Great food from the Philippines: Marang

Marang fruit close up photograph
Close up photograph of Marang fruit from The Philippines

Marang Fruit from the Philippines

Of all the fruit in the Philippines, this is my favorite. Its a relation of the Jack fruit and comes in a large green spiny skin slightly smaller than the size of a football. Inside there are dozens whitish yellow flesh covered seeds. You can eat the flesh (but not the seed) either with a fork, or if feeling slightly sticky by hand.

What does Marang fruit taste like?

Marang fruit from the Philippines
Marang fruit from the Philippines

The flesh tastes quite custardy. And is really nice either refrigerated or at room temperature. It’s also a great fruit for breakfast as it’s quite filling. It’s not at all acidic and I’ve eaten plenty of whole ones with no after effects.

Marang are seasonal with two main seasons – September-October and occasionally December. Recently farmers have been harvesting them too early resulting in poorer crops and smaller Marang. Marang cost about 40 – 50 pesos but as low as 15-20 pesos in the countryside.

This is an additional post and one of a series highlighting Great food from the Philippines

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23 Replies to “Great food from the Philippines: Marang”

  1. what does the outside feel like? it looks like a hedgehog! how interesting – thanks for sharing this!

  2. Hi there,

    We have this in Sabah too and we call it ‘tarap’ One of them pungent fruits, though probably not as bad as the durian. The seeds can be fried, the hard skin peeled off and eaten, almost nutty in flavour.

    1. Hi!

      Yea there’s a little smell alright. But it’s never really bothered me. Durian on the other hand … I think Jack fruit is also a little stinky.

      Thanks for the tip about being able to fry the small seeds!

  3. Gracia’s farm has Durian Trees but she doesn’t like Durian and never tried eating. Most blind here eat Durian. I like eating too but had high blood pressure and it’s not advisable
    Blind friend’s here says HELLO SIR!

    soon we’ll travel to cebu for the educational trip. ..wish your camera captures our journey hahaha

    1. Hello Lu!

      Yes I think Durian contains a lot of cholesterol! Better to stay away from it in that case. I’ll be writing about it soon!

      Special hello to all the blind guys and a big hug to all! Be safe on your trip to Cebu. And keep Gracia’s Durian farm a secret, otherwise everyone will want free Durian.

      Next time we’ll do some more taking photos. Don’t forget you guys can keep up with my journey on the Sight Impaired version be clicking here Travel Blog for the Blind. There’s sound files you can listen too, and download. Also on the main blog page there’s a “listen Now” button, give that a click and you should hear a voice.

      All best to you all

  4. Marang fruit was a surprise for me. I was expecting Durian but the skin/peel/outer spikey thing was very soft and easy to remove, and it didn’t smell bad. The fruit itself is kind of like a cross between a Durian and longan but doesn’t taste like either.

  5. After our prayer meeting I felt that I had to eat and drink something that could surpass my tiring body, then my big sister Juliet gave me the Marang, huh i could eat everything, then I feel relax and happy. I search its nutritional fact on the internet and it is non acidic therefore it is alkaline food that’s why I feel very good after eating it..thanks to God by creating Marang in the philippines

  6. Durian can cause blood pressure to rise if eaten more than the dietary needs but is cholesterol free based on the website i’ve just read (about durian nutritional & health facts) awhile ago. it’s really nice to discover the health benefits what these tropical fruits can do to us. And these fruits were one of God’s perfect creation because HE knows it’s best for our body. We just need to eat them in moderation, of course. :p

    1. -GLEETS- Well, I did also write about Durian. This article is about the Marang, a relative of the Durian and Jack fruit. There’s heath benefits in most fruit out there, but like you say, in moderation.

  7. In Sarawak this fruit is known as “Tarap” i love this fruit, awesome its not Jackfruit nor is it Breadfruit or Chempadak, but its totally delicious. Ive also tried the fermented one, you should try

  8. We have just eaten out first Marang, F A B U L O U S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Only just appeared today in the palengke (market).
    What a pleasant surprise, much much tastier than a jackfruit, smells vaguely citrusy, leaves an aftertaste like a durian.
    I would describe the flavour as part jack fruit, part durian, part pink grapefruit, part unique !

    1. Ha! So you have your first Marang! My favorite fruit in the Philippines, if not in all Asia.

      Have you tried putting one in a refridgerator (if you have one) over night. Leave it in it’s spiky skin untouched. Then in the morning when it’s cold unpeel it, and eat with a fork. It tastes quite different to a warm (room temperature) Marang!

      Locals kept telling me you could boil, then dry the seeds for snack foods. Never has much success with that one! Enjoy marang season!

  9. The inside of this foul fruit actually closely resembles a yeti’s scrotum. It smells like something dead also.

    1. Hello Lyn, I don’t see any evidence to sat why one shouldn’t. Marang is a part of the breadfruit lineage which roughly 25% carbohydrates and 70% water. With average amount of vitamin C (20 mg/100 g), small amounts of potassium and zind and thiamin (100 μg/100 g). However in the event of any medical condition I would advise getting qualified medical advice first.

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