One of the things that I miss about my hometown is the berba fruit. It doesn’t grow tall and has dark green leaves. The tree bears small round fruits that turn yellow to tangerine when ripe. The more yellow the fruit is, the sweeter it is. There’s a seed inside that is thinly coated by pulp that is sweet and sour at the same time. The taste could be addicting.
Yesterday my aunt arrived from Sorsogon and one of her pasalubongs was a basketful of berba. Seeing the berba brought me back to my growing up years in Sorsogon.
There were a lot of berba trees in the backyard of my grandmother’s house. I used to climb those trees and put my harvest on my upturned tshirt. After washing the fruits, my cousins and I eat them with salt. Oh, to be young and so carefree.
Bicol Express 