Durians and coming to the end of the season in Malaysia

Ask anyone in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, which is the king of fruits and the immediate answer is usually always the Durian. The durian is a native fruit around South East Asia, very identifiable through the very sharp and hard thorns or spikes covering the entire body. Partly called the durian also because local Malay language, “duri” means thorn. So “durian” means a thorny thing, or thorny fruit.

If the hard sharp spikes don’t deter you, then the smell and aroma might certainly will. First timers have described the very pungent and foul aroma of a mixture of combinations of onions gone bad, old socks and blue cheese. At least in their opinion. For the rest of us durian lovers, it’s like the smell of sweet heaven.

There are plenty of different species of durian plants and most are edible. A durian expert can quite easily identify the type of durian via the color of the fruit, the shape and size of the thorns, the shape of the fruit, and distinctive marks on how the fruit looks like. For example, the ultimate favorite durian in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan etc is known as the Musang King durian. This particular durian variety is famed for its very thick and creamy flesh, small seeds, incredible taste and flavor and can be easily identified via a star seam shape at the bottom of the fruit (as the picture above suggests).

After one opens the fruit, there are segments where the pulp is located and within the pulp are the seeds of the durian. We only eat the yellow pulp. Different varieties have different flavors. Some of the favorite varieties in Malaysia includes

Musang King - golden color pulp, small seeds, sweet bitter taste, very thick and creamy pulp

XO - A little pale color pulp, very soft, taste a little fermented and bitter, hence the name XO

Red Prawn - Almost yellowish orange pulp, sweet bitter taste

D24 - one of the most grown variety, golden yellow pulp, thick and creamy pulp, semi sweet taste

D101 - very yellow pulp, more sweet and less bitter than the others

and many other varieties.

Musang King is one of the higher priced durian in Malaysia and is mostly for export market.

When eating durian, most of us durian lovers just go for it. And shops nowadays offer disposable gloves so cleanup is much easier.

Some good facts about durians in Malaysia.

  • There are 2 main seasons to enjoy durian. Main season late June to early September. Second season Dec to Jan.

  • Durians are banned in hotels, flights, elevators, and most offices. Because the smell and aroma can linger for a few days and quite difficult to get rid of.

  • Durians are considered very heaty, and one must drink lots of water after eating to prevent coughs and sore throat

  • Most shops that sell durians also sell mangosteen as it’s a very cooling fruit

  • Many orchards in Malaysia nowadays open their doors for visitors to visit and buy durians direct from them. Some even offer home stay services.

Some of the most popular places to eat durians in Kuala Lumpur / Petaling Jaya

Durian Man SS2 Petaling Jaya https://goo.gl/maps/sRU8FvMk31Q8KLrt5

Durian station SS2 Petaling Jaya https://goo.gl/maps/K8VYi1UXfAifCwT67

Sinnaco Durian Sec 19 Petaling Jaya https://goo.gl/maps/tjSxMGj3ver9955j6

Donald’s Durian Sec 19 Petaling Jaya https://goo.gl/maps/TmBaXkatPevQfqc96

and many more

Have you personally tried durians before? Share your experience here with us, love or hate.

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Mmmmm, so yummy. Makes me want to fly down to Malaysia just to have them.

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@StephenAbraham

Hi Steve’

Thanks for sharing with us this amazing post on Durian.

In Malaysia and other neighboring nations, it’s called as King of Fruits. But in India, Mango is considered as King of Fruits. (National Fruit)

It’s known that, almost all star hotels display signboard informing it’s Guests not to bring Durian to rooms.

Any specific reason for this?

Regards

aaryesdee

2 Likes

@aaryesdee - Durians are banned in hotels, flights, elevators, and most offices. Because the smell and aroma can linger for a few days and quite difficult to get rid of. :slight_smile:

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I laughed so much with the description @StephenAbraham ,

Why would somebody attempt to try something that taste like onions gone bad, old socks and blue cheese? Are they soft on the inside? Thank you for sharing about durians it made my day :).

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Диковинный продукт. Надеюсь это очень вкусно!