In Indonesia hear the word Melinjo, Belinjo, Tangkil or Muling, maybe we immediately think of Sayur Asem and Emping. Kulinari Indonesia associated with Melinjo is the most popular is Sayur Asem (sour vegetables soup) and Emping.
Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon Linn.) Or in Sundanese called Tangkil is a species of open seeded plants (Gymnospermae) shaped trees originating from tropical Asia, melanesia, and the Western Pacific.
Melinjo is also known as belinjo, mlinjo (javanese), tangkil (Sundanese) or bago (Malay and Tagalog), Khalet (Cambodian), muling (Aceh), peesae (Pattani Malay), dae (Kwara'ae ), Phakmiang (Thailand) and bét, rau bép, rau danh or gắm (Vietnam).
Melinjo widely grown in the yard as a shade or barrier yard and especially utilized fruit and leaves. In contrast to other Gnetum members who are usually liana, melinjo shaped trees.
Melinjo is rarely cultivated intensively. The wood can be used as a board material and simple household appliance. The young leaf (referred to as so in Javanese) is used as a vegetable ingredient (eg in tamarind). Flowers (male and female) and the seeds are still small (pentil) and that has been cooked also used as a vegetable. Melinjo seeds also become raw materials of emping. The skin can be made abon skin melinjo.
Nutritional Content
Research has been done on melinjo showed that melinjo produce antioxidant compounds. This antioxidant activity is obtained from high protein concentration, 9-10 percent in each seed melinjo. The main protein is 30 kilo Dalton which is very effective to eliminate free radicals that cause various diseases.
In addition, melinjo is also a natural antimicrobial. That means melinjo protein can also be used as a natural preservative of food as well as new drugs for diseases caused by bacteria. Peptides isolated from seeds indicated melinjo have active potency inhibiting some types of gram positive and negative bacteria.