Jengkol, Indonesian Favourite Food

Jengkol, Indonesian Favourite Food

Rchidendron pauciflorum, commonly known as Jengkol, Dogfruit, or Jering is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Southeast Asia. Despite its strong smell, the beans are a popular food in Indonesia, and also consumed in Malaysia (where they are known as jering), Myanmar (where they are called da nyin thee), and in Southern Thailand, where they are called luk-nieng or luk neang. 

The large brown legumes are very popular and cooked as satay or curry, especially rendang, in Indonesia. In Burmese cuisine, the da nyin thee is either roasted or boiled, and often eaten along with a pickled fish sauce (Ngapi yay) on steamed rice.The beans are mildly toxic due to the presence of djenkolic acid, an amino acid, which causes djenkolism (jengkol bean poisoning). Symptoms include spasmodic pain, gout, urinary obstruction, and acute renal failure.The condition mainly affects men, and is not determined by how the beans are prepared. Individuals can consume the beans on multiple occasions without incident, to develop renal failure on another occasion.