Melinjo ( Gnetum gnemon )

Gnetum Gnemon

Melinjo ( Gnetum gnemon ) is native to Indonesia,Topical Asia, Melanesia and West Pasific. The color of the skin is deep red color when ripe,  green when the fruit young, then becomes yellow before turning to red. It is widely used in Indonesian cuisine. In Indonesia the young seeds are used for sayur asem (sour vegetables soup) and also, ground into flour and deep-fried as crackers (emping, a type of cracker). The crackers have a slightly bitter taste and are frequently served as a snack or accompaniment to Indonesian dishes, the leaves are also commonly used for vegetables dishes.

Common names include melinjo or belinjo (Indonesian), bago (Malay, Tagalog), muling (Acehnese) peesae (Pattani Malay), dae (Kwara'ae), phakmiang (Thai) and bét, rau bép, rau danh or gắm (Vietnamese). They are sometimes called padi oats or paddy oats.

Characteristic of the tree:

Melinjo is a tropical plant, can grow well on various types of soil, though less fertile. Melinjo can grow to a height of 1200 m above sea level but the maximum output is achieved when grow on location that height no more than 400 m above sea level.

Young Fruit

Melinjo trees are hardwood trees and can grow up to a height of approximately 15m. Melinjo trees are hardwood trees and can grow up to a height of approximately 15m. Woody round, and has a flat surface (laevis), gray-colored bark. Branching tree is simpodial and the root of Gnetum Gnemon tree classified to the taproot (radix Primaria), the roots digging deep into the ground.

Leaves of Gnetum gnemon is a single leaf, consisting of the petiole (petiolus) and the leaf blade (lamina). The leaf blade shape is oblongus, while leaf tips is acuminatus, leaf margins integer, and pinnate leaves (penninervis). Leaves position is opposite (folia opposita) without stipules.

Dioecus unisex flowers, found on grains in dichasium branching. Located on the armpit leaves (axillary), there brachtea on each bouquet. Male flowers consist of stamens, which is topped with a line of sterile ovulum. Female flowers are in a bouquet grain, with the partially fertile ovulum, wrapped by a fleshy perigonium.

The Fruit:

The seeds are not encased by the meat, but only wrapped outer skin, the outer skin color is green when young, becomes yellow when old and change to red when the seed is ripe. There is still a shell that protects the seeds fruit seeds, the seed shell old ivory when young and become brown when ripe, seed shells is harder (horn skin) but  thinner than the outer skin, the shape of the fruit is oval.

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Calcium (mg)	163
Calories (cal)	66
Carbohydrate (g)	13.3
Fat (g)	0.7
Iron (mg)	2.8
Phosphorus (mg)	75
Protein (g)	5
Vitamin A (S.I)	1000
Vitamin B1 (mg)	0.1
Vitamin C (mg)	100
Water (g)	80
Source: Directorate of Nutrition - Department of Health of the Republic of Indonesia

Use of Melinjo:
Fruit Melinjo cannot be used just after harvest. Need additional process to enjoy Melinjo. However Melinjo is one of the raw materials for various types of cuisine are very popular in Indonesia.

Emping Melinjo.

Emping Melinjo

Emping is one savory dish that is very popular and has a high economic value. Emping is a kind of cracker made ​​from Melinjo, both made ​​by flour first, as well as directly to the ground after roasting it first.

Melinjo rind consists of two parts, the outer shell tends to soft, but the inside skin is hard. Good Emping made from high quality of Melinjo. 

 
Emping Melinjo, are actually krispy chips made from one hundred percent Melinjo fruit. Emping ready to be enjoyed after being fried, can be enjoyed as a snack, or additional food for varieties of Indonesia culinary, like Soto or Bakso.

On a state visit to Indonesia in 2010, one of the dishes served at the banquet in honor of the state presented President Barack Obama is Emping, Emping are supposedly one of his childhood favorite snack.

Sayur Asem (Tamarind Vegetable Soup) 

Sayur Asem

Sayur Asem is a very popular culinary folk in Indonesia. One of the main ingredients of Sayur Asem is Melinjo, young leaves Melinjo trees and mixed with corn, beans, peanuts, and a wide variety of other vegetables. Sayur Asem is a kind of soup using tamarind main seasoning, onion, garlic, brown sugar, and salt. The taste of Sayur Asem is sweet, sour, and slightly spicy, as in; certain areas of green chili are part of the kind of culinary. 

Of course, this dish is a food that is rich in vitamins and organic. There are various variations of this Sayur Asem dish, but Melinjo fruit and Melinjo leaves are ingredients that must be present in all variations of this dish.

Economic Value

In Indonesia and several countries in Southeast Asia, melinjo is used from the leaves, pulp to the skin of the fruit as a delicious and important food ingredient.

Melinjo fruit skin contains energy in the form of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, phosphorus, vitamins A, B1 and C. In every 100mg of melinjo fruit skin there are 111 kcal of energy, 4.5 grams of protein, 1.1 grams fat, 20.7 grams of fat, 117 mg of calcium, 179 mg of phosphorus, 2.6 mg of iron, 0 IU of vitamin, 0.07 mg of Vitamin B1 and 7 mg of vitamin C. 

