Durian

One woeful thing about living where I currently do is the complete lack of durian outside of a small window around this time of year.

For those of you who are familiar with this fruit you're probably either feeling sympathy for me or have a reflexive look of disgust at the mere mention of it. Durian seems one of those things that elicits rather extreme reactions. Either you love it or you hate it, rarely does there seem much middle ground.

That aside, this post is for those who's reaction to mention of it was confusion, having yet to be acquainted with this spiky fiend. So an introduction, these pictures? Durian.

Durian is a fruit that, like coconuts, grow in trees and are commonly harvested via the good ol' fashion method of waiting for it to fall to the ground. As I've stated already, it's also a fruit with a mixed reputation, largely stemming from its infamous and unmistakable scent.

While I, and many others, find it to be merely a fruity/citrus scent with a bit of an onion undertone, much like the flavor, others will liken it to rot, compost, and other foul smells. Either way it's strong, so much so that in areas in which durian are common(re: Thailand and Malaysia) there are often bans on bringing the fruit in any form on buses, subways, hotels, and other enclosed public areas.

That said, the only way to know for certain how your nose will react would be to give it a whiff! Until then, let's talk cracking them open, health benefits, taste, and use.

One good way to tell when a durian is ripe and good for eating, aside from it's fall from the tree, is that it has a seam. That is, an opening running from end to end. It's with this that you open a durian, simply wedging your fingers on in there, being mindful of the spikes, and pulling it apart(note: though you might still need a knife if yours doesn't open in a way in which all the pod chambers are accessible!).

Inside each durian you'll typically find 1-5 chambers each containing 1-3 pods(those large mushy yellow things in the picture). Inside most, though not always all, pods there will be a seed roughly the side of a shelled walnut and reddish brown in color. These can be eaten via boiling or roasting while the fleshy yellow pod, often with a custard-like consistency, can be eaten fresh, used in baking, frozen for an ice cream like treat or to be used in (soy)milkshakes/smoothies, used to create sauces and soups, (if unripe) used like a veggie in stir fries and the like, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

That said, what does durian taste like? Well, like the scent, different folk's take on it varies. Personally, I think it matches up with the smell, a fruit/citrus taste with a hint of onion and a gushy/pulpy custard-like feel. It's rather enjoyable to slurp, lol, and I enjoy sucking the pulp off the seeds. Om nom nom.

So, given it's mixed reviews, why should you give durian a go? For one, it's rich in fiber, vitamin B, C, and E, iron, protein, and potassium. It also contains tryptophan which is known to alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia and all around just make you feel great! That said, one shouldn't eat much more than two pods a day as consuming durian in excess, like most things, can negate any good it might do for you and even be harmful.

Though don't worry too much, so long as you aren't eating large amounts of it every day, durian is more good than bad for you and generally quite tasty!