Tampoi
Baccaurea macrocarpa · Phyllanthaceae family
A Baccaurea with sour-sweet pulp that becomes more translucent as the fruit ripens.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Tampoi hides pale, sweet-tart pulp inside a thick brownish shell. Open one and the flesh looks a little like mangosteen, with seeds tucked into the soft pieces. In Borneo it is eaten fresh and also made into wine.
What it is
This is Baccaurea macrocarpa, also called tampoi putih. The fruit measures 2.5–6.4 cm (1–2.5 in) across and has three faint grooves. Its shell is dull brownish-grey or reddish-brown-grey. An oblong fruit holds one or two seeds; a round, apple-shaped one holds three to six.
The pulp starts cream-white and opaque, becoming translucent as the fruit ripens. It tastes sour-sweet, with a creamy texture.
Where it comes from
Tampoi comes from Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo. It grows in lowland forests and swamp forests, and is also planted as a backyard tree in villages. Puak and kapul are other names for the fruit. At Tanjung Aru town market in Sabah, a seller called it buah tampui.
How it's eaten where it grows
In Borneo, tampoi is a fresh fruit snack as well as a fruit for making wine. The edible pulp surrounds the seeds inside the thick shell. At the Malaysian restaurant Dewakan, tampoi putih is served fresh, with its creamy, tangy flesh.
How it's grown
The tree has a rounded crown and can reach 15 m (49 ft). Its small flowers cluster on branches and sometimes directly on the trunk. Insects pollinate the flowers, while mammals eat the fruit and spread its seeds. New trees can be raised from seed.
When and where you'll find it
Local fruit stalls in Malaysian Borneo are one place to meet tampoi: it has appeared at Tanjung Aru town market in Sabah and at fruit stalls in Kuching, Sarawak. A Kuching seller offered fruit from Serian in November 2023, tying several stalks together into bunches.
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What it tastes like
Tampoi's pulp is sour-sweet. As it ripens, the pulp itself changes from cream-white and opaque to translucent.
Tampoi's pulp is sour-sweet. As it ripens, the pulp itself changes from cream-white and opaque to translucent.
Choose, eat
1ChooseDull brownish-grey skin
Look for
- Dull brownish-grey skin
Ignore
- Bright red skin
The skin is a dull brownish-grey or reddish-brown-grey; bright red skin isn't a sign of ripeness for this fruit.
2EatPulp · not seeds, rind
Eat
PulpNot eaten
SeedsRindEat the pulp surrounding the seeds; the seeds and rind are not eaten.
Detroit, Michigan