Durian

Durian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae (Bombacaceae)
Genus:	Durio L.
Species
About 27 species, including: Durio dulcis Durio grandiflorus Durio graveolens Durio kutejensis Durio oxleyanus Durio wyattsmithii Durio zibethinus

The durian is the fruit of several species of trees in the genus Durio, especially Durio zibethinus. There are 25 to 30 Durio species in total, all native to south-eastern Asia. Only six species produce edible fruit, and Durio zibethinus is the only species widely available in the market, though other species can be found in local markets in their native region. The durian fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and its formidible thorn-covered husk. Its name comes from the Malay word duri, meaning "thorn".

The fruit can grow up to 40 cm long and 30 cm in diameter, and typically weighs one to five kg. The colour of the fruit ranges from green to brown, the shape oblong to round. Its hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns, and a strong, distinctive odour emits from the flesh within. Some regard this odour as fragrant, while the uninitiated often find it overpowering or offensive. The edible portion of the fruit is the yellowish, custard-like flesh which surrounds a hard seed.

Tree

Durio Zibethinus. Chromolithograph by Hoola Van Nooten, circa 1863.

Durians are large trees, growing up to 40 metres in height. The leaves are evergreen, opposite, elliptic to oblong and 10–18 cm long. The flowers are produced in clusters of 3–30 together on large branches and the trunk, each flower having a calyx (sepals) and 5 (rarely 4 or 6) petals. A typical durian tree can bear fruit after four or five years. The durian fruit, which can hang from any branch, matures in about three months after pollination.

Durian trees usually have two flowering and fruiting periods each year, although the timing of these varies depending on localities. Durian flowers are large and feathery with copious nectar, and give off a heavy, sour and buttery odour. These features are typical of flowers which are pollinated hy certain species of bats while they eat nectar and pollen. According to a research conducted in Malaysia, durians are pollinated almost exclusively by cave fruit bats.

There are many cultivars of the durian, each having a name and also a code number starting with "D". For example, some popular clones are D24, D99, D158 and D159 (or 'Mon Thong'). Since the durian is the topic of study in certain agricultural institutions, certain commercial strains are given a D number to distinguish them from "standard" wild species. Each cultivar has its distinct taste.

Availability

A durian stall in Singapore

The durian is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, although it can grow in any similar climate. The center of ecological diversity for durians is the island of Borneo, where it is prized by the local people, a passion shared by the orangutan population. Thailand is a major exporter of durians. Other places where durians are grown include Mindanao in the Philippines, Queensland in Australia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Hawaii. In the Philippines, the center of durian production is the Davao Region in Mindanao. The Kadayawan festival is an annual celebration featuring the durian in Davao City.

In season they can be found in mainstream Japanese supermarkets; in the West they are sold mainly by stores catering to Asian communities.

History

The earliest known European reference on the durian is the record of Nicolo Conti who travelled to south-eastern Asia in 15th century. In 16th century, Garcia de Orta mentioned durians in his several works. In 1741, Rumphius published Herbarium Amboinense, providing the most detailed and accurate account of durians for over a century.

During the early stages of its taxonomical study, there was some confusion between durian and the soursop (Annona muricata), for both of these species had thorny green fruit. In 18th century, Weinmann considered the durian to belong to Castaneae as its fruit was similar to the horse chestnut.

Flavour and odour

Sign forbidding durians on Singapore MRT

Writing in 1856, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace provides a much-quoted description of the flavour of the Durian:

A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy.

Wallace cautions that "the smell of the ripe fruit is certainly at first disagreeable"; more recent descriptions by westerners can be more graphic. Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says:

... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia.

What is known about the durian is that the ripe flesh is a complex hybrid of volatile sulfurous compounds, including ethyl mercaptan (C₂H₆S), and some of which are unidentified. These compounds oxidise upon exposure to air and are responsible for the unusual odours that develop. Due to this odour, it is forbidden to bring durians as hand luggage onto aircraft belonging to some airlines, to carry them on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit system, or to store or eat them in many hotels.

