7 Delicious Fruits You Should Try In Brunei [Including Durian]

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The Fruits Of Brunei

Southeast Asia is famed for its tropical, flavorful fruits. No part of the region exemplifies this more than Borneo, with its lush rainforest. Fruits are an abundant, important part of the cuisine of Brunei.

Like other tropical countries, Brunei produces many “common” fruits like watermelon, pineapple, mango, banana, mangosteen, and papaya, among others. But endemic produce is what makes Brunei stand out.

While various fruits are found in Brunei's markets, this guide will distill them down to the seven you must try. Loved by locals, these all deserve a sample. The seven fruits are: durian, tarap, rambutan, kembayau, bambangan, langsat and kundong.

Juvenile Bornean orangutan

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Table of Contents

• Durian (King of Fruits)

  • Brief History of Durian

  • Taste And Appearance

  • Finding Durian In Brunei

  • Durian Tips

• Tarap

  • Tarap Tips

• Rambutan

• Kembayau

• Bambangan

• Langsat

• Kundong

• Conclusion

• Best Way To Find A Hotel In Brunei

• About The Author (Taz Zaidi)

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Durian (King Of Fruits)

Durian has earned the nickname “King of Fruits” for good reason. The reputation is based on its large size, unique appearance, pungent scent and polarizing taste. Durian is a rare fruit that must be experienced to be truly understood. Today, durian is found in various Southeast Asian countries, from Myanmar to Indonesia. Gadong Night Market in Bandar Seri Begawan is a top spot to try durian for your first time due to availability, price and variety.

Map of Southeast Asia

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Brief History of Durian

To understand this captivating fruit, we must know its history. It’s assumed that durian originated from the tropical islands of Borneo and/or Sumatra. Native peoples of these two islands have consumed durian for over a millennium. During that time, word of this peculiar fruit got out to neighboring Southeast Asian peoples. Through trade and migration, many of those people learned to cultivate durian in their own lands.

Now grown as far as Myanmar, the spread of durian has resulted in diverse forms of the fruit throughout the region. Europeans first encountered durian in the 15th century, during initial exploratory expeditions to Southeast Asia. They were conflicted on the fruit’s contents, as they’d experienced nothing like the blend of durian’s aroma and gustatory sensations. Different from anything occurring naturally in Europe, this may be why durian still invokes polarized reactions in western travelers who venture into Southeast Asia.

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Taste And Appearance

A durian’s taste might be the most debated of all the world’s popular fruits. Durian often causes a love-it-or-hate-it impression on the first encounter - both in terms of smell and taste. A durian’s size always stands out in a market. It has a hard, thorny exterior (“duri” means thorn in Old Malay). The exterior’s color can range from olive green to light brown. The edible pulp of the interior will always be a shade of yellow.

Some people interpret the taste of durian to be sweet and rich, while others find it foul and intolerable. However, as with all fruits, there are factors which can affect taste, including the level of ripeness. Peak durian season occurs between the summer months (June to August) and during a shorter winter season of November and December.

Durian exterior

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Finding Durian In Brunei

Luckily for travelers, the durian vendors throughout Southeast Asia have taken the fruit’s reputation into consideration when selling it at busy markets. Many vendors allow potential customers to taste a sample from an open durian. If a vendor does not offer a sample, you can purchase pre-cut slices, typically wrapped in styrofoam and plastic. Despite its abundance, durian is one of the more expensive fruits in Southeast Asia due to its size and its status as a delicacy. Vendors can quote you a price per kilogram.

Keep in mind that the average weight of a durian is around 1.5 kilograms. It can reach 30 centimeters in length. Prices vary depending on availability and the season, but purchasing at Gadong Night Market will be your best bet in getting a fair price from an experienced vendor. In the market, you might notice customers sniffing durian before buying. Experienced locals can discern a durian’s taste by its smell. Borneo offers some of the greatest durian diversity on Earth!

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Durian Tips

• If you’re transporting durian, be sure to wrap it a few times, especially on public transportation or taxi. It is not uncommon for a taxi or bus to refuse passengers carrying an exposed durian.

• Hotels sometimes prohibit durian inside of their premises due to its (often) pungent scent.

• If you buy a full durian, I recommend that you follow one of these two options:

  • Either open and consume the full fruit in an open-air setting, or

  • If in a closed room, wrap and seal durian directly after eating a bit. This way, the smell won’t linger in the closed room.

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Other Durian Options

• You can also taste durian in other forms, like durian yogurt, candy, ice cream, drinks, and even chips (called “kripnik” in Indonesia). You can find various products in Brunei’s markets.

Durian chips

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Tarap

The second fruit you must try is called tarap. 

Tarap, sometimes spelled terap, is endemic to Malay Archipelago (islands from Indochina and Australia). This fruit is characterized as having a milder scent than, and an exterior similar to, durian. However, the tarap’s interior more closely resembles a jackfruit. Tarap’s notable scent comes from the skin of the fruit: the pulp is rather odor-less in comparison.

