In this extremely hot weather, nothing is worth for a refreshing break at one of the several pickled fruits sellers. One can find all the seasonal fruits, cleverly seasoned and dip in a delicious tamarind coulis. A local institution.

It's impossible to miss them. They harangue the passers-by with their strident voice, drawing the attention with their colourful stalls where there are heaps of seasonal fruits. These traders, whom are mostly street vendors, are a big success in summer. Because, in addition to the fresh fruits, they offer an assortment of other fruits, known as pickled fruits. They are stored in various forms and size of jars on the counter, right in front of the seller. The recipe is invariably the same: vinegar, sugar, salt and chili. A true delight.

In this hot weather, the streets vendors must often take out their long metal rod with which they struggle to grab these fruits mingling a sweet taste with a touch of bitterness. In these jars, one find nearly all of the fruits: pineapple, mango, apple, "bilimbi," sweet potato and so on. Even cucumbers are being pickled. And as always, the seller will ask you if you want your fruits to be sprinkled with a tamarind coulis. A piece of advice, go for it, this will remove the excess of acidity if you don't like that. One'll lick ones fingers.

There are pickled fruits sellers in practically every corner of the streets throughout the year. However, the choice is wider in summer, where the fruits abound. One sorely resists to this sweet and sour break which quenches as much as it satisfies ones appetite.

We never get enough of it

Jessen, who drives along the beach of Mont Choisy has transformed his small truck into a showcase for his fruits. He offers coconut milk and of course, the inescapable pickled pineapples to swimmers who are in quest for a refreshing break. A whole pineapple picked that morning costs Rs 40 (slightly less than 1 euro). The swimmers, regulars of this beach in the north of the island, watch out for him. "It's the refreshment of the day. Nothing is worth a fresh coconut milk in this blazing sun," underlies a vacationer.

By mid-day, an endless lineup is spontaneously formed around the pickled fruits sellers. One can choose from mango to pineapple to cucumber or to apple. The gourmets always choose a pickled fruits salad season with salt and chili. It's obvious, we never get enough of it.