Cameron Highlands Tea Plantation, Malaysia

Monday, June 22, 2009

Durians, anyone?

It's that time of the year again when durian or commonly known as 'The King of Fruits' stalls crowded the roadsides, all packed with mountains of durians. Yup, it’s durian frenzy here in Penang/Kedah and there are plenty of durian stalls selling this thorny fruit at every corner of the streets. Although I'm afraid of piling on the calories but when it comes to durians, I throw caution to the wind. Needless to say, I was looking forward to savour a good feast of this fabulous tasting fruits.

While some people consider the smell of durian as notoriously stinky and repulsive, I find this thorny fruit sinfully aromatic. Some can be dry, others creamy, like ice cream or chocolate in taste. I personally like smaller durians with bittersweet taste and the slightly fermented aroma of liquor to it. These are all good durians that should be highly appreciated to its fullest. Infact, the taste and quality of durians really differ depending on the origin and the degree of ripeness. The best place to get good durians is still Balik Pulau, Penang. I find durians from Thailand which are much bigger in size to be less desirable in terms of taste, smell and especially texture.

It was also interesting to note that there are many unique nicknames for different version of durian fruits that reflects its characteristics or even named after Jackie Chan's wife. As much as I love durians, it's difficult to be able to differentiate or remember the taste of one from the other. I couldn't even recall the name of my favourite.

These are some selection of branded durians. Prices are between RM12-13 per kilo in my neighbourhood. I normally spend about RM100-200 for these exotic spicky fruits every year.

Each species has a distinct taste and odour. For every pause for the next variety, it is best to rinse your mouth with plain water so that you can exquisitely acquire the exact taste for each cultivar and not having your taste buds to dance with undiscovered delight. My hubby loves the ones with golden or orange flesh which are popular in demand and secures the highest price, especially if it is accompanied with a great taste.

A small seed with milky, heavenly texture

A taste that's out of this world

Can you spot the worm hole on the husk? Now, don't be turned off by the sight of worm holes. It is a good indication that these durians are grown in pesticide- free environment.

As durians have warming properties, it's quite a common practise to pour water into the husk of the fruit after the pulp has been consumed and drink it.

An alternative method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteens, which is considered to have cooling properties.

It looks like unpeel cloves of garlic and whitish creamy against the fruit's purple backdrop. Incase you are wondering, the season for durians is typically from June to August, which coincides with mangosteens too.

Love it or loathe it, durians will stand out like no other fruit. For durian lovers, happy durian hunting! :D

First Commenter - Mei Teng

46 comments:

  1. I ate these fruits just last weekend. It's durian season again...:) I like eating durians but am not totally crazy about them like some ppl who can have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

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  2. Like Mei Teng, I had some durians last week during the weekend. Am nusing a bit of sore throat now, due to over indulgence. :D

    All the durians bought here in KL can't beat my kampung durian though.

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  3. Wow, really durian season.. everyone is blogging about durians! haha. I need to find durian kakis... my friends don't eat, my family barely eats... dangit.

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  4. Guess what? I have just eaten the durian with my dad last saturday. Yupe! I feel very hot after consuming our king of fruits. :D And my dad love to eat it with rice.

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  5. I have never seen anything like that! I wonder if they are available in the states.

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  6. i love durian!
    the smell is just so nice.. haha..
    yeah mum said must eat mangosteen after durian.. =)

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  7. Mei Teng,
    although i love durians, i don't take them whole day too. durians are fattening and with age catching up, I don't eat durian as much nowadays for health reasons.

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  8. hope you get well soon, lina. i know most ppl tend to indulge a little too much during this fruit season. as durians are heaty fruits, u need to take plenty of water and mangosteens after taking them.

    i only take local durians. the ones from Thai are absolutely a big NO to me.

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  9. ladyviral,
    aw, that's too bad. but u still have me. you're welcome to join me if you can. :)

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  10. tekkaus,
    yes, i love durian with rice. it's a great combination. Whenever I'm done with durians, I make it a point to take lotsa mangosteens to reduce the heatiness.

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  11. Julia,
    they are grown in tropical
    climates, so you might not have them in US.

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  12. ken,
    yes, your mom is absolutely right.

