''Canarium odontophyllum'' is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus

Canarium ''Canarium'' is a genus of about 100 species of tropical and subtropical trees, in the family Burseraceae. They grow naturally across tropical Africa, south and southeast Asia, Indochina, Malesia, Australia and western Pacific Islands; includ ...

in the family

Burseraceae The Burseraceae are a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The actual numbers differ according to the time period in which a given source is written describing this family. The Burseraceae are also know ...

. It is a native of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

, where it is locally known as dabai in

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

and kembayau in

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

. Its fruit is a prized seasonal delicacy in Sarawak, which earned the fruit a dedicated festival - ''Pesta Dabai'' - which is held annually since 2018 in Song, Sarawak.

Description

The tree grows up to a height of 40 to 50 meters. The fruit outer skin is glossy black colour while the flesh is yellow with an elongated seed. Being in the same genus as the Pili nut (

Canarium ovatum ''Canarium ovatum'', the pili ( Central Bikol and Filipino: ''pili'', ;), is a species of tropical tree belonging to the genus ''Canarium''. It is one of approximately 600 species in the family Burseraceae. ''C. ovatum'' are native to the P ...

) the seeds are also edible, and similar to almonds or pistachios.Lim T. K., ''Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 1, Fruits,'' Springer Science & Business, p. 629; Hoe, V.B. and Siong, K.H., "The Nutritional Value of Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables in Sarawak,"Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 8, no. 1, 1998, pp 24-31

Cultivation

The tree is

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

– the seedlings can be male, or hermaphrodite. Successful cultivation can be achieved through

budding Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is kno ...

grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...

. Mr Harry Munjan, a former senior assistant Agriculture Department officer was the first to have been successful in cultivating the tree through budding back in the 2000s. He also introduced the new clones, ‘Laja’ and ‘Lulong’, in his own farm in Sri Aman, Sarawak.

Uses

Culinary

Canarium odontophyllum fruit is colloquially known as "Sarawak olive" and can be eaten raw or blanched, eaten with sugar, salt or soy sauce upon serving. In Sarawak, the fruit has become an added ingredient in sauces and fried rice recipes. Besides eaten in its original form, the fruit can be made into a paste, and can also be dried and milled into powder form for use in foods and drinks. Under commercialization, the fruit can be incorporated in pizzas, desserts, juices, and even mayonnaise.

References

odontophyllum Trees of Malesia Taxa named by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel Fruits originating in Asia {{Sapindales-stub