Fruit that gains the most publicity - DURIAN

(Picture from New England Wellness)

You might never see or touch the real fruit. You might never smell its smell. You might never know how is its shape. You might not know what color it is. But, you definitely know its existence in this world. Yes, we are talking about Durian here. It is no doubt being called the King of fruits - its name is shown at almost all important public places, shopping malls, airports, transits, restaurants to name a few.

(Picture from Dirty Little Cookbook)

For some foreigners, durian smells stinky. But for locals, the smell is aromatic. The size of durian varies from big to small, each durian fruit can weighs from 1 to 3 kg. They are round or oblong shape with green or brown husk. What we ate in the durian fruit is its flesh. Normally, it is yellow in colour. The taste of durian is not the same for each breed. Some of them are sweet, some of them are bitter. The texture of the durian is also vary, it might be hard and dry or it might be soft like cream.

Durian is a seasonal fruit, we do not get them through out the year. The harvesting period for durian is around June to August every year for the best durian in Malaysia. There is Durian Feast organized in Penang during this period, unfortunately, Durian Feast for this year has just pass. However, you can still find great durian from stalls at roadside. Famous premium grade durian includes Cat Mountain King (Mao San Wong), Bamboo Foot (Zuk Kiok), Red Prawn (Hong Ha), D101, and D24. These durians are sell for higher price for their bittersweet taste and creamy texture.

In SS2 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, there is some famous durian stalls gathered. You can find cheap durian deal here, eat all you can for RM10.00. However, they only serve normal grade durian for this price. If you would like to try the premium grade durian, you have to pay according to the weight and market price of that durian breed. If you have time, visiting durian farm and eat fresh collected durian at there will be a better option. Durian farm that is open for visitors are Bao Sheng Durian Orchard (Sungai Pinang, Penang) and Pondok Uteh Durian Farm (Balik Pulau, Penang).

A warm reminder for tourist, durian is believe to cause heat to body. Locals like to use the empty durian shell to fill with plain water and drink it or drink salt water to cool down the body. If you don't drink water after eating durian and continue with hot foods after that, you might end up getting fever the next day.