COME SAVOUR THE KING OF FRUITS
"The consistence and flavour are indescribable. A rich butterlike custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but intermingled with it come wafts of flavour that call to mind creamcheese, onion sauce, brown sherry and other incongruities. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to it delicacy. It is neither acid, or sweet, nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities, for it is perfect as it is. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact to eat durian is a new sensation, worth a voyage to the East to experience."
Alfred Russel Wallace, Victorian naturalist
The Malay Archipelago (1869)
Rotten fish, fermented onions, overripe cheese - these are some of the ‘gentler' comparisons of the pungent stench of the durian. Some said, the fruit "tastes like Heaven, smells like Hell"; others claimed that it will even gag a starving vulture - I still find these descriptions rather exaggerated.
No. I'm not a durian fan myself. In fact, it's been more than 10 years since I tasted one.
That is until a week ago when I started to write this article. I knew I need to be reminded of the taste that I had long forgotten.
I thought a bite would be sufficient to refresh my memory. I was certain that I wouldn't like it especially after such a long ‘separation'.
But a recent ‘reunion' proved me wrong! I used to eat the "King of Fruits" during my younger days, as I was surrounded by people who were totally obsessed with it.When the durians were in season, some of my relatives and friends bought them in bulk to satisfy their insatiable crave for the fruit. A lorry would be used if a car wasn't big enough to accommodate as many as they wanted to buy.
Inhaling is a difficult task when one is trapped in a car loaded with this hedgehoglike fruit. Don't even think of leaving it in your car for some time, especially in the afternoon. Big mistake! They don't call it the King of Fruits for nothing.
It is true that the durian is not easily appreciated by some people, the western palate, in particular. But no matter how many repulsive descriptions that have been conceived to explain the smell and the taste of the durian, millions of people in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia are still mad about this King of Fruits. Due to its obnoxious smell, the durian has been banned from certain public areas like hotels.
Durian aficionados are willing to fork out the big bucks to get the tastiest variety. Perhaps, the obsession has to do with the reputed power of the fruit as an aphrodisiac. Some said - "when the durians come down from the trees, the sarong comes off".
The durian is a thickskinned, brownishgreen fruit, oblate spheroid, surrounded by 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 custardlike pulp with an odour that lingers even when you belch.
The combination of the heavenly odour, which some says is unpleasant, with the fruit's rich and thick almondlike flavour and puddinglike texture is simply irresistible to true fans.
The durian trees, able to grow as high as 40 metres, are native to South East 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 1,5002,000 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.
Selecting a durian is a feat of skill. Some durian experts claimed that a good durian is comparatively light for its size, has afaint 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 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 durian. If it comes out sticky, it is ripe and ready to be eaten.
They will also make 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 opening are still on the shelves, obviously they have been rejected!
Besides being eaten raw, durians are used to make a wide variety of products like jams, candies, pastries, ice creams, milk shakes, sherbets, durian snack chips, pudding, pancakes and many more.
Some said refrigerated durians taste even better, while others love to savour it with rice, coconut milk and demerara sugar! 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 durian if you have high temperature due to illness. For this reason, durian eaters must also avoid consuming the fruit together with liquor.
As the stench of the durian will "stick" to your hands even after several vigorous washing with even the most fragrant soap, some claimed that washing your hands with durian seeds could remove the odour effectively.
Outside Asia, durians are scarce and rather expensive. Hence, not many foreigners are willing to fork out a large amount of cash for a durian.
Nevertheless, no matter what unpleasant description that you've heard concerning the durian, it's definitely worth a try if you have the chance. Beware though, once you have acquired the taste for it, you could easily fall head over heels with the King of Fruits!
