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Durian


Proclaimed the king of all tropical fruits,durian is the favourite of all Malaysians,well.., almost all Malaysians.
It has sharp thorny spikes covering its thick outer skin,hence the name duri-an because the Malay word "duri" means "thorn or spike".Another example of naming a fruit after its appearance.

Its distinctive strong aroma has an addictive hold on those who love it,but will repel those who are not accustomed to it. But only ripen fruits will have this aroma and this is a sure method to differential between a ripen durian and one which is not.
Hold a durian in your palms,then move one palm between the durian and your nose,with the protection of your fingers,press the durian as close to your nose as possible and sniff.If the durian has the distinc aroma,then it is the ripen one.
Opening the durian is a thorny business.Use a thick cloth or some old newspaper to protect your hand,hold down the durian on the floor,cut off the tip at the bottom of the fruit.At the freshly cut part can be seen clear lines indicating the internal partitions of the fruit.
Following the directions indicated by the thin lines,cut along outer skin of the durian,use a sharpened stick to pierce at the bottom of the fruit and ply it open.The yellowish,soft,fragant seeds will be exposed,making your saliva drip. If a durian can not be opened easily even following the given steps then the fruit is not yet ripen.

durian fruit photo #1 durian fruit photo #2
durian tree branch photo #3 durian tree photo #4
The durian trees are tall with scant small leaves,some older ones may grow into a height as tall as a 3-storey high building.Old trees grown directly from seeds will take more than 7 years before it bears fruits. Therefore secondary fruits like pineapple,banana and papaya, are grown between the young durian seedlings to earn the planters some income during this waiting period. But with the advance of agricultural technology,like bud-grafting ,enables the durian trees to be much shorter now.The waiting period before the trees start to bear fruits is also cut short to 3 years only. They are also planted in well planned layouts, with properly spaced rows in neat lines,unlike the older ones which are grown randomly and hazardly around rambutan trees and mangosteen trees. The durian trees bear fruits during fixed months of the year,it usually coincides with the bearing season of other popular Malaysian fruits like rambutan and mangosteen.
You don't need to climb a durian tree to pluck a fruit,because it will drop by itself when ripen.If you can't wait and insist to climb up and pluck one,all you will get is a raw durian, with seeds which are hard,tasteless and smell of green grass.

In a good harvest year a hawker selling durians solely will be able to earn enough to last him till next harvest without having to do any other jobs in between! This is wonderful Malaysia.

durian tree photo #2  
durian tree photo #5bundle of durian photo #2
Some old durian trees like this one are as tall as a 3-storey high building.Close up look at the bundle of durians high up on the branches.
durian stall photo

Road side durian stalls spring up like mushrooms after a rain during the durian season.Prices at these stalls are generally more expensive,some even charge you by the kilo.If you want to eat durians to your heart's contend,you should pay a visit to the durian plantations.You can eat as much as you like here,but you have to pay for those fruits which you want to take home,at much lower price (ex factory,eh..ex plantation,price).

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