They say there are two things you must try in Bario, one is their rice and the second is their pineapple 🍍
Their rice is really amazing, especially wrapped in daun isip leaf, the traditional nuba laya way.
First time I had Bario pineapple was as cut fruit dessert after a Chinese style dinner at Ming Garden Restaurant in Miri.
Before I go any further, a disclaimer. I am not a fan of pineapples. Sometimes, the biting sourness make me cringe. Sometimes, it turns my tongue red and even bleed a little.
Okay... for those who are interested, the science of it is, pineapples have an enzyme known as bromelain. This enzyme is able to dissolve protein, and that's why some people use pineapple juice to tenderise meat.
For most people, bromelain just gives their tongue a slight tingling feeling which they even enjoy. For less lucky ones like me, bromelain literally eats my tongue causing it to bleed.
And, as I am on blood thinner because of my heart condition, you can just imagine the effect 😱
So, I am a little cautious with pineapples.
But, this first encounter with Bario pineapple was very cordial 😁
The pineapple flesh was tender, slightly crunchy, a little fibrous, very juicy, and the juice was sweet with very little if any sourness.
No bromelain bite, no pain, no bleeding.
I love it and could indulge in it fearlessly 🕺
I ate a lot of pineapples that evening 🫢
oh...... then there are people who say that Bario pineapples are too sweet and hence, bad for diabetics... 🤔
The next day, we took MASwings Twin Otter flight from Miri to Bario, "Land of a Thousand Handshakes", nuba laya (Bario soft rice), pineapples and much more to discover.
In Bario, you will see rice paddies everywhere, and patches of pineapple.
Pineapples are not native to Bario. They were from South America and brought to Southeast Asia by Spaniards and Portuguese colonials in the 16th century.
The climate, soil and water of the Bario Highlands produce one of the sweetest, juiciest pineapples.
The Kelabit people is the main Dayak tribe of the Bario Highlands. The Kelabit are hospitable people and they always welcome their guests with the best. So, since long ago, visitors are welcome with a taste of Bario's legendary pineapple.
This beautiful pineapple culture is still well and alive 🙏
We met this elder Kelabit lady during our morning walk. Soon after our first hellos, she offered to cut some pineapples there and then for us to enjoy 🍍💞 🙏
You can buy pineapple at the Bario town square weekend market. They go for RM3 per kilo.
In Bario, we stayed at Nancy Harriss Homestay. Nancy made sure we had Bario pineapple (and rice) everyday 😁
Pineapples can be cut into a comb and eaten raw like this. This is the simplest and my favourite way of eating Bario pineapple.
Bario pineapple can be stir fried with other vegetables and rice.
Pineapple nuggets. Battered and deep fried to make a sweet savoury snack 😋
Make into pineapple jam. Not overly sweet. Very nice with traditional cream crackers.
Pineapple juice can be fermented into wine.
Drink it.
Then you become brave enough to challenge a Kelabit warrior one to one 🫢
we generally don’t eat sarawak pineapple fresh. it’s not that sweet which makes it perfect for making jam or cookies. also much larger so perfect if you’re making a few jars of cookies for hari raya cny etc there’s two varieties from johor that are super sweet you can’t use for baking but can eat straight and no burn. one is josepine the other one i can’t remember. there’s a reason the pineapple research institute of malaysia is near bandar baru uda. the johor soil is perfect for it
ReplyDeleteSarawak pineapple was top of the pines in Singapore old days, to my dismay the big fruit corporations haven taken over and many stalls in Singapore only offers the generic and mediocre varities of pines and bananas (Dole) , what is really happening? By the way the highest content of bromelain is in the core, I think you can avoid your tongue cuts if the pineapple has had all the eyes(where the seeds are) carefully removed because the combination of something sharp and the enzyme is problematic.. enjoy your trip and thank you for your inspiration
ReplyDeleteBro, it's not so, the only reason why your tongue was bleeding is due to the fact that Pineapples in Singapore are cut prematurely when they are not truly ripened yet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Bromelain is mainly found in the core/stem of the Pineapple which is the most potent, and many foolish people today discard it, similar to discarding the seeds of fruits which is the main stem cell and Life Giver <3
ah yes much of the bromelain is in the stem(core), chopping that off could help. Also adding salt can deactivate much of that enzyme. (traditional methods : add salt or dark soy sauce often with cut chilli, this dip was available at fruit stall carts in the 60s 70s)
ReplyDeleteMaybe only back then it makes you bleed . Our body changes so often should always try if it is your favourite! It’s mine! Lol I ate with dark sauce and chilli sauce
ReplyDeleteI have the 'biting tongue' issue when eating local pineapples. But when I ate the mini-pineapples when I was in Hatyai.... No problems!
ReplyDeleteI realised it happens to me because I have this habit to suck out all the juice while chewing the pineapple.
ReplyDeleteSo now when I eat it I just chew on it and do less of the sucking out of the juice and it works hahaha
Else, the Sarawak pineapples are those which cause such a problem for me
Pineapple is best eaten as a fruit salad (rojak) with prawn paste and peanut powder
ReplyDeleteWhen is the season of these bario pineapples?
ReplyDelete