Sumptuous Flavours: Durian! Durian! The King of Fruits 榴莲水果之王

Saturday, 28 July 2012

Durian! Durian! The King of Fruits 榴莲水果之王

A lorry load of durians waiting to be unloaded at the Selayang wholesale market. The durian season is between June and September and is now in full swing.

All these for only RM22 @ RM 2.00 per kilo. I bought 11 kilos of the king of fruits. The durians shown here are those that are grown from seeds instead of the bud grafted varieties. There are two differences between those that are grown from seeds and the bud grafted ones.The first is the taste. Those planted from seeds have got a special oomph to it whereas the bud grafted varieties have less kick. The other difference is the price. The bud grafted ones cost between RM6 to RM13 per kilo depending on the grade.

Three durians sitting on top of the dining table waiting to be cut open. So how do you cut open the durian? Simple, there are lines along the outside of the husk. Just start at the bottom and cut along the lines and yank it open. A ripe durian can be easily opened.

Durians are not harvested. They will drop from the trees when they ripen, all you need to do is to go around collecting them. Only ripe durians can be eaten.

So how do you choose ripe durians?

Simple, a raw durian is heavy and it gives out a raw smell like freshly cut grass. Whereas, a ripe one feels light and it gives out an overpowering fragrant smell. Take a sniff at the bottom of the fruit.

Not all durians taste the same. Some have white flesh and taste sweet like milk. Others are yellowish with a thick creamy taste. Yet others have a slight greenish tinge and a slight bitter taste.