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  13. Rej,
    i bet u didn't have a good start with durians. :)

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  14. i love durians! haven't gotten my share yet this season. it's time to keep a look out. :p

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  15. levian,
    it's definitely durian season now. you can see the fruits everywhere in the suburbs. almost all the supermarket chains are selling them like hot cakes too.

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  16. but i havent eaten any this year.. lol =P

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  17. oh I just had the most wonderful feast of D24 durians! :-D

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  18. I love durians! Just like you, I love the taste and the smell! Can't understand why some people don't like the smell.

    I agree Thai durians are not as tasty and aromatic as our very own Malaysian durians!

    I especially love to eat the durian which has very tiny seed and all flesh. Yummy!!

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  19. Despite the hot weather and the possibility of falling sick after eating the durians, I have to take the risk. lol

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  20. Some people said, "It smells like hell, but it tastes like heaven." Over here in Singapore, we did the same thing too; pouring water into the husk and drinking it. When I was in the Philippines, I told them about this and they were surprised. They did pour water into the husk, but not for drinking. They did that to wash hand so that it will get rid of the smell of durian. :)

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  21. No durians for me, can't really take it. I'm ok with mangosteen, i miss that fruit. Getting tired of apple and berries here =)

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  22. ken,
    If you are in Penang, you'd smell them everywhere. In the lifts, cars, houses and even ppl's breath. LOL!

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  23. Monica,
    hope you had a good one. yes, many of the D24 series dominates the fruit stalls. :)

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  24. foong,
    yeah, i also don't understand why some ppl can't stand the smell of them. at least, they smell better than stinky tofu, right? hehe

    the ones with tiny seeds are usually one of the more expensive ones. the flesh is quite orangey and has lots of pulps.

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  25. the entire Penang is literally covered with durian smell now, ECL. some temptations are just impossible to resistlah..
    well, it's recommended to pour the water into the husk and drink it after savouring these fruits. you'll be fine.

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  26. BK,
    i agree that by using the husk with running water to wash your hands will take away the smell effectively.

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  27. Ayie,
    you don't fancy durians? How bad can the smell possibly be? I absolutely love mangosteens too.

    Happy Tuesday!

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  28. I luv durians, esp those bitter ones. But the weather is so hot...

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  29. I just had durian pancakes LR he he! So yummy la!

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  30. There's a famous durian stall in SS2, very laku la there. Now I feel like taking a drive there to get some durians for tonight lol!

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  31. Dropped EC here today sweetie, have a good Tuesday. :)

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  32. Hi Ramblings! No, I can't...smell is my weakness with food. If the smell is strong enough, it goes with my tastebuds. Somehow I can't savor the food. I tried to eat durian many times but no, really can't. Even candies and pastillas won't work for me. Dad and I made my hubs try it and told him to ignore smell and he was able to eat it good. =P

    Goodnight!

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  33. I have a feeling that it's the season cos I can smell them everywhere.. lol! And I love mangosteens.. Can eat heaps of them..

    Btw, thanks for dropping by and for your concern.. I appreciate it.. :)

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  34. Dora,
    hot weather is good for durians. :)

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  35. Mariuca,
    i love durian pancakes too. hope you enjoyed your durian feast dear. have a great day:)

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  36. Ayie,
    i guess diff ppl have diff tastes and preferences in life, right?

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  37. Cashmere,
    no problem.

    Continue to stay strong. So sorry for the loss of your dad.

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  38. Yes it's durian season now. Saw so many people setting up durian stall by the roadside. I think the ones that sell outside are better than the ones in supermarket. More fresh, and still have the durian smell. XD

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  39. yeah, agree. I don't find it foul tasting. Just the scent really kicks me off. =) That's where i am sensitive.

    happy wednesday eve!

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  40. nowaday lot promotion to eat durians in buffet style.. RM10 per person, guranteed eat till you full..crazy..

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  41. I live in the U.S and I never seen these before until last weekend when I found a vendor here who imports them. I picked one up its was 15$
    which is expensive for a fruit. I didn't find the smell offensive at all in fact for me it smelled like clean wood. My folks said it smelled a bit like a melon. We all tried it together and agreed it was pretty good and unique. I got a taste for them now I just need a reliable source. I love Durians!

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