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Chempedak

Cempedak (Artocarpus champedan), a tropical fruit native to Malaya and Thailand, belongs to the family Moraceae. It is similar to the Jackfruit in appearance and in the way the fruit is used. It is the pulpy flesh of the seeds within the fruit that is sought after for its fragrant taste. However, the hard seeds are also cooked and eaten.

Origins and Distribution
Cempedak is probably a native of Malaysia. It is often found growing in the wild of Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. The fruit has many local varieties that come from different parts of Indonesia, eastern Thailand and Malaysia. Most of these local varieties are derivatives from a wild variety of the fruit called bangkong, native to Peninsular Malaysia. This was improved to obtain cultivated varieties by selection and propagation through grafting. Cultivated cempedak is found from Cochin-China throughout the Malayan archipelago. In Malaysia, cempedak is commercially grown in the state of Kedah and Perak.

Description
The evergreen, branching cempedak tree can grow up to 20 m with wild trees often taller and having many more seeds in their fruit. Their smooth bark becomes thick and rough as they age. The leaves are dull to medium green and have long brown wiry hair on the surface. The fruits are seasonal and either barrel-shaped or pear-shaped. When cut, the fruit secretes sticky latex which can only be cleaned off with vegetable oil rather than with water. The outer rind consists of fleshy spines, although the fruit can still easily be opened with ones hands. In each fruit are about 100 to 500 seeds, and it is the fragrant, yellow edible flesh surrounding each seed, which the fruit is sought for.

Usage and Potential
Food
Cempedak's pulpy flesh and its hard seed are considered edible. The flesh is eaten fresh or cooked such as fried cempedak: a tasty Malay snack, or the pulp creamed to be used in making jams and cakes. The flesh is salted to make a pickle called jerami. The hard seeds are boiled or roasted and eaten, a popular practice amongst the Malayan jungle tribes. Besides the flesh and seed, the young leaves and whole young fruits are cooked as vegetables. 

Other uses
The tree gives timber which is generally durable and is used for building houses and boats. Young timber can be ground and used as a yellow dye although a darker brown can be derived from older trees. In Indo-China, this yellow dye was used to dye the robes of Buddhist priests. The bark can also be used for making ropes while the latex is used for making lime.

Variant Names
Common name: Cempedak.
Scientific name: Artocarpus champeden Spreng.
Malay name: Chempedak, Sempedak, Temedak, Bangkong, Bongkong (Malaysia), Champedak, Chepedak, Chubadak, Kakan (Indonesia).



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Burkill, I. H. (1993). A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula (p. 251). Kuala Lumpur: Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives.
(Call no.: RSING 634.909595 BUR)

Jensen, M. (1995). Trees commonly cultivated in Southeast Asia (p. 71). Bangkok, Thailand: RAP.
(Call no.: RSING 582.160959 JEN)

Othman Yaacob & Subhadrabandhu, S. (1995). The production of economic fruits in south-east Asia (pp. 122-128). New York: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: R 634.0959 OTH)


Further Readings
Hutton, W. (1996). Tropical fruits of Malaysia & Singapore. Hong Kong: Periplus Editions.
(Call no.: SING 634.6 HUT) 

The information in this article is valid as at 1999 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Nature>>Plants
Breadfruit--Southeast Asia
Artocarpus
Science and technology>>Agriculture>>Fruit crops



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