josef george kamel, s.j. drawing of duhat or lumboy

Duhat Syn. lumboy, longboy.
Another fruit that evokes childhood memories, duhat or lomboy. English is Java plum (Syzygium cumini L.).

Like the santol duhat is a summer fruit. The fruit comes in clusters, has a thin purple skin and white pulp. Like the santol there is hardly anything to eat, as it has a big seed relative to the size of the fruit. Duhat is eaten by being dipped in salt and sugar because the fruit is generally sour and tart. It is also shaken in a glass container with salt and sugar. The resulting mash is a child’s summer delight. The trees leathery leaves are rolled and dried as cigarette wrapping or as substitute for tobacco.

Worth noting: Kamel uses the Visayan word for duhat, which is longboy or lumboy rather than the Tagalog word. This suggests that he was acquainted with Visayan plants, which he probably knew from reports submitted by Jesuit missionaries in the Visayan islands of Samar, Leyte, Panay, Cebu and Bohol. He may have also visited these islands.