Wood Apple Juice (Divul Kiri) is a uniquely Sri Lankan drink — the pulp of the wood apple (divul, Limonia acidissima) mixed with coconut milk, jaggery, and salt into a thick, tangy, sweet-sour beverage. The wood apple is native to South Asia but the preparation with coconut milk is distinctly Sri Lankan, found at every roadside stall and market.
Wood Apple Juice (called Divul Kiri in Sinhala, meaning 'wood apple milk') is a distinctly Sri Lankan drink. The wood apple (divul, Limonia acidissima) is a hard-shelled fruit with a brown, paste-like pulp that is intensely sour and slightly sweet. In Sri Lanka, the pulp is scooped out and mixed with coconut milk (not water — this is the Sri Lankan difference from Indian preparations), jaggery, and a pinch of salt, creating a thick, tangy, refreshing drink. It is sold at roadside stalls across the island, especially in the dry zone where wood apples grow abundantly.
A glass of thick, pale brown, slightly gritty liquid — intensely tangy, with the sweet-sour complexity of the wood apple, the richness of coconut milk, and the caramel sweetness of jaggery. It is unlike any other fruit drink — thick, earthy, and deeply refreshing on a hot Sri Lankan afternoon.
The wood apple must be cracked open (the shell is hard — use a hammer or the back of a knife). The pulp is scooped out and soaked in warm water for 5 minutes to soften, then strained to remove seeds and fibers. The strained pulp is mixed with coconut milk, jaggery, and salt, and blended or whisked until smooth. The drink should be thick but drinkable.
Variations
Some add lime juice; some use sugar instead of jaggery; some serve it thinner with more water; the sweetness varies.
On the Palate
Where Wood Apple Juice sits in the Sri Lankan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
7 steps · 15 min active + 5 min waiting
- 13 min
Crack open 2 wood apples; scoop out the pulp.
- 25 min
Soak the pulp in 200 ml warm water 5 minutes.
- 33 min
Strain through a fine sieve, pressing to extract all the liquid; discard seeds and fibers.
Watch outPress the pulp hard through the sieve to squeeze out all the flavorful liquid, and stop at the seeds and grit — any bitter seed pulp getting through spoils the drink.
- 43 min
Blend the strained pulp with 300 ml coconut milk, 3 tbsp jaggery, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- 52 min
Add 200 ml cold water to thin to drinkable consistency.
- 61 min
Taste; adjust sweetness and salt.
- 71 min
Chill; serve over ice.
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