PAPUAAROUND — Have you ever heard of a fruit called matoa? Some people in Indonesia may still feel unfamiliar with the name of the fruit.
Reporting from various sources, matoa is a typical fruit from Papua. Let’s get to know more about the Papua fruiting plant, Matoa.
Matoa fruit comes from the Pometia pinnata tree. This matoa tree has a height of 20-40 meters with a diameter of up to 100 cm. This plant bears fruit once a year, between July and October with a maturity period of about 4 months.
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The matoa fruit is a small sphere of green color and also blackish red. When the skin is peeled off, the flesh is oval-shaped, yellowish-white in color, at first glance this fruit looks like longan. However, it has a sweet taste similar to durian.
There are 2 types of matoa fruit, namely Coconut Matoa and Papeda Matoa. The texture of coconut matoa is chewy but dense like rambutan. Meanwhile, matoa papeda has a sticky texture and soft flesh.
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With its unique shape and flavor, matoa also has many benefits! Matoa contains vitamins C and E which act as antioxidants and boost the body’s immunity. Then, the nutritional content of this fruit can also fight viral infections in the body, help relieve stress, and lower blood pressure. However, do not consume too much of this fruit because the high glucose content can cause dizziness and hangovers.
Not only in Papua, matoa trees can be found in Sulawesi and Maluku. This fruit can also be found in other areas but the name is different. In North Sumatra this fruit is known as pakam, in Minangkabau this fruit is known as langsek anggang, in West Java this fruit is known as leungsir, and in Java Island it is known as kayu sapi. Matoa is sold at around Rp 40,000 per kg.
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