Marang

What it is

A marang is nearly round and reaches about 16 cm long by 13 cm across (6 by 5 in). Its rind is thick, with short bristles covering the surface. Inside, the white flesh separates into individual seed-filled segments, rather than a single solid piece. The sweet coating around each seed is the part eaten fresh.

Where it comes from

Marang probably travelled from Borneo to the Philippines, where it grows on Mindoro, Mindanao, Basilan and the Sulu islands. Borneo has both wild and cultivated trees. In Sarawak, it grows in forests that have returned after earlier clearing; the cultivated fruit is much larger than its wild counterpart.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Brunei, marang is called tarap. One Bruneian home recipe turns its white flesh into a brown-sugar gratin, layering it with sour cream, sugar and almonds. More simply, the ripe segments are eaten fresh or added to cakes.

Young fruit takes a savoury route: cooked in coconut milk as a vegetable curry. The seeds become a separate snack after roasting or boiling in salted water.

How it's grown

Marang grows on an evergreen tree that can reach 25 m (82 ft). It likes plentiful rain spread through the year and soil that drains well. Growers sow freshly cleaned seeds straight away, and trees begin bearing at about four to six years.

Harvesting is awkward: heavy, fragile fruits hang at the ends of flexible branches. Pickers reach them with a curved knife fixed to a long bamboo pole.

When and where you'll find it

In the Philippines, marang usually fruits from May to July in Luzon and August to December in Mindanao. Northern Queensland’s crop usually peaks in February. Ripe fruit keeps poorly, so harvests go quickly to market in baskets or sacks.

For US shoppers, frozen fruit is another route: online specialist Miami Fruit lists marang in 300 g packets.