"When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade
So When You Can’t Get Durians, Eat Chempedak Instead!"

So the saying goes and for Batukawa (a keen reader and now friend) who traveled all the way from Melbourne to Kuching in anticipation of 'Durians Kayaking'; being the positive and solutions-oriented person that he is, he was more than happy to settle for delicious organic village grown Chempedak when we couldn’t get any durians as it was the end of the season! It was the first chempedak that he had eaten in years and it brought back sweet memories of his childhood spent in Kuching before emigrating to Australia. Thanks for bringing along cousins and friend (and generously paying for them as well I understand!) Margaret, Ah Sen and William so that they would not miss this experience; and which they loved.

For the uninitiated, chempedak is also a seasonal fruit and while not as smelly as the durians (I don’t think it is at all) it also has a distinctive fragrance. I am not aware of any English word for this fruit except for its scientific name of Artocarpus integer. The flesh of the fruit is soft, sticky and very sweet. It’s less fibrous and softer than jackfruit which is it’s closest equivalent. It’s best eaten fresh although some people like to eat them deep-fried in oil with batter. The cooked seeds are edible as well.

If you do not take durians you should try chempedak instead and if you do not even want to try chempedak; why are you even here in Malaysia anyway as the unique local foods/fruits here are so much a part of the experience of being here? heehee

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