Tropical Fruits in Malaysia

Duku (Lansium domesticum)

Duku is round in shape and slightly bigger than a golf ball. It grows in clusters with a thick leathery skin which is in golden brown colour and can be peeled into segments when gently pressed on the top of the fruit. Each fruit composed of a few segments of juicy and refreshing flesh that is tangy sour to sweet taste. Some segments may contain small and bitter seeds. The flesh is usually white but some are pink.

Duku is originated from West Malaysia but it is cultivated through out the whole region nowadays. It takes about fifteen years for a duku tree to reach maturity; but the wait is worthwhile as they bear clusters of fruit twice a year thereafter. There are farmers blend both duku and langsat and produce a new innovation species, that is the Duku-Langsat which bears the characteristic of both duku and langsat.

In Terengganu, duku is cultivated in Manir area in Kuala Terengganu. During the harvest season, there are lorries lining up outside the orchards as to collect and weight the fruits then distribute to other areas later. 

Salak (Snake fruit)

The salak, or snake fruit which grows in clusters at the base of the plant has dark-brown shiny skin which is tough. It is originated from Indonesia but is now also grown in Thailand and Malaysia. Surprisingly the rough skin is thin and easy to peel. Inside you'll find a light-tan firm, dry and crunchy fruit divided into three or more lobes, usually with a single seed in the largest section. The fruit has a tannin content and if it is not properly ripe, the taste can be unpleasantly astringent. A ripe salak is always creamy yellow colour and has a sweet acid taste rather like a pineapple. Salak is not juicy which makes them especially convenient to peel and eat. The fruit has the firmness of a carrot and a distinctively agreeable flavour quite unlike any other fruit. Beside eaten in fresh, people in Terengganu also make this fruit into pickled or hot packed into syrup. These reproduced salak can be found in stalls by the road or in Center Market of Kuala Terengganu.

Salak fruit is cultivated in for commercial purpose in Ketengah in Terengganu. Recently there is another newly innovated clone, the salak pondos which can be cultivated in hydroponics method and harvest all year round in 2 years time. It is sweeter and allows higher yield.

Langsat

Langsat comes from the same species as duku but langsat grows not as wide as duku does and is cultivated on a lesser scale. Langsat fruits are always smaller and oval in the shape as compared with duku. The skin is pale and fawn colour. Langsat usually grow in 6 to 12 fruits in a single cluster and each fruits composed of a few segments each each with green and bitter seed and sourer in the taste. The skin exudes latex or sap even when it is mature, this makes it less welcome than duku.

Banana

There are various type of banana can be found in Malaysia all with different name and appearance. For example Pisang mas is the short and little banana, Pisang rastali and Pisang Tanduk are often made into fried banana and other dining banana such as Pisang Susu, Pisang Raja etc. Some bananas are even made into dishes together with its stem and flowers.

Banana is available year round and it is always not expensive in price. Banana tree has a large expanded leaves, about 2.0 m long and 50 cm wide. It has entire leaf margin and the leaf stalk elongated to form the leaf sheath. Because of the unique fragrance produced and the size, banana leaf is often used as wrapper to certain local food such as Nasi Lemak andKuih Tepung Pelita.

When buying a banana select that is slightly green, firm, and without bruises. If the bananas have a gray tint and a dull appearance, these have been refrigerated, preventing them from ripening properly.

Jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

There is proverbs in Malay : Siapa makan nangka, dia kena getah” ---- who eats the nangka (jack fruit), will be touched by the sap, meaning that you are responsible for your own action. Name of this fruit always gives space for imagination as it always sounds like ‘Jack’s fruit’. Jack fruit hang on a stalk from the tree trunk, large and oblong in shape. A mature Jack fruit can reach to 30-90cm long, 30-50cm wide and 5-8kg in weight. Therefore it can be easily recognized among the fruit. Jack fruit has thick skin with thorns which are not shape. The flesh is firm and yellowish with seed encases in the fruit. It is eaten raw and the seeds can be eaten when it is boiled. However, the flesh is also used as dish when the fruit is unripe. There is sap produced when you cut the fruit and it is sometimes used to capture birds by the villagers. It is normally grown in yard in the village area.

 Ciku (Manilkara achras)

Ciku looks similar to a kiwi fruit except it has smooth, non hairy but rusty skin. Ciku is granulated and yellowish to pinkish brown in colour when it is ripe. It can be oblong or round in shape depends on the species. Ciku found in Terengganu is always oblong and light brownish in the flesh.

A well grown ciku can be in a size of 5 to 10cm long. Ripe ciku is soft and sweet unlike the unripe which is hard and unpleasantly astringent and with milky sap. It is normally eaten in fresh although there is also fried ciku slices and jam in the market.

