SUMMER SHAKES

                                   Scorching summer is here ! and so the streets of Chennai treats us with freshly cut red juicy watermelon , squashed musk melon juice , sugarcane crushed into sweet and lime flavoured juice and many more.

                                First comes my most favorite fruit – watermelon. My jaws will drop down seeing the bowl full of pinkish red coloured, watery, sliced watermelon pieces. Some people avoid watermelon because they assume that it contains high levels of sugar. But the fact is, a sweet fleshed ripened fruit contains only 6% of sugar and 91% of water by weight, so it is not really surprising why a number of people may wonder about the potential health benefits apart from being a sweet thirst quencher. The main highlight as to why people still sought after watermelon is because, it is the most refreshing drink which energises the body. It mainly hydrates and cools down the summer heat. Putting aside all these health facts, just the mere sweet taste of the watermelon is enough to make us fall for it.

The next in line is the yellow, juicy, luscious mangoes. The king of fruits comes in many varieties and is consumed both when it is unripe and ripe. Fully ripened pulpy mangoes are used as a main ingredient in making ice cream, jam, muffins, jelly, cake, milk shake and many more delicacies. Whereas, the raw mangoes are used in preparing tangy, lip smacking, spicy pickles and the traditional sambar. The maanga gives so much of flavour to saambar both by its smell and taste. Likewise the mangoes can be used in preparing many dishes. Not only with its taste, but the mangoes are very good in their nutritional value also. It contains high iron content, phenols, antioxidants, vitamin A and E, calorie and carbohydrates.

                                    Sugarcane juice is among the many streetside delicacies for the summer. The sugarcanes are crushed by a juice extracting machine which completely drains the sugarcane by squashing the fruit without leaving a drop of juice in it. If the customers want lemon juice, pepper and some chat masala are added to its flavour. However sugarcane juice is not just another sweet juice and contrary to popular belief its one of the healthiest drinks out there filled with nutrients such as chromium, cobalt, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, B_1,B₂,B₃,B₅,B₆,C, proteins and soluble fibre. All these nutrients work together to keep body in good and healthy condition.

                              The very sight of a street vendors placing the plastic cup, adding a dash of sugar syrup , squeezing a lemon on and pouring sparkling soda into the mixture attracts me to run right away and have a gulp to wet my thriving thirsty throat. Mozambi juice, mashed musk melon with a drizzle of sugar syrup and sherbet concentrate – is a good option too. It not only energises your taste buds but also enriches your skin with a glow, relieves heart burn, helps in curing kidney disease and regulates the digestion metabolism.

                              So people come on ! Get on the streets and quench your thirsty throat with YUMMY ! LUSCIOUS !! JUICY !!! FRUITS !!!!

-N&N