Durian is known to those who love it as the King of Fruit, perhaps because its thorny exterior somewhat resembles a crown, but most likely because it commands respect.Acquiring a taste for the durian is somewhat like acquiring a taste for beer. The first time you try it, you wonder what all the fuss is about but it leaves you wanting more. The second time, it’s better, but you’re in it more for the buzz than the taste. The THIRD time - you experience bliss and you’re hooked! Like any vice, it takes you a few times to be bitten by the bug.
The taste itself is extremely difficult to describe but like all beautiful experiences, it encompasses all of the senses. You can’t miss the strong, unique scent and you’re likely to be tempted into at least feeling (ever so gently) its thorny skin, before finally, you bring the opened flesh into your mouth and . . . mmmm . . . the palates of your entire tongue rejoice in ecstasy! That’s if you like the stuff. If you don’t, you’d think just being in its vicinity was cruel torture.
Durians (‘duri’ means thorns in Indonesian) are unique to Southeast Asia. Sumatra & Borneo are the gourmet centres for this fruit, just like France is for wine and Switzerland is for cheese, and although there are hundreds of different unclassified varieties that grow on these two islands, Thailand has evolved into the durian capital of the world because the Thais engineered a hybrid variety that you can find throughout the year. This agricultural feat also gave us the primadonas of the fruit: bigger than your head, distinct aroma, massive quantities of flesh and very small seeds. This variety is known as Durian Mon Thong, but Indonesians just call it Durian Bangkok.
That’s not to say that Indonesia does not have legions of durian eaters who prefer the smaller, indigenous durians and enjoy evening trips around town, going from one durian stall to the next, in search of a little taste of heaven. Of course, most supermarkets now carry the durian on its shelves and there are a countless number of fruit shops around Jakarta that make sure durians are always on sale.
If you are a first timer and dare to try this paradoxical fruit, you may need a few tips. First and foremost, you should try a little bit first before you bring home a whole one. You can do this by buying packed plastic portions in supermarkets or by buying a small fruit at a vendor’s.
Bring a friend who actually likes the stuff so that you too can share the experience, good or bad. Try a local variety; first because they cost less and are the V.S.O.P of durian. Although there are many stalls that sell them by the roadside, it would be wise to go to an area where there are many vendors such as Jl. Kalibata. Here, you can cruise the strip and choose from a bigger cache. It would also be wise to do this at night for a number of reasons, mainly: flies love the stuff and hordes will buzz around you if you go during the day; the smell of the fruit is potent so you may need to go home afterwards and shower, brush your teeth and gargle about twenty five times; and finally, if you get ‘durian drunk’, you won’t be throwing up all over the office.
A good durian has a dark green/ tanned exterior with big thorns, few and far between. The scent should be ‘sweet’ and you will find it amongst all the other smells. The stem should be thick and it should feel heavier than it looks.
Good durians should also be matang di pohon or ripe on the tree. You can ask the seller but all of them will say ‘yes’ so look for telltale signs such as dirt on the outside (because it’s fallen off a tree) or slight openings (not complete openings that show flesh) on the skin. Most vendors will slightly split the skin and nick out a little bit of flesh so you can check the quality.
Once you and your friends have found one, enjoy the pleasure of haggling and when you come to appropriate terms, ask the seller to split it open and take your first mouthful of delight right then and there. You can eat it with coffee or for an extra buzz all round, try it with beer or spirits.
Beware however, you have been warned: the durian will humble you one way or another!
DURIAN QUOTES
To eat it seems to be the sacrifice of self-respect - 19th-century American journalist Bayard Taylor.
On first tasting it I thought it like the flesh of some animal in a state of putrefaction - French naturalist Henri Mouhot
It smells like hell and tastes like heaven
Like eating ice cream in a toilet
When the durians come down, the sarongs come off - refers to the fruits legendary powers as an aphrodisiac.