When the skin is peeled, the soft flesh is sliced into pieces which often carved into decorative shapes. There are about 2 to 4 flat oblong black and smooth seeds in the fruit.

Cempedak (Artocarpus champeden)

Many people confuse Cempedak with Jack fruit. They both look similar from the outer skin except cempedak is smaller and with stronger smell than jack fruit and it is a seasonal fruit. The flesh of cempedak is softer and smaller with orangey yellow. It is eaten in raw but more commonly deep fried.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

Perhaps everybody will agree that watermelon is the best choice to cure your thirst in a hot sunny day. It produces so much sweet and pleasantly scented juice that can easy your throat in a second.

Watermelon has herbaceous stem and tendrils and creeps on the ground. It is vary in the shape and colour of the fresh. The traditional species has light green with stripes on the skin and passionate red in the flesh. However with the new innovation in the cultivation, you can see watermelon in dark green skin and yellowish or orangey yellow flesh.

Tropical Fruit Farm

Malaysia has been a melting pot for many races, religions and cultures. It too has been home for some 370 species of edible fruits including exotic ones to suit even the fussiest eater.

Tropical Fruit Farm was built to preserve our green heritagae. As a contribution to future generations of Malaysia, we have planted all types of local fruits as well as fruits from around the world. We want the farm to play its positive role towards agriculture despite the intensive development in our country's rural area.

Here on the 25-acre Tropical Fruit Farm, we have more than 250 types of tropical and sub-tropical fruits. Some of which will tantalise your taste buds. Not only are they delectable, they are also rich in natural vitamins, minerals and fibres too.

Tropical Fruit Farm is situated about 800ft above sea level on the hilly terrain of Teluk Bahang in Penang is an ideal location for cultivating many types of tropical and sub-tropical fruit trees. The orchard covers 25 acres and it was developed back in 1993 with a few objectives in mind. First of all, to conserve the rare and exotic fruit trees. Secondly, to educate and promote to the locals as well as foreigners of the gift that our land is blessed with. Lastly, to play a positive role towards agriculture and eco / agro tourism amid the intensive development in our state’s rural areas.

Over the years, the orchard has acquired many rare and exotic fruit trees from the region as well as from far-flung corners of the globe such as Central and South America, Central Africa, India, the Middle East, the Caribbean, the Pacific Islands etc. Today the orchard boasts of a collection of over 250 different species and the list is still growing.

The farm endeavours to use only organic fertilisers. Some of which are processed in the farm using fruit waste collected from around the farm. Chemicals are only used when absolutely necessary. In the farm, our aim is to work towards a cleaner environment for the future.

Apart from viewing the fruits of course there would be sampling of the variety of flavours that is unique to each individual fruit. The orchard also prepares light snacks, juices and a hefty BBQ buffet spread on the weekends and public holidays.

For more information, please log on to Tropical Fruit Farm.

Tropical Fruits in Malaysia

Wherever you travel in Malaysia, you are bound to come across some stalls that sell fruits of the country. The rich Malaysian soil allows many of these fruits to grow in abundance and throughout the year.


Durian

Durian is often called the "king of fruits" by those who love it.For instance, it has a smell that can be "over-powering" to those newly introduced to it. It has a thorny appearance and could hurt if you allowed it to fall on your feet! It is even quite difficult getting at the fruit inside. Good durians have pulp that are neither watery nor hard to touch. It is kind of the in-between that is considered most delicious.


Starfruit

Another local fruit that is highly recommended is the starfruit, or sometimes called the "belimbing". It has a greenish to yellowish color, appears translucent, and has a star-like shape with refreshing taste.






Mangosteen

The mangosteen is considered to be a choice tropical fruit and like the durian, native to Malaysia. While the durian is seen as " heaty" for the body, the mangosteen is "cooling". Shaped like round berries, the size of tennis balls, it has a thick fibrous outer layer that is usually maroon in color. It is easy to open by merely pressing between the palms.


Pineapple

The pineapple is known as nanas locally. There are two pineapple commercial varieties in the country. For canning, they are known as "nanas merah" (red pineapple) or "nanas hijau" (green pineapple). For eating raw, the nanas Sarawak (Sarawak pineapple) and nanas Moris (Moris pineapple) is used. The nanas Sarawak is usually minimum in size with pale yellow flesh. The nanas Moris is usually smaller with a bright yellow flesh.


Rambutan

The rambutan season takes place twice a year. The egg-shaped fruit has a reddish-yellowish color, or a combination of colors, as its outer skin. The skin and seed are discarded, but the flesh is usually white, sweet, and juicy.






Papaya


The papaya is a fruit with its origins in South America. But it has grown well in this region and is considered almost native. This fruit is noted for its flavor and the flesh is usually orange to reddish in color. The fruit can be eaten fresh or chilled. Just add a squeeze of lime or lemon for added taste.