Propagules of the beboros tree being soaked prior to cooking. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
We observed as Wa Ode Masnia, a resident of Pengudang Village, Bintan, took out a basket filled with slender green and brown forms resembling elongated bean pods. Kak Nya, as she introduced herself, had harvested them a few days earlier in preparation to show us how she makes dodol, a traditional sweet that is soft, chewy, and prepared with a recipe she learnt from her grandmother. She referred to them as buah, a word which translates as “fruit” in English. Botanically, however, these are not typical fruits. They are propagules of mangrove trees: young seedlings that begin germinating on the mother tree while still attached.
Propagules of the beboros tree being soaked prior to cooking. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
Mangrove trees deal with challenging growth conditions, including high salt content and flooding of soil up to two times a day. In response to these conditions, some trees have developed a way to bypass the risk of having seeds germinate in such unstable soil and challenging conditions. This is known as vivipary, a reproductive strategy through which seeds germinate, after flowers have been pollinated,while still attached to the mother tree. The resulting seedlings, known as propagules, then become better equipped to survive once detached. After falling, they are transported by tidal currents, sometimes over long distances, until they reach a suitable site where they can ground themselves in the soil.
Kak Nya removing the skin from the propagules prior to cooking. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
She harvested these buah from the beboros tree, scientifically known as the Bruguiera cylindrica. Currently, there are six Bruguiera species, all of whom are found in Southeast Asia. One of the species, Bruguiera hainesii, is also one of the rarest mangrove trees in the world, with only four individuals found in Singapore. A mature beboros tree can grow to a large size of 20 meters in height. One may be able to differentiate the Bruguiera trees from the other mangrove trees through their roots; they stretch over a rather extensive distance while bent at joints.
Roots of the Bruguiera sp. trees are often described to resemble knees. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
Propagules of the Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, a relative of the B. cylindrica, in a mangrove in Pengudang Village, Teluk Sebong, Bintan. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
Kak Nya learnt this way of making the gathered propagules into dodol from her grandmother. After scraping off the outer skin of the propagules, she then chops and blends them into a granular mash with yellowish hue. With a sweet and fragrant blend of gula, pandan leaves, coconut milk, and a mixture of flour, she then cooks the propagules until they form a thick and sticky batter. Every year, November to January is the harvest season for these propagules. She will go out during low tide with her husband in the mangrove forest. From the colour of the propagule, she decides whether it is ready to be harvested.
Today, Kak Nya and a few other women in Pengudang Village run cooking workshops with mangrove trees as one of the eco-tourism offerings. These workshops offer an alternative source of livelihood for these women, while incentivizing the continuation of interest in mangrove forests.
Final traditional sweet known as dodol. It is a sweet combination of beboros propagules, brown sugar, rice flour, infused with the fragrance of the pandan leaves. Courtesy NTU CCA Singapore.
Hear from Kak Nya in the video below about how she learnt about dodol making with the beboros tree from her grandmother, and how she continues to prepare this sweet traditional snack today.
Demonstration of how mangroves can act as natural coastal
Kak Wa ode Masnia has been living in Pengudang since she was young. She is part of a group of women running eco-tourism activities, such as cooking workshops, to tourists. Her specialty is the dodol dessert, a recipe she learnt from her grandmother.
