Durian – the most mysterious fruit: 25 Interesting facts about the king of fruits

Durian is known to anyone who has ever been to Southeast Asia. It is here, in the markets, that you can find this unusual fruit. What is unusual about it?

1. Durian grows only in the forests of Southeast Asia.
2. This evergreen large tree grows up to 40 meters in height.
3. The flowers are either white or red. They bloom closer to the evening and have a very specific smell. They are pollinated by bats and bees.
4. Durian belongs to the Malvaceae family and has 30 species.
5. The fruit is covered with a very tough spiked shell, each spike being a small sharp pyramid.
6. The name of the fruit translates to “thorny fruit” in Russian.
7. It weighs up to 8 kg and can be up to 30 cm long. However, in markets, you can find fruits weighing from 2 kg to 3 kg.
8. The fruit opens with five flaps. But only if you know how to open it, you will quickly succeed in extracting the pulp.
9. It is sold on the streets and in small markets. As soon as you buy the whole fruit, the sellers will open it in front of you and extract the pulp. That’s how fast it is.
10. Nowadays, you can see it already prepared, packaged in plastic containers, and tightly covered with polyethylene in small portions. You can try this option first to avoid paying for the whole fruit by its weight, but remember, the more time has passed since the pulp was extracted, the more likely it is that, upon opening the polyethylene, you will feel an incredible stench.
11. When eating the fruit, be sure to wear a disposable glove (provided by the sellers). This will protect the skin of your hand from an unpleasant smell after you eat the fruit.
12. Collecting the fruit involves some risk since the ripe fruit falls to the ground like an apple. Imagine what would happen if it fell on the collector’s head. Therefore, collectors wear helmets.
13. 100 grams of durian contains 147 kcal. It has vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, folic acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, and lots of copper.
14. It is the only fruit that contains organic sulfur. Of course, it positively affects the human body, but the smell…
15. Immediately after the durian is cut, the smell is a pleasant, delicate vanilla, but only for the first few minutes. After that, durian starts to emit a very unpleasant smell. Some say it resembles hydrogen sulfide, others say it smells like dirty socks, and others say rotten cabbage… The chemical name is condensed aromatic compound indole.
16. The smell is strong, unpleasant, and persistent. For this reason, durian fruits are not allowed in hotels, elevators, cafes, and airports. Serious fines are imposed for violations of these requirements.
17. If a drop of juice gets on your clothes, it will smell for a long time, for example, like rotten eggs.
18. Inside the fruit is very tender pulp. Outside, it is light yellow, and inside, white, tender, resembling soft cottage cheese or delicate souffle in consistency. The taste is unique for everyone. Some say it’s a combination of banana, lime, papaya, while others say it’s a delicate nutty souffle. The taste is unusually pleasant. I like it.
19. Be careful, there is a large brown seed inside the tender mass.
20. Chips, cocktails, and ice cream are also made from the pulp.
21. Not only the pulp is valuable. Everything is used. Fish is smoked over a fire made from dried durian bark, and the resulting ash is used to whiten silk.
22. It is called the “hot fruit” because consuming it raises the temperature in the stomach.
23. Do not consume alcohol before trying the fruit.
24. The fruit should be eaten immediately after opening, and to choose it correctly, you need to tap it, for example, with the wooden handle of a knife. It should produce a dull sound.
25. This fruit is especially valued by the Chinese and is a delicacy purchased only for holidays. For this reason, Chinese tourists, finding themselves in countries where it is not as popular, actively eat durian.

Remember: durian is an exotic fruit and can cause an allergic reaction, so you should not eat the whole fruit at once. But you must try it. If only to understand why locals say:

Hell outside, paradise inside.