Rakib AhamedDURIAN
October 24th 2010 11:34
Category: FRUIT
LOVE IT OR HATE IT
Oh yeah...first post on my fruit section..please welcome the King Of The Fruit himself......
name : Genus Durio
nickname : King of The Fruit
family : Malvaceae family
appearance : distinguished smell, thorny and hard skin
dimension : around 15 cm
weight : around 3 kg
favorite homeland : south east Asia ( Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand ect. )
THE HISTORY
Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia are native to the durian tree, though Western countries have known it for more than six centuries. Niccolo Da Conti, a Venetian merchant who traveled to China and Western Asian countries in 15th century had mentioned durian fruit in his documents. Garcia De Orta, a Portuguese physician, mentioned durian in his book named Coloquois dos Simples e Drogas da India launched in 1563. The book, Herbarium Amboinense published in 1974 by the Georg Eberhard Rumphius, German Botanist, also gives a detailed and well-researched account on the durian.
THE HABITAT
Durian is a native plant of Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia but some highlight that it is native to Philippines as well. Thailand is one of the main countries that export durian to the international market. Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, West Indies, India, Hawaii, Polynesian Islands, Madagascar, China, Singapore, Northern Australia, and Malaysia as well as some parts of America are also well known as habitats for the durian tree.
APPEARANCE
Durian has a very distinguished smell and its skin is thorny and hard. The dimension of a durian fruit is about 30 – 15 cm and its weight is about three Kgs. Durian flowers bloom in a cluster and there are about three to thirty identical clusters borne on its trunk and large branches. Every flower has sepals and about five to six petals. Durian is round although the oblong shape is not irregular. The shells are green or brown while its flesh is a luminous yellowish or reddish color.
The odor of the edible parts of durian is so penetrating; it spreads a long distance even without removing the shell. Some like the aroma of durian very much while some others highly despise its scent. Durian trees yield two harvests per year, but it may vary in keeping with the various climates, cultivars and places. Durian trees bear fruit after 4 -5 years and they take about three months to ripe. From a great variety of durian, only the Durio ziebethinus variety is marketed internationally.
HEALTH FACT
Durian is rich in sugar. It is also rich in vitamin C, tryptophan, potassium, carbohydrates, fats as well as proteins. Health professionals frequently recommend it as an effective source for taking in raw fats. However, some point out that as the durian contains a high amount of fatty acids it is advised to limit its consumption. Malaysians use its leaves as well as roots to produce a decoction for fever. A research from University of Tsukuba reveals that durian fruit has significant powers to detoxify the body. Javanese people think that durian is a good aphrodisiac.
There's no middle-ground when it comes to the durian. Protected by a thick, hard husk and inch-long spikes, the fleshy sections of the fruit give off an unmistakable and pungent smell. The flavour of the fruit itself is another thing entirely, though. Strong bitter overtones soon give way to a seemingly limitless spread of smoother, sweeter flavours beneath: strawberry, custard, butterscotch, banana.
Much in the same way that wine or scotch appreciation becomes a lifelong and rewarding hobby for some, durian connoisseurs develop tastes for their own preferred varieties (or cultivars) of the fruit, and will travel to restaurants specializing in diverse durian menus to compare tastes and textures and to discover new, hidden subtleties and flavors.
If u ask my opinion, stink is not the right word for describe the smell. But it got a stong odor. Too strong that make ur nose confuse on how to describe it..hehhe
Whatever your reaction to the durian may be, eating it for the first time promises to be an unforgettable experience. Try it and leave ur comment about durian here.
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