Which Is Your Favourite Malaysian Fruit?

The popular Malaysian fruit durian, has many competitors. It is a shame many other delightful fruits are becoming scarce because they don't have commercial value.

Many years ago, when my grandmother was still alive, she planted a number of fruit trees in the compound. Covering the fence were vines resembling mini passion fruits. I never find out the name of this fruit. My playmates and I always searched for the ripe orange colour fruits.

Grandma's cermai tree supplied us with more than enough sour fruit titbits. I never have to buy a single cermai fruit. Somehow, I stopped eating cermai since the tree died together with grandma. I have only seen cermai being sold pickled in my city. I don't want to eat them pickled, I have always eaten them fresh from the tree. They look like tiny pale yellow pumpkins, crunchy as apples but very, very sour.

People who think a durian stink should meet the real stinky Malaysian fruit -bambangan. Through my Kadazan-Dusun friends, I was introduced to this fruit. It is an appetizing side dish that goes very well with fried fish. ( At least that's the opinion of me and my native friends ) One day, I brought a bambangan home. It didn't take long for my family to protest so I have to dump my appetizer. ( So sad...)

Malaysian Fruit - audio 1

We should begin with fruit and seasons . Your basic vocabulary are: buah bermusim ( seasonal fruit ) and bermusim ( in season ).

How do you say: Durian is a seasonal fruit. Papaya is not a seasonal fruit. Langsat is already in season. Durian is not in season yet. May I encourage you to think in Bahasa Malaysia before listening to the answers?

My friend Chris goes durian hunting whenever durian is in season. He takes one day off from work and drives 100 km to a cool highland town. Along the way, there are durian stalls and he stops by at EVERY one of them. He is an expert in choosing good quality durians. ALL the durians he buys are so...good. Yummm!

I just have to tell you my fond memories of rambutan season. I used to live in a small town where most folks own ochards. During rambutan season, my friends would give away SACKS of rambutans. I hardly need to buy rambutans when I was there. I am so spoilt that until now I only eat FRESH rambutans.

Malaysian Fruit - audio 2

Do you notice there are many kinds of strange looking fruits at the local markets? Personally I don't think consulting a Kamus is helpful. For example, the Malaysian fruit nangka is described as "sejenis tumbuhan (pokok) yang buahnya berulas-ulas dan boleh dimakan" then the scientific name - Artocarpus heterophyllus. How could a person who has never seen nangka figure out what is it?

Of course a picture or even better, a nangka would explain well. Or, describing the rough fruit skin with patterns resembling small bee hive, the succulent golden-yellow flesh and the strong smell would at least create a more accurate mental picture.

So I would like you to try to describe the popular Malaysian fruit durian in Bahasa Malaysia. You basic vocabulary are: kulit buah ( fruit skin ), isi buah ( flesh ) and baunya ( its smell ) . Describe it in your own words then click on the sound file for reference.

Malaysian Fruit - audio 3

It is a blessing to taste fresh fruits. Chris' ritual with langsat is always 1 kilo minimum. He relaxes on a couch and takes his time peeling and savouring all the langsats.

How do you describe different tastes of fruits in Bahasa Malaysia? Masam ( sour ), kelat ( puckery ), manis ( sweet), ranum ( overripe ) are you bascis. I would like you to think about the taste of unripe pineapples and bananas, ripe mangoes and overripe papayas before you click the button.

Malaysian Fruit - audio 4

When buah is not fruit...See if you can identify the different meanings of buah in the audio. Your clues are: nephew, kidney, darling, a measure word, present. Selamat Mencuba !

Transcript and Answers

Back to Audio Page

Homepage