319 | Satkora

Satkora is a Lemon Fruit

Satkora (scientific name: Citrus macroptera) is a citrus fruit tree belonging to the citrus family Rutaceae. It is a native fruit of Sylhet, Malaysia and Melanesia. Satkara is a lemon-like sour fruit with a distinctive aroma, used in cooking as a vegetable accompaniment. A citrus fruit belonging to the citrus family. Like the lemon tree, the thorny satkara plant grows 20 to 25 feet tall. Flowers come in the month of Falgun. Jaishtha-Ashadha bears fruit. As there is no continuous farming system like orange cultivation, there is no statistics on the production of satkara in the Department of Agriculture Extension. Due to its high demand in Sylhet, satkara is also imported from the neighboring countries of Assam and Meghalaya in India.

Expansion of cultivation

This fruit is the original fruit of the hilly areas of Assam, India,  Jaintapur, Sylhet, Bangladesh, Jaflong, Goainghat, in the hills here. Needless to say, it is the original fruit of the hilly region of Assam, India. Apart from Sylhet’s Jaintapur, Goain Ghat, Jaflong, satkara is cultivated in the hills here.The Satkora tree height of about 20 to 25 feet. Flowers come in the month of Phagun and fruit in Jaishtha-Ashadha. Due to its huge demand in Sylhet, Bangladeshi’s import it from the neighboring countries of Assam and Meghalaya in India.

Medicinal Fruit

In Sylhet people call Hatkara. Satkara is a type of lemon-like sour fruit with a special aroma. Satkara is rich in vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus. Lately its popularity has spread not only in Sylhet but all over the country. Sylhet people especially cook it with Guru Mansh.

In cooking

In Bangladeshi people eat as a vegetable. Its pulp is usually discarded because of its sour-sweet taste. First cut the thick skin into small pieces and cook with (green or seasoned) beef, mutton and fish curries. Sometimes people dry it by open sun. Mix the fruit with prickles. Sometimes Satkora use with doner kebabs in British Bangladeshi fast food restaurants.

Satkora belongs to Sylhet People

Satkara is a well-known and sour fruit for the people of Sylhet. The scent of satkara is one of the characteristics of satkara. Round like an orange, this satkara is not limited to the Sylhet region. Earlier, this satkara was not seen anywhere else in Bangladesh except Sylhet, but now it has become popular in the country and abroad beyond the Sylhet region and its reputation has spread.  Sylhet people like it very much living abroad. Besides, people can cook with fish. The specialty of satkara is only satkara. After adding it to the meat, the flavor of the meat almost doubles (I think). Another delicious curry is prepared which cannot be described here.

Lately its popularity has spread among the people of all regions beyond Sylhet. In Sylhet people cook satkora with different big fish, small fish and meat. Its special quality is that if cooked with meat, it increases the curry taste many times. Tenga (sour) or khatta is cooked with small fish or big fish with the sour part of satkara breast. This tenga or khatta is very popular in Sylhet. Apart from it many kinds of pickles can be prepared.

Satkora Preservation Method:

The special aroma of satkara enhances the taste of cooking. People eat only the outer cover of the fruit as a vegetable cooked with fish and meat not the inner side.  Peels can be used to make delicious pickles. You can store Satkara for many days/months by drying it in the sun and steaming it in the refrigerator.

Qualities and uses of Satkora:

• Satkara plays a helpful role in preventing cancer, colon cancer.
• Satkara is useful in rheumatism, varicose veins. Satkara pods are rich in antioxidants (destroy harmful substances in the body). Apart from this, satkara has fibrous properties.
• It acts as a perfume. For example, if you keep a green satkara in a deep freezer for a week and then open it, the whole room will become with fragrance. Anyone can try it at home. The professor said that its perfume quality is excellent, it is very natural. Not artificial like other perfumes.
• Satkara contains essential oil or aromatic oil on the peel. You can understand when you take the fruit in your hand. But not like other citrus fruit. People only eat the skin of the fruit. Because it has a lot of acidic and bitter taste.

Satkara with beef is a very tasty and popular delicacy. On the other side the flavor of the meat cooked with this satkara beef is double and unmatched. It is true that once you taste beef with this satkara, you will want to eat it again and again. The way we normally cook beef, just add half a satkara (cut the middle of the lemon) and one teaspoon panchphodon powder instead of garam masala to one kg of beef.  Moreover. if cooking in a pressure cooker, it gives with the meat and if cooking in a normal oven, Satkora mix with meat.