Pedalai

What it is

Miami Fruit’s pedalai is roughly softball-sized, with long, flexible projections giving it its hairy look. Inside, many seeds sit in white pulp. In Bulusan in the Philippines, the fruit is called gumihan and has densely packed seeds with less flesh around them than marang. It also lacks marang’s heavy scent.

The whole fruit develops from a cluster of flowers growing together. Their fleshy parts surround the seeds, so the inside comes apart in many small pods.

Where it comes from

Pedalai comes from the island forests of Southeast Asia: Borneo, the Philippines, Sulawesi and the Moluccas. It belongs to Artocarpus, the same group of trees as breadfruit and jackfruit. Pedalai is its Iban name in Malaysia; terap bulu is another name there, while gumihan is used in the Philippines.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Bulusan, gumihan is a fruit to eat fresh, sucking the pulp from each seed. There are plenty of seeds to work through, with a little flesh around each one.

In Sarawak, the seeds become a second snack after the flesh is gone: they are boiled with a little salt. Roasting is another preparation for the seeds. The sweet pulp and the cooked seeds are two separate parts of the meal.

How it's grown

Pedalai is a rainforest tree that can reach 40 m (130 ft). It has large, leathery leaves; young leaves have lobes that make them look different from the mature foliage. In Sarawak, picking fruit from these tall trees is work for skilled climbers, who go up to bring the fruit down.

When and where you'll find it

In Bulusan, in the Philippine province of Sorsogon, gumihan usually fruits from May to July. In Sarawak, pedalai is brought from time to time to the native market at Lingga and other rural bazaars. Farther afield, Miami Fruit has listed whole pedalai for pre-order, one fruit per order.