Kembayau or Dabai?

The ‘kembayau’ is a kind of local olive that looks similar to and is often mistaken for the ‘tapik’ or ‘dabai’.

In Miri, these seasonal fruits are usually found in markets selling jungle produce at Tamu Muhibbah, Emart Commercial Centre, Pujut Bus Terminal, Taman Tunku market or hawked by the roadside during peak seasons.

On closer look, kembayau’s skin is not as smooth and shiny as dabai’s, which is also darker in colour.

Kembayau is also more oblong in shape.

Like the dabai, kembayau is a wild fruit found mostly in the deep jungle.

Many longhouse folks have made an effort to plant the trees closer to their homes, both for own consumption and to sell.

Besides the outer appearance, there are several subtle differences between kembayau and dabai.

Kembayau flesh has a slight sweet-sour taste while dabai’s is more ‘lemak’ or rich.

Some people like to eat the flesh of dabai seeds which can only be obtained by hacking them into halves and digging out the tiny morsels from the seed pods with a pick.

According to village folks, the most common way to prepare these two types of fruits is to immerse them in warm water for about 15 minutes until they become soft.

After draining off the water, sprinkle a little salt over them before eating.

Another way to prepare the fruits is to squeeze out the flesh which is soft and mash it into a paste.

Add some salt to the paste to make it ready for eating.

The paste could be preserved in air-tight bottles or containers that could last up to a month or longer if kept in the refrigerator.

To be more fussy, we can fry the paste with sliced chillies, onions and anchovy fish (ikan bilis) to make it more appetising

The price of kembayau and dabai hover from RM8 to RM10 or RM12 to RM14 per kilogramme, which is not cheap.

People say these two fruits are found in Sibu and Kapit divisions in abundance though rarely in Kuching, to the extent that many Kuchingites say they have not tasted or seen the fruits, especially the kembayau.

In Miri, the two fruits, kembayau in particular, come from Bakong, Bukit Peninjau and Bekenu.

Dabai and kembayau are popular with the Ibans.

Meanwhile, it seems that it is dabai season now in Miri, if the ubiquitous presence is any indication.

A visit by thesundaypost to a prominent market here found that there are dabai everywhere at almost all strategic locations.

The dabai come in a few different categories and ratings, with the prices ranging from as cheap as RM8 per kg to as high as RM14 per kg, depending on the quality, thickness of the flesh, the taste and the look of the skin.