Borneo the 3rd largest island in the world is home to many unknown fruits most on this
planet have never seen before. Starting in at number 10 we have:
10. Trichosanthes beccariana The island of Borneo is divided into 3 countries,
most of it belongs to Indonesia, the top third to Malaysia and this small piece which is
Brunei. The Trichosanthes beccariana grows among the Indonesian area and into the Malaysian
territory of Sabah. Being a member of the cucumber family this climbing vine grows up
to 40 feet or 12 meters tall. Large flowers will develop into fruit that
are cucumber or zucchini like green with dark marking they will eventually turn orange when
ripe. This orange pulp is sweet and delicious but embedded with smooth black seeds. This
fruit is basically a cucumber transformed into something tasty like a pineapple.
9. Dillenia indica Hailing from Borneo as well as neighboring
countries like China, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines the dillenia indica or elephant apple one of the few fruits
on this list with a non-scientific name. This lumpy fruit is grown on a tree 100 feet or
30 meters tall which offers up not only fruit but medicine, soap and polish. Thriving in
tropical rainforests along rivers, this aromatic sour fruit is enjoyed raw or cooked and added
to fermented drinks or vinegar. A common addition to curry dishes, drinks and preserves the
elephant apple is best described as having the taste of an unripe apple. The calyces
or this part of the flower is also edible tasting sour and added to curry dishes, jams
and sherbet. The elephant apple has a laxative effect on the body if consumed in large amounts
and if rubbed in water it can be made into soap. The dried leaves can be used to polish
ivory where the juice of the leaves is applied to the scalp to prevent baldness, who knows
if that actually works?
8. Antidesma bunius Cascading down the side of a 100 foot or 30
meter tall tree the bignay fruit grows in these impressive long clusters, much like
currants do, from offshoot vine-like branches off the main tree trunk. While very much tree
like when fully grown these trees when shorter will grow more bush-like. Loved by the locals
this fruit is grown in home orchards, cultivated in the wild and in organized plantations.
This one unlike many in this video can be found in local markets in Borneo but also
in China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines,
New Guinea, northern Australia and some of the Pacific Islands. They grow among wet evergreen
forest, on river banks, roadsides, forest edges or in bamboo thickets. Thriving in hot
humid conditions this tree has become invasive in the philippines.
Fruiting after 5 years of growth, male flowers will be so aromatic that some people find
it obnoxious. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked, made into jam or jellies. When perfectly ripe,
beneath the tough outer skin is sweet juicy flesh that’ll stain your fingers and mouth.
With a taste sometimes compared to that of a cranberry, those with a sensitive taste
palette may detect an unpleasant bitter aftertaste that most don’t seem to notice. A large
seed is present in the middle of this fruit which shouldn’t be eaten but the young leaves
of the tree are eaten raw in a salad or mixed with rice in a side dish. These leaves have
a sour taste which adds a nice kick to a meal but is also useful in treating snakebites
in Asia
7. Glenniea philippinensis Found on a medium size tree about 60 feet
or 18 meters tall at low elevation in thickets and forests along streams, this fruit is found
in southeast Asia more specifically the state of Sabah in Borneo, southern Thailand, Vietnam,
and the Philippines. Locals harvest it for the fruit and as a source of wood to build
furniture and carvings. Not a lot is known about this fruit, we do know the fruit is
edible which ripens from green to yellow. This pear-shaped fleshy fruit is sour, a bit
astringent with 2 large seeds in the middle. Measuring about the size of a peach the edible
flesh inside isn’t quite as generous as a peach but still offers a good amount of
pulp to eat.
6. Eleiodoxa conferta Going by the name asam paya fruit a 13 foot
or 4 meter bush produces this cluster of red scaly fruits that can be found in local markets
in Borneo. Sporadically found throughout southeast Asia in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia,
this bush grows among freshwater swamps and peat swamp forest. A large root system underground
creates new shoots that grow above ground producing this evergreen palm. With this fruit
is white flesh very similar to these asam kelubi fruit.
It has a strong acidic sour taste, stronger than a lemon, which isn’t consumed raw but
cooked in curries, it is also boiled down to make crystallized candied treats. This
fruit is also used to create a treatment for bad coughs. Sometimes used as a substitute
for tamarind, the apical or terminal bud, the end of the palm can be cooked and eaten
like a vegetable with the only downside being the trunk of that palm will die off but new
side shoots will form at the base.
5. Terminalia catappa Born from a massive 130 foot or 40-meter tree
is the Indian almond. This fast-growing tree is found in a more diverse range of places
than the other fruits in this video. Madagascar, China, India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea, Australia and Borneo all are home to this
fruit which is found growing inland from ocean beaches, coastal plains and at river mouths.
