Page 253 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK
251
can grow to over 30 kg. Collisions with falling
fruits should be avoided unless you want a splitting headache or worse. The golden rule is simple; enjoy the fruit and admire the tree from a sensible distance.
SPECIALITY VEGETABLES
Many of the vegetables grown in Sarawak are popular throughout Southeast Asia, including mani chai (or cangkok manis), kangkung (or
water convulvulus), sweet potato, pumpkin, bitter gourd, kai lan, yard-long beans, beansprouts, white cabbage, carrots, pak
choi, shiitake mushrooms, palm hearts and shoots, bamboo shoots, okra, yams and eggplants. However, there are a few fascinating vegetables that are unique to Sarawak.
Midin or Miding
The midin or miding plant (Stenochlaena palustris) is a
common fern which grows in fresh water, peat swamp and secondary jungle. The frond tips, prepared
with garlic
or belacan
(shrimp paste)
are regarded
as a great
delicacy. It is
widely available
throughout Sarawak, and
is generally picked by hand where it grows wild, but due to its increasing popularity it is now being cultivated as a commercial crop. Other fern varieties, known as paku ikan (Athyrium esculentum) and paku kubuk (Nephrolepis acutifolia), are also eaten.
Terung Dayak
The terung dayak (dayak eggplant, terung assam or sour eggplant) grows to about the size of an orange and is usually bright yellow
Cangkuk manis (Sauropus androgynus) or sweet shrub is one of the most widely-grown vegetables in Southeast Asia and a rich source of vitamin K.
when ripe, although some varieties are dark purple or purplish black. It is a staple vegetable of Sarawak’s indigenous people and has huge cultural significance for the Iban; the bunga terung (eggplant flower) motif tattooed on the front of both shoulders is the first tattoo an Iban man receives, signifying his coming of age and attainment of manhood (See also pages 55 & 56). The mature fruit is used
as a vegetable and also as flavouring for sour dishes.
Midin or miding (Stenochlaena palustris) is the most delicate of Sarawak’s edible ferns and also the most highly prized.
The terung dayak (Solanum ferox) or dayak eggplant is a firm, sour fruit that has huge cultural significance for the Iban people.