This content of the skin of Melinjo of course very useful for the health and fitness of the human body. While the melinjo fruit flesh and leaves contain Vitamin C and high oxidant essential ingredients.

The demand for fresh melinjo fruit, both young and ripe, is very high every day. Not to mention the food products made from it. So that melinjo tree farming is part of agricultural investment which has high economic prospects.

Scientific classification:

• Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
•       Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants)
•           Super Division: Spermatophyta (Produces seeds)
•               Division: Gnetophyta
•                   Class: Gnetopsida
•                       Order: Gnetales
•                           Family: Gnetaceae
•                               Genus: Gnetum
•                                   Species: Gnetum gnemon

Read Also: Jengkol, Jering or Dogfruit (Archidendron pauciflo).

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Jengkol, Jering or Dogfruit (Archidendron pauciflorum)

Dogfruit

Jering or Jengkol or Dogfruit (Archidendron pauciflorum, synonyms: A. jiringa, Pithecellobium jiringa, and P. lobatum) is a typical plant in the Southeast Asian region. Seeds are popular in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia as a food ingredient. Jengkol including the tribe of legumes (Fabaceae). The fruit is a pod, flattened shape convoluted form a spiral, dark violet color. Epidermis thin-skinned fruit seeds with shiny brown color. Jengkol can cause odor in urine after consumed. 

Jengkol known to prevent diabetes and is a diuretic and good for heart health. Jengkol plants also have the ability to absorb high groundwater, making it useful in water conservation.

One thing that "strange" is that although Jengkol when consumed will cause performance problems: bad breath, the smell of urine and body odor, but Jengkol in Indonesia and Malaysia including one of the very popular fruit and has a high economic value.

Characteristics of the tree:

Jengkol tree (Jering) can reach 10-26 meters, classified hardwood, and wood-skinned gray-brown. Jengkol is a typical plant of Southeast Asia, upright, rounded woody, and sleek.

This tropical plant has a fruit which is actually a seed, or the pods of the actual fruit. Each pod contained approximately 5-7 pieces. Jengkol trees can be grown from seed or by grafting. Jengkol plants grown by seeds or seedlings will begin to bear fruit when it is five years old or more. If Jengkol tree growing through the graft, the fruiting period will be much shorter. The leaves are green, elongated oval-shaped with a slightly pointed tip, lighter-colored veins. Has a taproot, and able to withstand large amounts of ground water.

You must read: Petai or Bitter Bean

One other characteristic of this tree is the tops of the leaves in the form of young leaves have a purple red color. The leaf color will turn greenish when old.  Generally grows wild, leafy tree, so that it fits into the tree shade.

The Fruit:

Jengkol including the tribe of legumes (Fabaceae), the form of  fruit is a pod and flat, twist and spiral-shaped, the outer skin is black, thick and hard enough, when young the color of the epidermis is pale yellow near to ivory and turn brown when old.  Meat that actually is a fruit seed, bright yellow like the color of ivory. Jengkol fruit is usually eaten raw when young, or consumed a variety of dishes for the old . The more old fruit, the more pungent smell. Flesh (seeds) will be hardened when old, so it requires special handling before consumption.

Behind the odor problem, this fruit is contained useful benefits for health.  According to various studies  noted that Jengkol also rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, alkaloids, essential oils, steroids, glycosides, tannins, and saponins.

Nutritional composition per 100 grams:
Substance Nutrition Levels : Energy (kcal) 133, Protein (g) 23.3, Carbohydrates (g) 20.7, Vitamin A (SI) 240, Vitamin B (mg) 0.7, Vitamin C (mg) 80, Phosphorus (mg) 166.7, Calcium (mg) 140, Iron (mg) 4.7, Water (g) 49.5.

However, noted also that Jengkol contains a substance named Jengkolat Acid  that can cause problems on the human urine network when over consumed. 

Economic potential:

Jengkol currently not yet a favorite food for the people of the world, only a few people outside the Southeast  Asia region who've try to taste this fruit. B ut today Jengkol prices continue to soar, especially in Indonesia in line with market demand and a decline in land cultivation.

More than 50% of Indonesia's population which has a total population of over 240 million people are a fan of this very pungent smelling fruit type,  a wide variety of foods can be made from this fruit. Either as a primary or supplemental material.  But not only Indonesia, jengkol fans also come from other Southeast Asian countries. 

As a side note, this is the number come from  the Central Statistics Bureau Indonesia on Jengkol production and land area for the past several years: 6,943 Ha (2010), 7,907 Ha (2011), and 7,163 Ha (2012). Sedangakn for production quantities jengkol reached 80 008 tons in 2008 and then decreased again to 62 475 tons (2009), 50 235 tons (2010), 65 830 tons (2011), and 61 537 tons (2012).

As of this writing, the problem of rising commodity prices is being highlighted because of extraordinary price rising. So what do you think? An economic potential?

Scientific classification:

• Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
•       Subkingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular Plants)
•           Super Division: Spermatophyta (Produces seeds)
•               Division: Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
•                   Class: Magnoliopsida (dashed two / dicots)
•                       Sub Class: Rosidae
•                           Order: Fabales
•                               Family: Mimosaceae
•                                   Genus: Archidendron
•                                       Species: Archidendron pauciflorum

Read Also: Pare (Bitter Lemon)

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