Durian



The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years.

Durian was introduced into Australia in the early 1960s and clonal material was first introduced in 1975.
 Over thirty clones of D. zibethinus and six Durio species have been subsequently introduced into Australia. 


Flavour and odour

 “ The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, cream-coloured pulp, containing
about three seeds each. This pulp is the edible part, and its consistence and flavour are indescribable.
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. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself
 perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined
to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. ... as producing
 a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed. ”

While Wallace cautions that "the smell of the ripe fruit is certainly at first disagreeable", later descriptions
 by westerners are more graphic. British novelist Anthony Burgess writes that eating durian is "like eating
sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory." Chef Andrew Zimmern compares the taste to "completely rotten,
 mushy onions." Anthony Bourdain, a lover of durian, relates his encounter with the fruit as thus: "Its taste
 can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell
 as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother." Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says:

“ ... its odor is best described as pig-shiet, 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.”

Other comparisons have been made with the civet, sewage, stale vomit, skunk spray and used surgical swabs.
The wide range of descriptions for the odour of durian may have a great deal to do with the variability of durian
odour itself.

Durians from different species or clones can have significantly different aromas; for example  red durian has
a deep caramel flavour with a turpentine odour while red-fleshed durian emits a fragrance of roasted almonds.
 Among the varieties of D. zibethinus, Thai varieties are sweeter in flavour and less odourous than Malay ones.
The degree of ripeness has an effect on the flavour as well. Three scientific analyses of the composition of
durian aroma.

This strong odour can be detected half a mile away by animals, thus luring them. In addition, the fruit is
extremely appetising to a variety of animals, including squirrels, mouse deer, pigs, orangutan, elephants,
and even carnivorous tigers. 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, with the seed being dispersed as a result. The thorny, armoured covering of the fruit discourages
 smaller animals; larger animals are more likely to transport the seeds far from the parent tree.

Nutritional and medicinal

Durian fruit contains a high amount of sugar, vitamin C, potassium, and the serotonergic amino acid tryptophan,
 and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.It is recommended as a good source of raw fats by
several raw food advocates, while others classify it as a high-glycemic or high-fat food, recommending to
 minimise its consumption.

In the 1920s, Durian Fruit Products, Inc., of New York City launched a product called "Dur-India" as a health food
supplement, selling at US$9 for a dozen bottles, each containing 63 tablets. The tablets allegedly contained durian
 and a species of the genus Allium from India and vitamin E. The company promoted the supplement saying that
 it provides "more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords"

Durian - death

Another common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten with coffee or alcoholic beverages.
The latter belief can be traced back at least to the 18th century when Rumphius stated that one
should not drink alcohol after eating durians as it will cause indigestion and bad breath.

In 1929, J. D. Gimlette wrote in his Malay Poisons and Charm Cures that the durian fruit must not be
eaten with brandy.

Durian - SEXAUL(BENEFIT)

The Javanese believe durian to have aphrodisiac qualities, and impose a set of rules on what may or may not
be consumed with it or shortly thereafter.A saying in Indonesian, durian jatuh sarung naik, meaning "the durians
 fall and the sarongs come up", refers to this belief.The warnings against the supposed lecherous quality of
this fruit soon spread to the West — the Swedenborgian philosopher Herman Vetterling commented on so-called
 "erotic properties" of the durian in the early 20th century.