Durians

The King of Fruits or the Bane of Humankind?

When your spouse loves it and you don't, it could very well be a cause for divorce. I've heard that about the durian, you either love it or you hate it. Yet I cannot say that my relationship with this pungent spikey fruit, the size of a football, started in this black and white fashion. It was more like a slow courtship, where the durian did not completely put me off at our first meeting nor was I blown away by its taste. My first impression - kind of like steamed onions (which I learned to enjoy from my grandfather). Those who know probably think 'the durian is anything but bland so your tastebuds must not be working right'.

With each passing attempt over a period of months, the fruit was slowly but artfully winning me over. I began to appreciate its texture, then its flavor and eventually the smell went from pungent to fragrant. Why, you ask, would I keep trying if it did not impress me right from the start? Well, my wife is the Queen of durians (see first statement).

I distinctly remember the moment I fell in love. It was when I was served durian crepe at the Mandarin Oriental restaurant in Malaysia. Packaged in this manner, I suddenly understood what Bibi was harping about when she extolled the virtues of the durian. From that time on, I sought out the fruit each time I was in Malaysia although the best fruits were seasonal and with the durians, you either eat the best or none at all.

The Malaysians cleverly disguised the fruit in various delectable forms for those who did not immediately take to it. There are durian birthday cakes, pancakes, tubes of durian pudding(?), durian with sticky rice, durian and coconut milk to name a few.

• Durian Cake Durian Cake
• Durian Crepe Durian Crepe
• Gourmet, durian filled pancakes. Gourmet, durian filled pancakes.
• Deep fried durians Deep fried durians
• Durian in a tube Durian in a tube
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The durian, however, is not a VIP by any means. It is not allowed in hotels, in restaurants (unless it is on their menu) or on airplanes. It is also on the list of fruits you cannot bring into the US - the only imported ones must be 1) soaked in water and 2) frozen -- by then the fruit tastes nothing like the original. Once we were boarding a plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, when Bibi let out a burp and the smell of durian filled the air. We were immediately hustled aside and our carry on bags thoroughly searched. When they could not find the offensive fruit (which was safely residing in Bibi's stomach), they had to let us on the plane. Let that be a lesson to all durian lovers out there.

Fast Facts

	Where To Buy	Best place is to stop at one of the roadside stands (basically the back of a truck). These are fresh and where you can get good deal.
	Types	While there are over 60 natural varieties, farmers over the last 10 years have developed many hybrids. Some of the ones I like are GoldenBoy and D-130.
	How To Buy	If you are serious about buying one, the seller will open it up with a machette (a difficult task for even experienced eaters) and let you smell it and check it for worms. If no worms, ask the seller to pack it in a plastic container for you. Then you don't have to deal with the spiked husk.
	How Much To Pay	Typical prices are 3-6RM ($1-2) per kilo (with husk). Some new hybrids might be up to 10RM ($3).
	Little Known Fact	The durian played a key role in the first Lord Of The Rings movie - one is sitting on the top shelf in Bilbo's hut. Must be because the set designer could not find a weirder looking fruit.