This strong odour can be detected half a mile away by animals, thus luring them. In addition, the fruit is extremely appetizing to a variety of animals, from squirrels to mouse deer, pigs, and orangutan. 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 it, the seed being dispersed as the result. The thorny armored covering of the fruit may have evolved to discourage smaller animals, since larger animals are more likely to transport the seeds far from the parent tree.

Selection

Many regular durian-eaters have their own methods of selecting the best fruit from a given pile. In the past such methods were important given that the durian is a seasonal fruit which used to be harvested once a year. Nowadays it is harvested about twice a year and it is not so important to always be able to choose the best fruit available. Due to increased supply the retailers have become more competitive in their approach.

Knowing how to pick the right fruit was imperative when retailers sold the fruit "as is", without dissection. Today resellers usually dissect the fruit and sell only the edible parts inside. This has made it much easier for the customers to discern the quality of the fruit they are buying.

Selection of durians in an orchard is simpler. Fruit from the same tree will generally have the same properties, and fruit is generally allowed to ripen and fall from the tree so the ripeness of the fruit is not a matter of concern.

Selection of fruit outside of a farm setting is slightly trickier. The following are some of the basic methods used:

• Generally the freshness of a fruit can be ascertained from the stalk. Once a fruit has been removed from the tree the stalk starts to dry off. Unscrupulous merchants may seek to wrap or paint the stalk to prevent easy detection. Other merchants may even remove the stalks.
• Most customers enjoy the fruit when the pulp is dry and mature. An easy way to tell if the pulp is dry without opening the fruit is to shake the fruit and listen for a slight rattling. Moist pulp sticks to the inside of the fruit, while dry pulp tends to be separate from the inside walls of the fruit. Care must be taken that one is not injured by the thorns of the fruit during this operation.
• Durians may be attacked by insect pests which lay eggs in the fruit. These develop into worm-like larvae, which burrow into the flesh of the fruit. It is important in purchasing whole fruit to avoid buying fruit with any holes in them, as this indicates the presence of insect infestation. On the other hand, some customers knowingly buy durians with "worms" present, in the belief that the presence of worms is a sign that the fruit will be sweet and tasty.

The exact state of ripeness for a durian to be enjoyed varies from country to country in southeast Asia. As a general rule of thumb, people in southern Thailand like their durians relatively young; that is to say, the fruit has to be plucked from the tree. Eaten in this state, the clusters of fruit within the shell are still crisp in texture and mild in both flavour and aroma. In northern Thailand, the preference is for the fruit to be as soft and pungent in aroma as possible.

In Malaysia and Singapore however, durian aficionados prefer the fruit to fall from the tree and may even risk allowing the fruit to continue ripening before opening it. Eaten in this state, the flesh becomes richly creamy, the aroma more pronounced and the flavour highly complex. It is often said amongst Malaysians and Singaporeans that a balance between the bitter and sweet flavours signifies the perfect state of ripeness but to the Thais in the south, this level of ripeness can be excessive. What is agreed however, is that when the flesh starts to ferment and becomes alcoholic, the point of ripeness has been exceeded and the fruit should not be eaten.

Opening

Sections of durian, sold in a styrofoam container. One section is broken open, showing the seed.

Opening a whole durian can be a difficult operation, especially with a fruit that has not ripened to the point where its husk has started to split open — a point some cultures call overripe and some call perfect. These splits occur along natural weak lines in the husk; there are usually five such lines, mirroring the segments of fruit inside. Using tools or bare hands, it is possible to force the fruit open along a pair of these lines.

Many vendors in south-east Asia sell durian segments already removed from the husk, often packed in styrofoam boxes. Other vendors will open the fruit as a service once the buyer has agreed to purchase it. However, a durian once opened has to be consumed within a few hours as opened fruit will quickly begin to exude moisture. This will cause the fruit to lose much of its flavour and become rather tasteless.

