Imported fruits on offer at Exotica in Metro Plaza. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Not long ago, apples from Kashmir and oranges from Nagpur counted high among the city?s fruity favourites. The local bazaar was the preferred point of purchase while the more adventurous sort would take a trek around New Market.

But now, fruity flavours of choice have gone beyond the boundaries of the country. Cherries from California, peaches from Australia, rambutans (like lichi) from Southeast Asia and red globe grapes are the rack rages.

What was limited to corporate gifts and buffets in five-star hotels have now made inroads into the Calcutta consumer?s dining room.

The foreign flavours have an edge over those available in India. ?The imported version is superior in quality. These are full-grown fruits that are bigger and sweeter,? says Deepak Balasaria, importer and supplier of such fruits, from his Gokul Vatika store at P-339, CIT Road.

?These make good gifts because fruits are associated with good health and they look and taste better (than the Indian variety). The five-star hotels are also big consumers of foreign fruits,? says B.P. Agarwal of Exotica in Metro Plaza.

Marriages, too, are plum picks. ?At a recent wedding in the city, I supplied fruits worth lakhs. I had girls flown down from Thailand who cut and served the fruits in authentic Thai style,? reveals Balasaria.

The price of a walk up the fruit path, of course, seems forbidding. These varieties can cost anything between Rs 150 and Rs 450 per kg. But that, it seems, is par for the fruit course, among a section of consumers.

?We notch up counter sales of a minimum of Rs 20,000 every day. Five years ago, the situation was just the opposite. Very few people were even aware of the concept of imported fruits,? observes Balasaria.

The preferred destination for the import of these fruits remains Thailand and Singapore. ?Singapore has an exclusive market where fruits come from all over the world. So it always makes sense to import from Thailand and Singapore as it does not involve spiralling overheads,? explains Balasaria.

Any doubts about the new-found popularity of these fruits are laid to rest by their round-the-year availability in retail outlets like C3 and with fruit-sellers of New Market.