While most of us are familiar with the King of Fruits known as Durians, how many of you out there have tried the wilder side of this unique thorny fruit? Introducing the Red Durian or locally known in Sarawak as Isu and in Sabah as Dalit.
These unique species are hard to come by and only harvested in the wold once a year (if they are lucky). I have been searching many years for this and my luck finally came in early 2019 when I chanced upon the Durian Isu in the city of Miri, north of Sarawak.
They are often found sold around local markets called āTamuā and when the season is the peak, you see them sold at street corners from the back of 4x4 trucks or vans. This is a common sight around Sarawak and Sabah, and prices are usually reasonable.
In my case, I was walking around a local āTamuā in the coastal city of Miri when I chanced upon a vendor selling these red durians. Without hesitation, I bought one small durian for RM10.00 (US2.50) to try.
Iām sure your next question will be - How did it taste? Well, to be honest, it was not fragrant and rich as the famous Musang King Durians. It was a creamier taste with a mild durian flavour and less sweet. Not something you would be feasting on with your family or friends.
Locals over here use these red durians to cook by adding them to some dishes. Well, that is another entirely different subject but the thrill of seeing them in person was good enough to excite me and a lot of other people. I mean, who wouldnāt stop when they saw some red durians?
There are also other variants of these wild durians that come in other colours like orange, lighter red, tangerine and so on. Apparently, these red durians are only found on the island of Borneo and I could be wrong, but no one else has said otherwise.
Below are some more photos of the Red Durians.
I would love to hear your comments on this or if you have tried this before?
