BALINESE people have long consumed morinda or tibah, so it is no longer a strange fruit for them. Before the presence of bottled cooking oil in the market, local people having coconut garden usually process their mature coconut into oil manually. To help accelerate the process or serve as catalyst for the forming of oil, they need morinda fruits. On average, they will have it in the backyard garden.
Another benefit of morinda is for ingredient of rujak or herbal drink. It is usually made from mature fruit added with tamarind paste, palm sugar, salt (to taste), chili and water. By and large, people make rujak from the slices of various fresh fruits. Unlike the rujak of morinda, it is really different from the common ones.
This rujak is served as fresh drink. Some people prefer the unripe fruit to avoid its strong smell, while some others prefer the ripe one. When applying the unripe morinda, it needs bruising. Then, all ingredients are kneaded and added with some water.
Ultimately, set aside its dregs by filtering. In the past, this drink became a favorite and was sold to farmers who were harvesting in their rice fields or served to people carrying out social activities.
In line with the ‘back to nature’ movement where people turn back to use herbal ingredients, they do not only serve this drink for thirst quencher but also for promoting their health. It is said it can reduce hypertension, relieve peptic ulcer and some other light disorder. To get the same efficacy of this morinda, people now can obtain its jamu (traditional herbal) product in the form of capsule and syrup. Besides, the rujak herbal drink is also widely sold at road side in Bali packed in small transparent plastic bag.
Now, there some options to enjoy the efficacy of morinda. Want to get tablet or syrup? Of course, it will be more expensive as passing through industrial process. Meanwhile, the rujak is cheaper due to traditionally prepared.
