The durian is a thick-skinned, brownish-green fruit, oblate spheroid, covered in short and sharp spikes (the word “duri” means thorn). Each fruit is divided into about five sections, with each containing a large brown seed covered by a sac of thick, yellow custard-like pulp with an odor that persists even when you belch.

The combination of the heavenly odour, which some say is unpleasant, with the fruit’s rich and thick almond-like flavour and pudding-like texture is simply irresistible to true fans.

The durian trees, able to grow as high as 40 metres, are native to SouthEast Asia and require a year round warm and humid climate. However, they cannot tolerate a prolonged dry period. Receiving an evenly distributed rainfall of between 1,500-2,000 millimetres per annum will also help them to grow well.

The durian will fall once it is ripe, thus picking of the fruit from its tree is not necessary. Harvest period is mainly from May to July.

CHOOSING DURIANS – THE EXPERT’S GUIDE

Selecting a durian is a feat of skill.

Some durian experts claim that a good durian is comparatively light for its size, has a faint movement when you shake it and exudes a strong aroma. If you detect a strong hollow movement, reject it, as the fruit is mainly seed with no flesh.

However, if there’s no movement at all and the fruit is heavy for its size, reject it also as it is either unripe or waterlogged, if ripe. Also, avoid durians with holes, as worms might have already claimed their territories.

When scrutinising a durian, hold the stalk with one hand and the bottom with another. It is advisable to stand with your legs apart to avoid injuring your feet should the fruit decides to part with its stalk at that very moment.

To check whether a durian is ripe, durian traders will insert a knife into the fruit. If it comes out sticky, it is ripe and ready to be eaten. They will also create a small triangular opening cut on the durian for customers to have a sneak preview of the quality of the durian. If durians with such openings are still on the shelves, obviously they have been rejected!

Sadly, the art of choosing durian is slowly diminishing these days as packed durian flesh is readily available at supermarkets.

Most people are no longer interested to withstand the hassle of choosing and opening a durian nowadays though that’s part of the excitement of enjoying durian.

Besides, in my opinion, pre-packed durian flesh looks extra gross especially to those who are already not too keen on trying it.

THE MANY WONDERS OF DURIAN

Durian fruit is also used to flavour a wide variety of products like jams, candies, pastries, ice creams, milk shakes, sherbets, durian snack chips, pudding, pancakes and many more.

Some say refrigerated durians taste even better, while others love to savour it with rice, coconut milk and demerara sugar. Unbelievable, I must say.

Durian is said to produce a “heaty” effect, where eating too much of the fruit will give your body a heated sensation for a short period. Hence, it is not advisable to eat it if you have high temperature due to illness. For this reason, durian eaters must also refrain from consuming the fruit together with liquor.

Although I’ve seen tourists attempt to eat durians in a variety of mind-boggling ways, with chopsticks and fork and spoon included, the best way to enjoy the fruit is by eating it with your fingers. A word of warning: the stench of the fruit will “persist” to your hands even after several vigorous washings with even the most fragrant soap from Crabtree & Evelyn. However, some claim that washing your hands with the durian seeds removes the odour effectively.

Outside Asia, durians are scarce and rather high-priced. Hence, not many foreigners are willing to fork out a large amount of cash for a durian.

Nevertheless, no matter what unpleasant description you’ve heard concerning the durian, it’s definitely worth a try if you have the chance.

Beware though, once you have obtained the taste for it, you could easily fall head over heels with the “king of fruits”!

This article is distributed by www.Malaysia-Travel-Info.com. An up-to-date guide to Malaysia. Providing current and relevant information about visa, airlines, hotels, resorts, durian fruit, scuba diving, travel, health and wellness.

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