Badak

became my favorite fruit as I adventured into the forested areas of Southwest Palawan (Philippines) during the late 90s. I found this very sweet and delicious! One time, I ate about 10 of them!
One can find this rare seasonal fruit during 'Tabo' or 'Market Day' mostly during weekends in the small barrios around the Mantalingahan area (the Municipalites of Bataraza, Brooke's Point, Espanyola, Rizal, Quezon).
'Badak' is what the indigenous tribes in Palawan call it. As I found out the other Southeast Asian neighbours call it Cempedak or chempedak . The tree belongs to the Moracaea Family, a relative of Jackfruit, Marang, Breadfruit and Durian. It occurs in Malaysia, Myanmar, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines (only in Palawan).* And the smell! How exotic! The taste of the fruit is similar to the related Jackfruit with a hint of Durian. A sweet, mild, and juicy pulp surrounds the peanut-like seeds in a thick layer between the husk and an inedible core. The outer husk of the fruit is slightly sticky.

There are not so much literature found regarding this fruit and so I thought I'd pursue research on this tree for my master's degree. So wish me luck!

If you're interested to know more exotic fruits, check this out : http://www.fruitpedia.com/


italics-mine

Vienna, Fall 2008