GEORGE TOWN, June 5 — Nothing says Penang more than the sweet and sour pickled fruits known simply as jeruk which leaves fans craving for more after each visit.

Pickled fruits are not something new or original to Penang as various versions of pickles from fruits to vegetables are available all over the world but somehow, in Malaysia, Penang has become THE place to buy some of the best jeruk.

Over here in Penang, the pickled fruits that are particularly favoured are those made from local fruits such as nutmeg, papaya, guava and mango.

Interestingly, though these fruits may be pickled to last, the best kinds are those that are freshly pickled which explains why visitors, and locals too, prefer to frequent pickle stalls known to have fresh stock of the pickles on any given day.

The making of pickled fruits is simple enough; fresh sliced fruits are soaked in brine and later drained and rinsed before being soaked in syrup. The amount of brine and syrup used differs from stall to stall so some are sweeter while some may be more sour.

The pickles are often eaten just as snacks, and though it is often thought to be something only pregnant women crave, some men also enjoy it too because of the unique sweet and sour taste mingled with the crunchy flavours of the fruit.

The best thing about these pickled fruits has to be the retained crunchiness. Take the pickled papaya, as an example. It is a soft fruit in nature, but after pickling the somewhat unripe papaya, it acquires a crunchy texture and the flavour is one that is sweet and sour both from the pickling process and the natural sweetness of the fruit.

There are a whole lot of different places that sell pickled fruits all over Penang, particularly at spots often frequented by tourists so it is not something that is hard to find. It is available at individual stalls at the jetty and also at night markets. For sheer abundance of choices, most people visit Chowrasta Market for their fill of jeruk:

Chowrasta Market, Penang Road GPS: 5.418181, 100.331295 Time: 7.30am-7pm

This has to be one of the oldest markets in Penang offering a variety of Penang snacks from nutmeg to yes, the famous pickled fruits. This is where most visitors go to get their stock of jeruk buah and there are so many stalls inside the market, up to 10 different ones. You can opt for the ready-packed ones or pick and choose from the huge containers of pickled fruits.

Shops all around Chowrasta Market, Jalan Chowrasta and Lebuh Tamil GPS: 5.418181, 100.331295 Time: 8am-8pm

Probably due to the popularity of the pickle stalls inside Chowrasta Market, there are more than five to six shops now selling jeruk all around the market complex. If you take a walk around, you can find shops such as Jeruk Tempayan, Jeruk Aishah and D’Jeruk Kita. The two most famous ones have to be Nasir Jeruk and Jeruk Pak Ali, they were the first few who took jeruk buah to another level by giving them brand names. The jeruk at these shops are sold in vacuum sealed packets of various sizes. The ready-packed pickled fruits are often sold in packets of 50 and 100 grams but they also have bigger packets too.