FOUND: MARANG

Having been born in Davao, fruits of all shapes, size and smell are not new to me.

Like the marang.

It certainly looks like a toilet brush with a fat rat's tail for a handle. But what it lacks in appearance, it more than makes up for in taste.

The marang is also know as madang, terap/ tarap, johey oak, green pedalai or timadang in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia where it is endemic. In the Philippines, the fruit is grown in Palawan and Mindanao. It is a cousin of the langka (jackfruit) and the breadfruit.

I actually like the fruit for its weirdness. When ripe, it is very easy to open. Just pull away the bristly skin  to reveal the white flesh covered seeds inside.

Don't be  discouraged by its similarity to monkey brain and the strong scent which, for me, is a mix of durian and langka. Many people might be repulsed but for someone who thinks durian smells delicious, the marang is a lightweight in the list of offensive smelling fruits.

The arils, the white flesh surrounding the seed has a slimy, cottony texture and is sweet and slightly tart.

Though the flesh around the seed is soft and tender, you gotta have a technique when eating the fruit. You have to pluck and suck.

Step 1: Pluck a fleshy seed

Step 2: Suck the flesh off the seed

And you have to remember not to swallow the seed and to consume the fruit once you open it because once the white flesh is exposed to air, the enzyme contained in it s flesh reacts with oxygen in the surrounding air. The oxidation browns the flesh and gives the fruit an overripe taste.