Most of the Asians will know what the Durian fruit is. It’s known as the King of Fruits and there are many varieties, among them hybrids that can cost a princely sum.
It has a very pungent smell and you either love it or hate it! Most Caucasians hate its smell! But I love it! I’ve had this love affair with the Durian since my childhood, when my dad would take us to the kampong ( village ) and we would squat by the roadside, eating durians, not getting up until we’ve had our fill.
I believe this is still the practice in some parts of our country. The durian vendor will open the fruit for you and you just eat it there and then. He even has water ready for you to drink and wash your hands after that. All very civilized.
There are very sweet durians and there are the bitter ones. I love the latter. The outside of the durian is covered with thorns and the shell is hard. You have to know how to open it and it’s quite easy because you can see the natural linear division on the shell. You just have to insert one end of the knife and then prise the fruit open.
The soft pulp inside can be whitish, pale yellow or a deep golden yellow. Sabah has durian which are red!!
You must always drink plenty of water after you have eaten durian or you will find yourself with a sore throat the next morning. You should drink the water from the durian shell. It is deep enough for this purpose.
You can get rid of the durian smell on your fingers by running your hands under the water that drains from the durian shell.
We have been eating durian without realizing that it has health benefits.
The durian fruit is believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac and concoctions made from the leaves of the durian tree are used to help reduce swelling and cure skin disease. More recently nutritionists have claimed that the durian fruit can help lower cholesterol and cleanse the blood as well as cure jaundice and alleviate fevers. Hmmm….. however, the durian is fattening!!
Some experts say that you can get rid of yeast infections such as thrush by eating durian. This is because of the durian's high iron content which enables the white blood cells in our body to make specific chemicals that kill off the infection.
The durian is also packed with amino acids as well as Vitamins B, C and E and it also has high levels of anti oxidants. These anti oxidants protect our cells from free radicals such as pollution and smoking. Among the amino acids found inside the durian is tryptophan. Tryptophan is essential for making and maintaining serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is the hormone in the body that regulates our happiness. People with low serotonin levels tend to have short tempers, are often moody and suffer from depression. This means that eating durian will help to increase your general happiness and well being.
No wonder I always feel happy after eating durian! The sight and smell of durians make me hungry and even though I’m not an expert in choosing durians, I will always buy them. They have exotic names too such as Musang King, Red Prawn, and the various D’s such as D2, D24, XO, etc However, the kampong durian ( the non-branded ones) sometimes taste just as good.
What you should look for is a durian with a thin shell, large pulps with small seeds. The thorns should also be fat ones but the fruit should not be heavy.
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