ASK any Bengali about the quintessentially Bengali 'Gondhoraj Leboo' and you'll see his mouth water. A mere mention of this juicy fruit and the delicious smell of fried Hilsa wafts back into the true-blue Bong mind.

SContrary to popular belief, the Gondhoraj is not native to West Bengal. It was brought over by the farmers migrating from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to India after Partition. Soon it became a popular must-have at every Bengali dinner table. This small tree is favoured by a humid climate and thrives during the monsoon. It does not grow to a tall height and requires potting with an unique diet of bone meal and small rotted fish mashed with cow dung. With the onset of the rains, the petals of its tiny white flowers fall apart to reveal hard green fruit. When ripe, the leathery rind turns from a deep green to a bright yellow, giving it the appearance of a lemon but for the oblong shape. The average Gondhoraj is as big as a fist and very juicy. Its distinct flavour is hard to describe� sour is not the word! Its tangy flavour dissolves quickly into mellow notes that cause the tongue to tingle.

Everything tastes different with this lime. A simple Nimboo Paani can be transformed into a heavenly experience as it has a more subtle and gentle taste, taking more readily to sugar. A dash of this juice enlivens Dals, Maccher Jhol, fried fish and meat curries like few others. It is perhaps due to its salty soil that Bombay has lost out on this delicate flavour, though modern conveniences are working to bring this treat to the Bombayite's tastebud.

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