It's Durian season and while you're in Singapore or any other South East Asian country, you can't ignore this "King of fruits".
The durian is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio. There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit.
Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market, other species are sold in their local regions. It is native to Borneo and Sumatra.
The durian stands out in the fruit market for its large size (up to 30 cm long and 15 cm in diameter) strong odour, and thorn-covered rind.
It typically weighs 1 to 3 kilograms. Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its spiny skin varies from green to brown, and its creamy flesh ranges from pale yellow to red, depending on the species.
Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering with an unpleasant odour. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage. The persistence of its odour, which may linger for several days, led certain hotels and public transportation services in Southeast Asia to ban the fruit.
The flesh is edible and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet desserts in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.
The name "durian" is derived from the Malay language word dûrî (meaning 'thorn'), a reference to the numerous prickly thorns of the rind. The species name 'zibethinus' derives from the name of the civet (Viverra zibetha), known for its odour.
Durian trees are large, growing to 25–50 metres high depending on the species.
The leaves are simple, evergreen, oblong and 10–18 centimetres long.
The flowers are creamy white and have 5 petals.The flowers are produced in three to thirty clusters together on large branches and directly on the trunk. Durian flowers are large and feathery with copious nectar, and give off a heavy, sour, and buttery odour. These features are typical of flowers pollinated by certain species of bats that eat nectar and pollen.
Durian trees have one or two flowering and fruiting periods per year. A typical durian tree can bear fruit after four or five years. The durian fruit can hang from any branch, and matures roughly three months after pollination.
The durian is somewhat similar in appearance to the jackfruit, an unrelated species.
Varieties of durian that are popular and imported from Malaysia are the D24 and Musang King. The latter being the priciest of all cultivars.
The varieties from Indonesia include Sukun durian, Sitokong, Sijapang, Simas, Sunan, Si dodol, Si hijau and Petruk.
The fruit is highly appetising to diverse animals, including squirrels, mouse deer, pigs, sun bear, orangutan, elephants, and even carnivorous tigers.While some of these animals eat the fruit and dispose of the seed under the parent plant, others swallow the seed with the fruit, and then transport it some distance before excreting, with the seed being dispersed as a result.The thorny, armoured covering of the fruit discourages smaller animals; larger animals are more likely to transport the seeds far from the parent tree.
The durian fruit is ready to eat when its husk begins to crack. However, the ideal stage of ripeness to be enjoyed varies from region to region in Southeast Asia and by species.
A common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten with coffee or alcoholic beverages as it will cause indigestion and bad breath.
Several medical investigations on the validity of this belief have been conducted with varying conclusions, though a study by the University of Tsukuba finds the fruit's high sulphur content inhibits the activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase, causing a 70 percent reduction of the ability to clear toxins from the body.
A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries because it is heavy, armed with sharp thorns, and can fall from a significant height. Wearing a hardhat is recommended when collecting the fruit. A few reports mentioned that people have died from durian falling on their heads, especially young children.
Strong nylon or woven rope netting is often strung between durian trees in orchards, serving a threefold purpose: the nets aid in the collection of the mature fruits, deter ground-level scavengers, and prevent the durians from falling onto people.
Southeast Asian traditional beliefs, as well as traditional Chinese food therapy, consider the durian fruit to have warming properties liable to cause excessive sweating.The traditional method to counteract this is to pour water into the empty shell of the fruit after the pulp has been consumed and drink it. An alternative method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteen, which is considered to have cooling properties. Pregnant women or people with high blood pressure are traditionally advised not to consume durian.
In Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves and roots used to be prescribed as an antipyretic. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient.The most complete description of the medicinal use of the durian as remedies for fevers is a Malay prescription, that instructs the reader to boil the roots of Hibiscus (rosa-sinensis) with the roots of Durio zibethinus, Nephelium longan, Nephelium mutabile and Artocarpus integrifolia, and drink the decoction or use it as a poultice.
There's a road in Singapore named after this fruit as Durian road. It is located in Pulau Ubin
Reference
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