A Toad of a Fruit

There was a tree whose trunk was strapped with a piece of cloth like it was wearing a sarong. A Malay lady told me that it was a shy tree and would not bear fruits if it was not covered up thus. That was the tree that bore ugly fruits, should I say, since the fruits, a dirty green when still unripe and a muddy yellow when ripe remind of toads especially when the skins are wrinkled and hard; and accordingly are called buah katak puru, which is Malay for toad fruit. Not many people know of the fruits since the trees grow in the wild and the fruits are hardly found in the market. Not like the popular mangoes for example, or cikus which are sweet and tender. The taste of the buah katak puru leans towards the bland side  - pleasantly bland, a little sweet sometimes but not always.




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