Borneo fruits-Sarawak crystal longan

This is the crystal fruit of Kuching city.  It is not a new fruit.  It is an old native fruit of Malaysia known as 'kasai' or 'matoa'.  This fruit is also known as the crystal longan or the crystal lychee.  Some local people call it 'dragon's eyes'.  Some say it tastes like longan.  Some say it tastes like rambutan.  The fruit looks like the colour of mangosteen with its dark red purplish colour.  To eat it, fruit sellers will teach us to crush two fruit in the palm of our hand.  Some would break its shell with a mortar or hammer.  The name 'crystal' stuck with us as the flesh is yellowish translucent, like a citrine crystal.  The fruit has moderate sweetness.  That is why it is popular with people who have diabetes.  This fruit has high economic potential with a kilo fetching a price of RM15.00 a kilo. The seed is like a longan-hard and enamel like.

Because of its catchy name, a young sapling will fetch a price of RM25.00.  People are keen to try out new fruit trees. Unknown to them, the kasai fruit tree can grow to great heights with its fruits perched very high on top of the trees. This fruit is widely cultivated in Lundu, a coastal village at the southern tip of Sarawak, probably because a timberman was so taken in by the fruit in Papua New Guinea that he came back and grew it.  This fruit is known as the Fijian longan in this neighbouring country.  The scientific name for this fruit is pometia pinnata from the sapindaceae family.

Some smashed it on the table.  Some stepped on it.  I used a karate chop to smash it open.