Tarap, the Prince of Exotic Borneo Fruits

If Durian is the king of fruits, let me introduce you to a prince amongst tropical fruits that is native to Borneo. It is called Buah Tarap or the Tarap fruit. In the Philipines it is called the marang. Like durian it has a unique taste and smell, either you like it or detests it. It's pungent quite unlike the durian. Some says it smells like garden pesticide! However it is a favorite amongst the natives of Borneo, apart from the durians that is.

It is closely related to the Jackfruit. The species is largely grown for local consumption; the short shelf-life of the fruit limits its wider use.Open up

The thick skin is covered with soft, broad spines. The fruit does not fall to the ground when ripe. It may be harvested while still hard, and left to ripen until soft. Taraps change color from green to yellowish when ripe. The ripe fruit is quite easily opened by peeling, if one does not have a knife, like a ripe banana. The interior of the fruit is somewhat similar to the jackfruits, but the color is creamy white and the flesh is softer. Once opened, the tarap should be consumed immediately, as it oxidizes and loses flavor rapidly. The seeds are also edible after boiling or roasting, tasting like nuts.Heavenly tatse

The flavor of tarap is widely considered to be superior to the Jackfruit. It is sweet without leaving much aftertaste but does leave behind distinctive after odour. You will taste it again when you burp! Rich in vitamin C, it is a feast on its own. As soon as you put one of the seed that is covered with the succulent white creamy and dreamy flesh, your taste buds will sing arias of praise! The first mouthful awakens the taste buds to a burst of flavor that is vaguely reminiscent of rosemary with custard. Not quite dramatic as the durian but it is totally different and nice. The flesh is meltingly sweet but not sticky. If someone could come up with a gelato dessert for this it'd be heavenly.How do you know whether the fruit is ripe for consumption? Squeeze it and smell it. Gently squeeze the fruit before you buy. It must be firm yet yielding, without any juice coming out. If liquid does oozes out, it is already too ripe and the taste will become acrid. Avoid those. Secondly smell it. It should not be too pungent, the more pungent it is the riper it becomes and it might be spoilt already. Best is that a whiff of pungent sweetness will do and you must open it within a day or two for consumption. A single tarap can hold as much as 150 to 200 fruits within