Sarawakian Local Delights : Jering

Sliced jering stir fried with belacan,chillies and garlic.

Jering (Archidendron pauciflorum) is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae and is native to South East Asia.

The seeds are a popular dish, particularly in Sarawak, Borneo. However they are also part of the diet of the Thais, Mynmarese, and Indonesians.

One favourite way of preparing the jering is Ulam. Ulam is an appetising salad served during a meal. So several raw vegetables can be prepared and served in a platter with an accompanying dipping sauce made with belacan and lime juice.

the seeds are mildly toxic and kampong folks would let visitors know that they may get a headache from eating some jering. In some extreme cases, some people who have eaten too much jering might end up in a hospital suffering from jering poisoning.

However the beans and leaves of the jering tree are traditionally used for medicinal purposes such as purifying the blood. Many people also believe that jering can be further researched to help prevent diabetes and other illnesses.

There is more in the black UFO looking seeds than meet the eye. The pods of the seeds can dye textile (e.g. silk) purple while the bark also provides a black dye. 

Besides the jering tree is good building timber and for traditional coffin making.

The raw seeds have been used to make pesticides to kill and prevent the growth of pests.

Source : Wikipedia.