Post 10: Linggi House

My family made our way down to Linggi, a small town in Melaka (Malacca) to visit my parents in law recently.


They had moved there from Selangor just over a year ago and being a keen gardener, Dad had been busy planting up fruit trees, vegetables, flowering shrubs, tending to his precious orchids and 'waging war' with lallang (our version of tough weeds!) in the available space there. 


My 2 young children have christened it 'Linggi House' and loves it there cause they are able to run about, laugh, scream, fight & generally make a frightful din to their hearts content since the nearest neighbours are quite a distance away. My hubby and I have gotten immune to their "playtime noises" but my poor parents in law DO get taken aback often, haha.


For the adults, it is a welcomed respite from the hustle & bustle of city life and a chance to inhale clean & fresh air, enjoy a misty morning and actually view the beautiful starry night sky without the glare of street lights & obstructing buildings! 

I wanted to post the pictures of the various fruit trees, vegetables and flowers at Linggi House before I forget their names :) I am posting up the fruit trees first in 2 parts (you see, I'm getting crossed eyed looking for their scientific names!)

Pineapple (Local name: Nenas/Nanas)
[Ananas comosus]

(A versatile fruit! Can be eaten as is, juiced, made into jam & cooked. The leaves are processed into fibres & made into clothing in some cultures)

Passion Fruit (Local name: Markisa/Buah Susu)

[Passiflora edulis]

(While the fruits are a treat to eat, I'm actually more excited to see & admire its beautiful flowers! These were grown from seeds obtained from both yellow & purple skinned fruits. Green chain-link fences are used to provide support)

Mulberry (Local name: Mulberri/Bebesaran)

[Morus]

(I'm not sure which cultivar it falls under as the fruits are still maturing. Hmm, looking forward to using these in muffins :) Incidentally, in Persian language, mulberry is pronounced as 'toot', haha!)

Papaya (Local name: Betik)

[Papaya carica]

(In some cultures, papaya seeds are used as a substitute for black pepper! We usually eat papaya as is but it can be cooked & used in gravies, made into jam and boiled into soup. In chinese culture, it is believed that drinking soup made from boiling unripe green papaya with herbs will encourage lactating mums to produce more milk! :) )

 Ambarella, Golden Apple (Local Name: Buah Kedondong/Umbra)

 [Spondias dulcis]

(Fruit is crunchy, sourish and slightly tart. Normally, it is juiced but can be eaten raw and made into jam. I like to eat this raw as a fruit salad with sliced green mango, diced pineapple & cucumber drizzled over with a sticky dark brown sauce made from shrimp paste, water, brown sugar, salt & chillies! We call the salad 'Rojak' & really, just any kind of fruits & raw crunchy veggies can be added into the mix. Sorry, forgot to take a picture]

Now for some background information on Melaka (Malacca). Melaka is protected by the Straits of Malacca (a narrow natural waterway) in Southeast Asia and historically, was an important port of call and trading post. It attracted a lot of people from different countries to settle down in Melaka and naturally, lots of different cultures meeting & melting together meant that amongst others, wonderful architecture and tasty food were created. 

A blog I visit often, Smallkucing had recently posted about the various sites and tasty food to be found in Melaka. Well, from the comments received when I post a recipe/dish here, I think you will also enjoy Smallkucing's posts on other Malaysia delicacies there :D Have fun!!

Please have a blessed week/weekend ahead!