Engkabang (illipe nut) is the local name of the fruits of Shorea trees. These tall dipterocarp trees produce winged fruits which are often collected by locals either for local consumption or for sale.
Here in Sarawak, villagers, particularly the Dayaks, collect the fruits to make engkabang oil which is mixed with hot white rice for a smooth buttery taste. The prepared oil is not in liquid form but in solid form at room temperature (about 27 degrees Centigrade).
Discarded “wings” – collected by locals, the fruits have been removed.
Dried engkabang fruits in a rattan winnow. The big white sack on the right contains fruits ready to be sold off to a middleman or buyer. Photographed in a Bidayuh village.
Commercially, the fruit is processed for its oil used in the making of chocolates. Look up the research paper entitled “Engkabang (illipe) - an excellent component for cocoa butter equivalent fat” by K. Nesaretnam and Abdul Razak b Mohd Ali if you’re interested to read more about this fruit and its uses in making cocoa butter.
