Saturday 24 November 2007

How to Skin a Bambangan




Most Sabahans, Bruneians, and I think many Sarawakians, as well as some across the Indonesian border, would recognise this round cannonball sized fruit. However this is a rare fruit in the East Coast of Sabah and many people there find it rather strange and would not know how to open it up. My step-by-step photos show the correct way to remove the thick tough skin with a sharp knife.

The Bambangan, also known as Membangan (Mangifera panjang) is a member of the Anacardiaceae Family of plants to which the Mango also belongs. The huge trees are found scattered in rural backyards and farms and only fruit once a year, flowering usually around March and ripening in August. Most fruits are rather sour even when ripe and they are mainly made into pickles or used in cooking. However some can be quite sweet and aromatic and can be eaten fresh. When in season, tamus or weekly markets and streetsides and roadside stalls, especially along the KK-Ranau Road would be well stocked with these fruits as well as jars of the preserve (or jaruk bambangan).


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