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Durian

tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia. The color of the fruit ranges from green to brown, the shape oblong to round. Its distinctive features are a hard outer husk which is covered with sharp, prickly thorns, and a strong, distinctive odour which emits from the flesh within, one that is for some people offensive-smelling. The edible portion of the fruit is the yellowish, curd-like flesh which surrounds a hard seed. It is known as the king of the fruits, whilst Mangosteen is the queen of fruits.

Many people regard the durian to be a very tasty fruit; it is often called the "king of fruits" by locals. Some Westerners have described the fruit as "like eating custard in a public lavatory."

The Durian is a tree that can grow up to 40 meters in height. The fruit can hang from any branches, and a typical durian can weigh 1-2 kg, so a durian plantation during fruit maturation is hardhat territory. A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries or death. A typical durian tree can bear fruit after 4-5 years.

The scientific name for the durian of commerce is Durio zibethinus. Other edible durian species are sometimes available in the local markets of Southeast Asia.

There are many clones of the durian, all having a name starting with "D" and a number. For example, some popular clones are D24, D99, D158 and D159 (this is the "Mon Thong" variety). Since the Durian is the topic of study in certain agricultural institutions, certain commercialized strains are given a D number to distinguish them from "standard" wild varieties.

Availability

The durian is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, although it can grow in any similar climate. The center of ecologic diversity for durians is the island of Borneo. Thailand is a major exporter of durians. Other places where durians are grown include Mindanao in the Philippines, Queensland in Australia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, and Sri Lanka.

In the Philippines, the center of durian production is Davao Region in Mindanao. The Kadayawan festival is an annual celebration featuring the durian in Davao City.

In the Western World, Durians are available from supermarkets catering to Eastern Asian communities.

Restrictions

Because the fruit's odour is offensive to some people, it is forbidden to bring durians as hand luggage on to aircraft belonging to some airlines, to carry them on the Singapore public transit system, or to store or eat them in many hotels.

Selection

Every regular eater of the durian has their own way of selecting the best fruit from a given pile. Many of these methods are handed down in hushed whispers with every punter thinking his method ensures selection of the best fruit. In the past this was important. Durian is a seasonal fruit which used to be harvested once a year. These days it is harvested about twice a year and hence the supply has increased. Due to increased supply the retailers have become more competitive in their approach.

Selecting the right fruit was very important when retailers sold the fruit "as is" without dissection. Today it is common for resellers to dissect the fruit and sell the edible parts inside. As such the visibility of the edible part has made selection techniques lessen in importance.

Selection of durians in the farm is easy. Fruit from the same tree will generally have the same properties. Generally fruit in the farm is allowed to ripen and fall from the tree so ripeness of the fruit should not be a matter of concern.

Selection of fruit outside of a farm setting is slightly more tricky. The following are some of the basic selection methods used:

1) Generally the freshness of a fruit can be ascertained from the stalk. Once a fruit has been removed from the tree the stalk starts to dry off. Unscrupulous merchants may seek to wrap or paint the stalk to prevent easy detection. Less savvy merchants may even remove the stalks.

2) Most punters enjoy the fruit where the pulp is dry and mature. An easy way to tell if the pulp is dry without opening the fruit is to shake the fruit and feel for a little bit of rattling. Moist pulp sticks to the inside of the fruit. Dry pulp tends to be separated from the inside walls of the fruit. Care must be taken that one is not injured by the thorns of the fruit in this operation.

3) Durian may be attacked by insect pests which lay eggs in the fruit which develop into worm-like larvae. It is important in purchasing whole fruit to avoid buying fruit which has any holes in it since these often indicate the entry of "worms" into the fruit. However, some punters aim for the durians with worms in them in the belief that the worms act as a "guide" to point out the best fruit.

Opening

It is recommended that beginners purchase durians which have been opened as opening the fruit is somewhat tricky. Generally it is possible to find stores where the pulp is packed conveniently. Most merchants will open the fruit as a service once the buyer has agreed to purchase it. This occurs even if they do not package it into other forms of packaging. However, a durian once opened has to be consumed within a few hours as opened fruit tends to "sweat". Once the pulp has started to produce water, the fruit loses its flavour and is not of much use.

The fruit can be opened by careful study and with commonly available tools. Inspection of the outside of the fruit will reveal "lines" along the surface where the thorns grow in straight rows as opposed to the seemingly random distribution on the rest of the surface. In general it is possible to find up to 5 lines along the surface.

If the stalk is thought to be the upper surface of the durian then turn it upside down and the lines should converge at a point somewhere near the bottom of the fruit. Gently poke a sharp object into this point. Generally objects such as awls, the corner of a meat cleaver or even a screwdriver serve well. Then slide the sharp object along the "line" which was previously identified. It may be a good idea to have a glove or a thick rag to hold the durian with the other hand while attempting this task. A moving durian may seem like an opportunity for comedy but being poked is a real risk.

Once the fruit has been separated into two parts then the flesh inside may be consumed. The parts can be segmented further by using the base of the palms to push on the rim on opposite sides. It may help to make a small tear along the central axis before this is attempted.

Properties

In some countries, durian is considered a "hot" food, liable to cause sweating. The traditional remedy is to drink some plain water from the fruit's covering, or to eat it with mangosteen, considered to be cooling.

People with high blood pressure are traditionally advised to avoid durian due to its richness.

Thornless durian

Some durian are sold as thornless; they have the thorns sheared off when young rather than being naturally thornless.