Amla

Phyllanthus emblica · Indian gooseberry

The sourest fruit, prized for exactly that.

What it is

Amla is the Indian gooseberry — a small, hard, pale-green fruit that is fiercely sour and astringent, almost impossible to eat raw, and exceptionally rich in vitamin C. It is used fresh, dried, pickled and preserved, its sourness the whole point.

Where it comes from

Grown across the subcontinent, amla carries deep cultural and medicinal weight. In the cooking of the Mughal Corridor a piece of dried amla is sometimes added to chickpea dishes for tang and a darkening colour — the deep hue of a good Pindi chana owes something to it.

What it's called

Amla · amalaki · Indian gooseberry. Botanically Phyllanthus emblica.

In the kitchen

Fresh amla is pickled and preserved (murabba); dried amla sours and darkens chickpea dishes and dals, sometimes tied in muslin and lifted out. It is a souring-and-colouring agent in cooking, and a preserve in its own right. Used to taste, for tartness and hue.

What we know about the claims

Amla is genuinely one of the richest food sources of vitamin C, and its heat-stability is unusually good — a real nutritional point, distinct from the wider and less-proven wellness claims made for it. Enjoy the vitamin C; treat the rest as folk tradition.

Choosing and buying

Fresh amla is seasonal in South Asian grocers; dried amla and amla preserves (murabba) are stocked year-round (UK and US). Dried is the form used in cooking here.