Kachri is a wild variety of cucumbers. Fresh kachri resembles a brown yellow small melon, which grows wildly in desert areas and is seldom cultivated as a crop. Dried Kachri, when used in cooking, adds a tangy taste.
Since fresh kachri is rarely available outside Rajasthan, the use of kachri is popular. It is real earth food… growing wild and becoming a protein-rich vegetable for people living in the harsh arid areas of Western India, where it is hard to grow conventional vegetables.
Kachri is used extensively in Rajasthani cuisine. Fresh kachri is abundantly found in Rajasthan, where it is usually eaten as a vegetable, in pickles, or as a chutney. Kachri however is dried and ground and popularly available everywhere in India as a souring agent as well as a meat tenderizer.
Kachri has beneficial properties in the treatment of skin conditions like itching, prickly heat, boils, and bed sores. It also helps to relieve earaches. It has a triple benefit of being a coolant, tonic & stimulant.