This rugby ball-sized fruit might appear intimidating with its spiky exterior, but the spikes are soft and don’t cause pain to bare hands. You can identify a healthy tarap by its brown, yellow or light green exterior. When nearly ripe, a tarap’s rind is easy to pull apart by just using your fingers. The interior is soft and creamy, and the fruit can be consumed as a snack or dessert. A tarap’s flavor is unique (I’d say it has a hint of banana with a custard-like texture).

An open tarap. Just pull the rind apart with your fingers!

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Tarap Tips

• Remember to eat the pulp within three hours of parting the rind, as tarap quickly spoils due to its pulp oxidizing rapidly. Oxidation results in a dramatic loss in that sweet, desired taste.

• You can cook/roast the exposed, dried seeds and eat them. They’ll resemble roasted nuts.

• Tarap season falls in winter. Prime production occurs in November and December.

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Rambutan

Rambutan differs greatly from durian or tarap. The fruit is small with a strong, bright red exterior and is named after the tree which produces it. Among the world’s popular fruits, rambutan is most similar to lychee in terms of appearance and taste. Like lychee, the bright red color of rambutan draws the eye of any passerby, and its unique protruding hairs intrigues even further. These hairs curl a bit and are soft and malleable to touch. “Rambut” means hair in Malay.

To open rambutan, cut around its circumference until making a full circle. From there, just split the exterior apart like a cracked egg. Inside holds an oval-shaped pulp, which you can eat until you reach the seed. The juice is refreshing and sweet. Rambutan trees produce during two seasons per year (summer from June until August) and winter months of December and January.

Batch of bright red rambutan

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Kembayau

The kembayau tree produces fruits which are small, black, pellet-shaped and only grow in Borneo. Even when ripe, the fruit is hard and inedible until cooked. In Brunei, the typical method is to boil a batch until the exterior softens considerably. The fruit is ready to be eaten after the yellow pulp has been softened into a mushy, avocado-like texture.

While this requires more work than the other fruits on this list, the process is worthwhile if you’re keen to try a fruit truly endemic to Borneo. You could find kembayau at grocery stores and markets, but may need to ask around during the fringe of production season (from December to February).

Ripe kembayau ready to be cooked

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Bambangan

Bambangan is similar to the common mango. While more abundant in the neighboring Malaysian state of Sabah, bambangan can also be found in Brunei. Your best bet will be at the Gadong Night Market. Rather than eaten raw, bambangan is typically cooked and used as an ingredient in rice dishes and chutneys. You can also find bambangan in pickled form.

Bambangan, endemic to Borneo, looks similar to mangos

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Langsat

Langsat is a tree-growing fruit found throughout the islands and mainland of Southeast Asia. Bright yellow when ripe, it grows in batches (like grapes) and tastes similar to grapes, with a hint of citrus. Each langsat has a few seeds inside them. The tree that produces langsat is used by locals to treat various health issues, from malaria to dermatological (skin) conditions. You may encounter langsat under different names (“duku” refers to a larger version of the fruit, “dokong” is used in Malaysia, “longkong” used in parts of Southeast Asia).

Batch of langsat on a banana leaf

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Kundong

Kundong, also known as the “Brunei cherry”, grows on an evergreen tree. Brunei cherries taste similar to the standard cherries that Western visitors are accustomed to, but these tend to be a bit more tart.

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Conclusion

Hopefully you found this guide helpful.

Brunei’s rainforest produces sweet, juicy fruits year-round. If you're planning a trip here, take advantage of being in such a tropical area! Only a few places on Earth have a climate as tropical as Borneo’s. Hopefully this guide inspired you to visit Brunei, or to try local produce if you’re already here. To learn more about Brunei, explore our other guides below.

Enjoy your travels!

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HELPFUL RESOURCES

• Our Brunei Food Guide covers everything you’ll need to know about Bruneian cuisine, from the national dish (Ambuyat) to national fast food (Nasi Katok), desserts and more.

• Gadong Night Market is a must-visit for those wanting to indulge in the fruits mentioned in this guide. It’s the best place to eat in Brunei, with a wide selection and great prices! You can also find a variety of produce (and spices) at Tamu Kianggeh, Brunei’s top day market.

• Brunei is a “dry country”, which means alcohol isn’t sold or served. It’s possible to bring alcohol in and consume it, as long as rules are followed. To learn the alcohol rules in Brunei, click here.

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Taste Brunei’s fruits during one of these tours, organized by Viator and run by locals!

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Best Way To Find A Hotel In Brunei

Agoda.com is well-known in Brunei (and Southeast Asia) for providing amazing deals on a wide range of accommodation options. You’ll find luxury or budget hotels, resorts, villas, hostels, apartments, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, and unique/alternative types). Use the widget below or click here to search in Brunei.

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