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Durians of Pahang
Except that this is a seasonal fruit, its trees bearing and dropping the fruits about twice a year during certain periods, depending on location and weather. Although it’s the first choice and the most succulent, delicious or the best fruit to Malaysians, nonetheless to westerners, especially Caucasians, this fruit is notorious for its over-powering or malodorous smell. It is said to be akin to the smell of burning onions, toilets, animal carcass, rancid cheese and other disparaging descriptions. In fact to appease or comfort foreigners and visitors to the country, the King of Malaysian Fruits is actually barred and banned from being brought into high-star hotels and commercial passenger airplanes by the authorities.
SEASONAL FRUIT As mentioned above, the durian is a seasonal fruit. It takes about five to eight years (and sometimes longer for the more traditional species) for the tree to mature and bear fruits. And they bear fruits about twice a year, making their fruiting an eagerly-waited affair to gourmands and avid durian lovers. The durian fruit is not plucked from the tree. The fruit ripens on the tree and then falls down to the ground where the durians are collected. Collectors will listen to their fall and then go to the place and collect them. As the durians have thorny skins, and they fall from great heights, it would be dangerous to sit or wait under the tree when in season, unless one wears a safety helmet! So at the "dusun" or small farm of the villages, normally there is a "wakaf' or hut where the collectors can relax and wait, and then collect the fruits from time to time. For commercially planted estates or plantations, the durians that fall are normally caught under huge nets spread below the trees so that the fruits will be nicely preserved from breaking. DISHES, CAKES AND DESSERTS FROM DURIANS In Pahang and elsewhere in Malaysia, local folks take advantage when the durian is in season and plentiful to make a variety of desserts and dishes using durians as part of the ingredients, like bubur pulut (glutinous rice porridge), serimuka, kueh bangkit, cendol. Durians are sometimes also added to give additional flavor when making modern cakes like cheesecake, pudding, meringue, mousse and even milkshake – well, the whole array of savory dishes. It is also during its season that durian food products like tempoyak, lempok, durian flavored dodol, durian flavored ice-creams, and other cake preserves and pastes are prepared, extending the period to those longing for the taste of durians during its off-season, with some frozen especially for exports.
Although durians are the best fruit in the world to Malaysians, eating in extremes or over- eating can result, although very infrequent, unfortunately in death, especially if it is mixed with beer or alcohol. After eating them, the smell usually lingers on, sometimes for a few days! And when burping after too much of durian-eating, it is usually the durian smell that comes out, discomforting all around!! It is also not advisable to keep durians in enclosed places for too long like in the boot of cars, or refrigerators, as the odour may be difficult to get rid of. Eating too much of the fruit will result in high body heat due to the fermentation process, and Malaysians usually counter this by drinking water from the inner wall of the durian skin. It is an old practice and belief but it does seem effective. You can also eat the hard seeds of the durian by boiling them. The boiled seeds have a slight greasy type of liquid on the skin, but that can be easily washed away before eating. Although very few people eat the seeds, it might change their perception if they know that it is also traditionally believed by some Malays that eating the boiled seeds can alleviate those who have difficulty in relieving motions especially those with piles and haemorrhoids. WHERE TO FIND DURIANS IN PAHANG The districts in Pahang famous for their succulent and sweet, savory durians are Kuala Lipis, Raub (Benta), Jerantut and Bentong. People come to these places whenever the fruit is in season to taste the popular durian species available there. In fact there are many varieties or species of durians in the country. There are new seedless varieties that have greater flesh or "meat", that have been developed through techniques of grafting and mixing the various species and clones. And with advances in science and technology, the commercially cultivated trees are somewhat shorter in height with faster fruiting period compared to those growing in the wild or those of traditional village home-growers.
So, don’t forget to savor the succulent sweet-tasting durians when they are in season whenever you’re in Pahang. Because you’ll then have tasted the King of Fruits! As always, from me ....
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