This tree is not only home to the Indian almond fruit but biting and stinging ants often inhabit
hollow twig on this tree. Drought and salt-resistant this coastal tree can produce 2 crops of fruit
per year. The fruit changes color from green to yellow, orange and finally to a dark redddish
purple when ripe. In this ripe state only the seed inside is edible offering an almond-like
taste. The Indian almond is eaten raw or cooked, sometimes chopped up and added to cookies,
dessert fillings, sweets, bread mixes, soups and stews. The seeds are provide a rich source
of zinc and are high in oil around 50%. This oil is sometimes used as cooking oil. Not
only is the seed edible so is the fruit flesh that surrounds it but only in it’s young
state. When green the flesh tastes acidic and is quite juicy with a somewhat sweet taste.
It has a wonderful aroma which tends to be more pleasant that the fibrous eating experience
of the fruit itself. The leaves and bark of this tree provided tananins, a yellow-green
dye from the leaves used on fabrics and a black dye used as ink comes from the bark
and fruit.
4. Garcinia dulcis The Mundu or Maphuut fruit native to Borneo
the Philippines and Indonesia is found in hot wet tropical conditions on a medium size
tree. It has been introduced into tropical America with some success. Eaten fresh if
you enjoy sour, they are acidic with a very juicy pulp on the inside.
Making an excellent jam the mundu fruit has thin skin which doesn’t protect them well
making them not ideal to be transported. High in phosphorus, carbohydrates and citric acid
the mundu is used medicinally to soothe sore throats and scurvy. An extract from the crushed
root is used to treat fever and poisoning where pounded seeds are applied to areas of
swelling. The bark can yield an extract for cleaning wounds or a green dye that is used
to dye mats.
3. Ficus carrii Found in Brunei and most predominantly in
Sabah the ficus carrii or Carr’s Fig was named after Cedric Eroll Carr an orchid fanatic
who spent months collecting figs for botanist Edred Corner on Kinabalu this mountain in
Sabah. This fig is a scarce root climber that attaches to tree trunks in the mountainous
areas. They are typically found at 3000 to 5000 feet or1200 to 1500 meters. These oblong
figs measure 2 inches or 5 cm in diameter and about 5 inches or 12 cm long and are layered
with short hairs. They ripen from white to brown and finally purple when ready to consume.
Getting your hands on one of these isn’t the easiest task, they are often guarded by
green pit vipers who too also value their juicy flesh.
2. Litsea garciae Created by an 85 foot or 26 meter tall evergreen
tree, Indonesia is the main country that cultivates this fruit for eating. Grown along rivers
and hillsides with sandy or clay soil this fruit is eaten raw or cooked, has creamy white
flesh which eats much like an avocado. Sometimes added to steamed rice the litsea
garciae typically recieves a light rolling in the hands before eating as it will bring
out the flavour. Measuring 1 to 2 inches or 25- 45 mm in diameter, this fruit is found
in Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo. Oil extracted from the seeds is used to create
soap and candles where the bark of this tree is used to cure caterpillar stings.
1. Ardisia elliptica This small evergreen shrub produces dark purple
edible berries. This large shurb can grow to exception heights but doesn’t typically.
Locals harvest this berry to use for food and medicine but sometimes grow it as an ornamental
plant. Most commonly found in southern India, Sri Lanka to the Nicobar Islands, Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea and of course Borneo. Growing along
the coast on beaches in sandy soil, tidal riversides, peat swamps and edges of mangrove
swamps thiss fast growing plant thrives in areas with high rainfall of 60 inches or 1500
mm or more. They can grow more than 3 feet or a metert in it’s first year, and is considered
invasive in Florida and declared a noxious weed in Hawaii. Birds are to blame for its
widespread propagation in these places. Fruit is produced randomly throughout the year offering
a constant supply of food over the 25 year life span of the plant.
This fruit looks like a really exciting tasting fruit but that really isn’t the case. Even
though it isn’t the most flavourful it has a starch like eating experience with some
slight sourness that comes through. Measuring less than ½ an inch or 11mm in diameter with
1 single seed inside, mature fruit change color from a light pinkish to red to a dark
purple when ripe. This fruit will stain your fingers purple much like a beet. The young
shoots of this plant are also edible raw or cooked and the flowers are sometimes cooked,
medicinally the roots are used with childbirth where the leaves are used to soothe wounds.
Which one of these fruit is most enticing for you to try? I’m going to have to go
with the number 10 the Trichosanthes beccariana the sweet cucumberish fruit. Don’t forget
to subscribe and until the next one have a good one.