The delicious Terap fruit ( artocarpus odoratissimus Blanco)

It is called 'Terap' in Malay or 'Ong Lumok' in the local Melanau dialect. The flesh or aril is succulent, very sweet and has tiny seeds the size of groundnuts which can be roasted or fried as snacks for afternoon tea. Since last month and through to December this fruit are easily seen at the local jungle produce market in Bintulu. A fruit of the above size will normaly sell for RM 3. The skin has short,blunt and soft thorn-like covering but not pricky.

The 'terap' fruit tree is indeed tall, can reach 20 m high. Therefore to collect the fruit one has to climb the tree and pluck them from their end branches being cautious not to let them drop as once dropped the soft skin will be smashed and the fruits squashed and littered. The climbers will pluck semi ripe fruits and keep them for a day or two for ripening before they bring them to market.The leaves of the terap are large, about 30 - 40 cm long and 20-25 cm wide.

There are many varieties of the terap fruit with arils in colours of red and yellow.

Here's another variety with covering looking like rough hairs so is called 'Terap Bulu' ( artocarpus sericarpus)to mean hairy 'terap'.

The terap fruit comes from the same family as the breadfruit ( artocarpus communis Forst or its synonym: A.altilis) and is considered a staple fruit among the Pacific Islanders and many areas of South East Asia.

A Pacific Islander in Bintulu

The above is  a long shot view ( LS) of the Sukun tree ( Artocarpus communis Forst. or sometimes referred to as Artocarpus altilis) . Originated from the Pacific Islands, it has now become a popular plant found  in the gardens and farms of rural Bintulu.  The tree can reach 30 meters. The leaves are wide i.e. around 20 -30 cm and about 30-60cm long.

These breadfruits are large, has thick skin and mainly cooked when they are semi-ripe as fritters,smoked or prepared with coconut milk as vegetables. There are of course many other ways how the fruits are cooked or prepared depending from which tropical area you come from.  The fruits are non-seasonal and therefore can be available all year round in Bintulu. Depending on size each fruit can fetch a price of between RM 3- RM5 at the local Tamu or jungle produce market.  The sukun fruits are seedless and therefore are propagated through root cuttings or marcots. The fruits are ovalish and cylinderical and the diameter can be between 10-30cm . It is believed that by drinking water from the boiled leaves can reduce high blood pressure and relieve asthma.