What is Sri Lankan Wood Apple juice, and how does it taste?

Wood apple juice is a thick, very nutritious local drink, made from the pulp of the Divul fruit, blended together with coconut milk and jaggery (palm sugar). People say it’s famously polarising, with a sharp, pungent flavour that feels sweet and tangy, plus a light fermented note, often likened to tamarind mixed with raisins and a tiny hint of blue cheese.

The fruit itself looks like a little, mouldy coconut, with a rock-hard wooden shell that needs to be opened with a hammer or a heavy knife. Even though the scent can be intensely funky and very off-putting to tourists who are not used to it, locals still adore the juice for its strong digestive benefits and its cooling effect in hot weather.