Baskets of purplish-black shiny fruit resembling black olives sometimes surprise the visitor to the Philippines,Thailand and parts of Indonesia.Their brief season limits opportunities of sampling the java plum,and as the fruit crushes easily,it is never transported any great distance.
Inside the skin is translucent white flesh, making the fruit very much like a grape in texture. Like so many tropical fruits, the Java plum has medicinal properties,various parts of the plant being used to treat stomach aehes, diabetes and ulcers.
It is important to eat the Java plum at the correct stage of ripeness. When not quite ripe, it is mouth-puckeringly soue because of the hight tannin content. Some Filipinos,however,enjoy it at this stage,dipping it first in salt for a tangy sour treat. Most would agree,however,that the fruit is better eaten ripe when it is juicy and sweet. Take care of the long seed in the centre: it stains everything it come into contact with a purplish-red colour.