At my place, in Aceh, various fruits such as guava, mango, pineapple, Kuweni and several others, are chopped into small pieces, then stirred in a prepared sauce made of palm sugar, peanuts, salt, cayenne pepper, and Kawista fruit flesh to later become a snack known as "Rujak". It is a popular snack and many people like it, so it is often found in picnic and tourist areas. Kawista fruit flesh that has been mashed with other mixtures is useful to add to the savory taste of the Rujak. The ripe Kawista flesh can also be eaten right away, but I prefer the mixed in "Rujak".
Kawista is the name of the fruit in Indonesian, while in Acehnese, it is called fruit Batok (Malay: coconut shell), perhaps, it's to impress the skin of the fruit or its hard shell like coconut shell. It is possible that the name "Batok" comes from the Malay language. Whereas in English it is called a wood-apple, also because the shell is hard like wood. Its scientific name is Limonia acidissima in the family Rutaceae. The fruit can be eaten raw, has an aroma, is slightly starchy, and has a sweet-sour taste. That being said, it contains protein, carbohydrates, fat, iron etc. (Limonia acidissima)
The Limonia acidissima tree grows straight up with branches extending in all directions and thorns, and small pinnate leaves. It grows in dryland habitats in tropical and sub-tropical regions, distributed in Southeast Asia as well.
Health benefits
According to an article on the website www.organicfacts.net, Limonia acidissima is used traditionally as a liver and heart tonic. Unripe fruit is effective for stopping diarrhea and sore throat. Fruit pulp and powdered skin, it is said, can be a poultice for insect bites and stings.
The article also explains that the proven benefits of this fruit are to heal wounds, and have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. The site www.nutritionvistas.com even counts there are 14 Amazing Benefits of Wood Apple. I really did not expect that this fruit, which I often encounter, has so many benefits. But it's very good information for me, and will be very useful in the future.
I had no idea about this fruit, it looks very delicious and from your description it looks very similar to coconut. But I understand that it is very common in those parts of the world. It is curious how just one fruit can have hundreds of ways to eat. As always I have loved the pictures, thanks for sharing this valuable article in our community. You are always welcome. Blessings!
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Always thanks to you for the very kind comments!
This is one my favorite fruits I used to eat in Cambodia before coming to Suriname. It does exist here, but it's not popular and not sold in markets.
A little friendly advice - What we really love at @naturalmedicine is something personal. We can all easily google the facts about any particular fruit or vegetable, but something like a recipe or how you use the wood-apple in your life.
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Thank you very much! And the suggestion is definitely welcome. In fact, it has already been applied, because limited experience on this has also been told (early paragraphs). The following information is quoted from sources briefly for my own record, and also for those who have not had time to read it further from specialist sites in this matter. Anyway, thank you for your kind and friendly advice. An honor for me.