Let's talk about Durian

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I remember exactly when I asked my friends "do you like to eat durian?" some of them love it, some of them can't stand the smell, some of them just "yuck" at it. As for me, I love eating durian especially with my family. The durians come in all shapes and sizes, with different types of thorns as well. And the flesh…well, you have to taste it by yourself.

In Malaysia, durians are allowed to drop by themselves, usually in the early morning. They are then at their peak in ripeness and taste. Then they are best eaten within the day. What about the flesh? Let’s separate this question into two parts. First is the smell then comes the taste. For those of you who have never smelt a durian in your entire life, don’t attempt to imagine its smell, lest its taste. You will never get it right. Some tried to scare the daylight out of you and compared the smell with rotten rat. I wonder whether they had ever smelt a rotten rat or being a drama queen? Then what about the taste? This is a big problem. Some said the durian tasted like rotten cheese and some said it taste yummy. Well different people, different opinion, right?

The fruit’s smell is so potent that it’s banned in many hotels and public transport systems in Southeast Asia. I remember when I was in Melaka, I saw No Durian sign in front of the hotel. 

Durians are rich in energy, minerals and vitamins. Sugars like fructose and sucrose give energy to the body. Although the durians have high amount of fats, they are free of cholesterol. They are rich in dietary fiber, with good source of B-complex groups of vitamins which the body cannot produce. Main minerals present are manganese, copper, iron, magnesium and potassium. And of course vitamin C is a plenty in the durians. The durian is such a unique fruit that even the flesh has so much variations. The shape, texture and color of the flesh varies with different varieties

There are many species of durians but you need not worry about the various species. The recommended (and probably the safest bet) species would be the D24. The D24 is creamy and bitter but its taste is not too strong so its good for beginners. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the durian, you can move on to other species. The durian has been used in many other culinary dishes. There’s durian flavoured ice cream, durian cake, tempoyak and others.


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