and arranges its own delivery — Midmart never handles your money or your parcel. Delivery is charged per shop: order from three shops and you pay three delivery charges.
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