Fruiting Mango

The mango tree at the backyard has finally born its first fruits. They are not many, but they look good and healthy. The tree flowered before, but the flowers failed to become mature fruit. Small young mangoes fell to the ground because the weather was not favorable. This mango season it looks like we're going to enjoy some sweet and delicious mangoes from our own garden.

Fresh Fruit Salad on The Streets

Photo caption: A man selling rujak or fresh fruit salad on Cihampelas Street.

Rujak (or rojak in Malaysia and Singapore) is a popular dish here. It is made of an assortment of sliced fresh fruits you can see in the man's cart and a sweet, sour, hot dressing made of palm sugar, red chili paper, tamarind, shrimp paste, salt, and peanuts.

A rujak seller/vendor like him can usually be found traveling with his cart or putting his cart on a busy street waiting for customers.

If you can't stand the hot, sweet, sour taste of the dressing, you can also ask for the fresh fruits only.

Unlike in any other cultural traditions where salads are eaten before the main course as an appetizer, rujak is usually eaten as a stand-alone dish or an afternoon snack. It is very refreshing, particularly on a hot day. It can also be eaten after the meal as a dessert.

If you don't like the idea of eating foods sold on or bought from the street out of hygiene concerns, you can try them in restaurants and hotels. Yes, many of them serve it on their menu.

The Largest Citrus Fruit in The World

This is pomelo (Citrus maxima Merr., C. grandis Osbeck; C. decumana L.) , the largest citrus fruit in the world. Indigenous to the Indonesian islands and other South East Asian regions, the fruit that is locally known as "Jeruk Bali" (Balinese Citrus) is about 15 - 30 cm in diameter and weighs 1 - 2 kilograms each. The pomelo tastes much like grapefruit, mildly sweet and juicy.

The fruit's English name - pomelo - is derived from the Dutch word pompelmoes. The Dutch, as some of you know, was the former colonial ruler of the Indonesian archipelago.



The fruit is now in season here and many street vendors are selling them on the roadside like this one. I bought one yesterday.

Durian on 'Pikulan'

I think the durian is now in season. I saw plenty of it on sale at the supermarket and on the street. This mobile vendor is even offering it on a 'pikulan' (bamboo carrying pole and baskets) on a street near my office.

My World Tuesday: Durian Season

Picking up on my yesterday's post about tropical fruit season, durian is also beginning to appear. It's not durian peak season yet on Java island so we don't see many of it here at this time of the year, but a friend of mine on the island of Kalimatan says that it is there.

Today's post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in My World Tuesday meme. Please check out other participants' posts by following the link.

Tropical Fruit Season

The rainy season, which - in the Indonesian archipelago - takes place between October and April, is also the fruit season. Opening the season is usually guava (jambu biji/batu). Then Mango, rambutan, durian, and a host of other tropical fruits are available in abundance.

In the photo is a street vendor selling mangoes at Jalan Raya Barat Cimahi in the west of Bandung.

Tukang Buah Potong (Sliced Fruit Vendor)

Don't have time to peel and slice the fruit? Don't worry! This vendor (and manly like him) have it done for you.

Banana Vendor at Cipaganti Street

This banana vendor is selling the fruit on the sidewalk of Jalan Cipaganti (Cipaganti Street). Vendors like this usually carry the fruit from the countrysides in the northern parts of Bandung on a scale-like carrier with bamboo baskets on both ends (called "rancatan" in Sundanese or "pikulan" in Indonesian - see picture) in the morning and waits for buyers on the street side all day. Jalan Cipaganti is a favorite place for these vendors because it is very shady with old-growth mahogany trees and a one-way and strategic street that connects the busy commercial parts of the city in the south and upscale residential areas in the north. As these vendors carry the fruit directly from their gardens/orchards, the price here is usually cheaper than that in the market or supermarket.