Culinary uses

The durian seeds, which are the size of chestnuts, can be eaten whether they are boiled, roasted or grilled, with a texture that is similar to taro or yam, but much stickier.

Durian fruit is also used to flavour desserts including cakes and ice cream. Some modern variants of mooncakes are filled with durian paste. Glutinous rice can be steamed with coconut milk and served with ripened durian.

In some Asian countries, Durian is believed to have warming properties, liable to cause sweating. The traditional method to counteract this is to pour salt water from the empty shell of the fruit, after the pulp has been entirely consumed, and drink it. Washing hands with this water also helps remove the strong odour. Another method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteens, considered to have cooling properties.

People with high blood pressure are traditionally advised not to consume durian due to its richness. Many durian eaters also advise against eating durian while consuming alcoholic beverages.

Durian dangers

A durian fruit with its sharp thorns.

A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries or death because it is heavy, spiky, and may fall from high up, so a hardhat is recommended when collecting the fruit. For this reason the durian is sometimes called the most dangerous fruit in the world, along with its name in Vietnamese, sau rieng meaning "private sorrow". However, there are actually few reports of people getting hurt from falling durians. While there is a belief among locals that the durian "has eyes" and will not fall on a person, it is probably because the fruits on a durian tree don't ripen and fall at the same time. From observation, most of the fruits drop from the tree late in the evening or after dark. Even then, it is extremely rare to find a whole bunch of durians falling at the same time. The Malay saying Durian runtuh, which can be translated as "Durian shower", is used to describe the sudden occurrence of a rare event.

Some durian are sold "thornless". These fruits have the thorns sheared off when young rather than being naturally thornless. Some durians really do have almost no spines, i.e. less than 5mm high.

The 5 September 2005 Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crash in Indonesia has been blamed on illegal overloading of cargo, reportedly caused by two tonnes of durian fruit brought aboard by the Sumatran governor and former governor. The fruits were intended as gifts to bring to Jakarta.

In popular culture

Singapore's Esplanade building: nicknamed "The Durian".

• The durian is known as the "king of the fruits". This label can be attributed to its formidable look and its overpowering odour. The mangosteen, called as the "queen of fruits", is petite and mild in comparison. The mangosteen season coincides with that of the durian and is seen as a complement, which is probably how it got its label.
• In a scene in the martial arts film The Canton Godfather, starring Jackie Chan, the protagonist defends himself using durians.
• The "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" aspect of durians is an important theme in Hong Kong director Fruit Chan's 2000 film Durian Durian (榴槤飄飄, Liulian piao piao).
• The Durian is one of seven kinds of fruit featuring in the gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine.
• The Esplanade building in Singapore is often called "The Durian", which it resembles in shape and texture.
• One of the featured stunts in Fear Factor included eating durians.
• The manga and anime Dragon Ball features Dodoria, the villain whose name and spiky appearance are derived from the durian fruit.

Notes

In the film "In the Mood for Love" there is a quote that says "if a foreigner to Singapore tries dorians and likes them, he will never return to China."

References

• Brown, Michael J. (1997). Durio — A Bibliographic Review. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. 92-9043-318-3. Information All chapters (PDF format)
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan. ISBN 1561590010. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Marinelli, Janet, ed. (1998). Brooklyn Botanic Garden Gardener's Desk Reference. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 0805050957. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Morton, J. F. (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Florida Flair Books. ISBN 0961018410. Full text Durian chapter
• Soepadmo, E. and Eow, B.K. (1977). The reproductive biology of Durian zibethinus. Gdns'Bull. Singapore 29: 25-34. (12.1.68)
• Whitten, Tony (2001). The Ecology of Sumatra. Periplus. ISBN 9625930744.

External links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Durio
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Durian—The real Forbidden Fruit
• Durio zibethinus (Bombacaceae)