the king of fruits : DURIANS.
the king of fruits.
(all made of spiky durian rinds! the Thai letters under the statue say "Rachathurian"
which means "Durian King")
To say that the durian is very popular in Southeast Asia is an understatement. Widely known and revered, the fruit is known for its large size, its hedgehog-like exterior and of course for it characteristic almond-sweet flavour, creamy texture and of course, for its distinctive odour.
The fruit is native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. However, Thailand and South Vietnam have become today's main exporter of the world's durian.
Durian is a nutritious food, packed with minerals, proteins and fats. To some people, the durian is also a prized aphrodisiac.
This tropical Southeast Asian fruit has its detractors who found the odour very offensive and relate the odour of durians to blend of decayed onion, turpentine, garlic and rotten eggs as well as its fair share of durian lovers who are convinced that, like French cheese, the worse the smell, the better the taste.
In Singapore, although it is loved by many, the controversial odour of the durians has resulted in the implementation of the "no durians" policies in public transports, hotel rooms and many others.
The durian is one of those distinctive foods that is at first repulsive and yet has become highly desirable to some epicures. It has been a great source of amusement for many Asians watching westerners experience their first bite of a durian.
Alfred Russell Wallace, a naturalist in the late 19th century who spent 8 years researching on the flora and fauna of the Malay Archipelago wrote that "eating durians is a new sensation, worth a voyage to the East to experience".
There are various ways of how you can eat the durian. Besides consuming it raw, people use it to make soup, candy, pastries and ice-cream. The seeds of the durians are not put to waste either as it can be eaten after they are being sliced and fried in oil. A particular traditional favourite way of preparing the durian is to cook it with sticky rice and sugar in coconut milk.
Reference:
Durian Palace - http://www.durianpalace.com/
http://durian.tribe.net/photos/a72504ea-ec28-4d73-9eda-baa51996444b
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian