fruit

Tropical fruit: A special coconut variety

10 September 2013 by Nathalie Abejero 1 Comment

These coconuts cost 32,000riel (US$8) each at the markets in Battambang town – compared to 2000riel (US$0.50) for a regular coconut. The meat is thick, tender and incredibly sweet. They aren’t in season right now and the seller at the market wouldn’t tell us when that would be (meaning they won’t be so rare thus so expensive). They’re a variety called locally as Dong Ktii and they’re only available in Battambang and Kampot so far as my Khmer colleagues know. Anyone know what kind of coconut these are, and if they’re related or similar to the macapuno variety in the Philippines?

Tropical fruit: Rambutan

24 August 2013 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

I’m not a big fan of Rambutan (saw-maw in Khmer), mostly because the woody bark of the seed comes off with the meat (I guess it’s added fiber – see the picture below). But it’s incredible how much of this fruit our son can devour in one sitting. So I came home with 5kgs of it from a friend’s local farm and wouldn’t you know, some kid passed around Hand Foot Mouth at his petri dish pre-school and he broke out in rashes sores and blisters. Rambutans are too acidic for his mouth sores so he can only stare at them :-(

Plai kvet for the intrepid palate

18 December 2011 by Nathalie Abejero Leave a Comment

Pronounced plaiii-kwut!, these fruit are hard like rocks on the outside. They’re eaten whether or not they’re ripe. Our nanny Sopheap brought us some and they were so ripe they fragranced the entire house with a pungence the way durian and jackfruit do. It’s the kind of smell where it depends on your mood and health whether the pungence is acceptable! [Read more…] about Plai kvet for the intrepid palate