All about Durian

Tis the durian season and so in the spirit of durianess, here’s some things about durian:

Durian is a perennial tree that can be cultivated in tropical rain forest and bears fruit after 4-5 years, depending on the variety. Its life can last from 80 to 100 years with the trunk diameter of 1.5-4.0 feet and height over 70-80 feet. Durian is classified as soft wood. Source: http://www.dit.go.th/agriculture/durian/varietie.htm

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Nutritional content of durian per 100 grams (about 3 fruits with seed) are as follows: 150 calories, 3 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrate, less than 1 gram fibre. Source: http://www.nutrition.com.sg/atd/atdfood.asp.

FACT OR MYTHS:

Durian and alcohol should not be consumed together. The combination can cause death. Read here for more.

Durian is heaty so drink salt water from the husk after eating durian to counteract the heatiness.

Mangosteen neutralizes the heatiness of durian that is why these 2 fruits are always in season together.

Durian has ‘eyes’ and never fall on a person’s head.

The Malays consider durian an aphrodisiac. "When durians fall down, sarongs go up!" they say.

True or false? Anybody can enlighten me?

TYPE OF DURIANS

There are easily a few hundred varieties of Durian. Most of the durian in Singapore are from Thailand and Malaysia. Following are just some of the not so common durians from Penang. Look at their names! Wait - don't drool on your keyboard!

D11
'Number Eleven' was a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.





D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.







D604
The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some 'body' to it as the seed is small.







D600
This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness.









Ang Sim (Red Heart)
Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.







Khun Poh
This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.










Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian)
The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a 'Hor Lor' pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.




Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian)
Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange-reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.






Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian)
Xiao Hung, whose name means 'Little Red One,' originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.




Yah Kang (Centipede Durian)
Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name 'yah kang' means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.




Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian)
Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.










Coupling
This durian got its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.





Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian)
The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.




Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian)
Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means 'green skin'. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.




Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian)
As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.





Lin Fong Jiau
This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. I wonder whether it is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple


Source: from an email

WHERE TO FIND DURIANS:
Fruits: Fruit stalls along Geylang/Upp Serangoon,/Eunos and any HDB estates, Four Seasons
Durian Pastry: Puteri Mas, 717, Emicakes, Goodwork Park Hotel, Angie
Durian Pudding: Swissotel Merchant Court

Some interesting sites about durian

An angmoh account of durian
Singaporean and durian
And of course the ultimate authority on food in Sg: ieatishootipost