Durian

DURIAN
THE KING OF FRUITS
Table of Contents: DAVID WOLFE ON DURIAN

NUTRITIONAL CHAR.
WHAT IS A DURIAN?
DURIAN DAYS REVISITED
RESPECT FOR DURIAN
DURIAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
HOW TO SELECT DURIAN
THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR
GREEN COCONUT AND DURIAN SOUP
HOW TO GROW DURIANS
See also:
Books: Durian Palace E-Book http://www.durianpalace.com/e-bookgive.htm
Articles:
Websites: The Durian Palace: http://www.durianpalace.com

MASSIVE PHOTOGALLERY:
http://www.durianpalace.com/photogallery.htm
Audio/Video:
Publications:
Organizations:
People:
Live Food Nutrition:
Conventional:
Terms: tryptophan
Serotonin
Aphrodisiac
Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 1

DAVID WOLFE ON DURIAN
Source: 2005 Atlanta Seminar, www.thebestdayever.com
Once you’re on the raw food trail, you’re going to know about Durian.
High in protein, high in fat, high in tryptophan, high in sulfur—good for skin, hair nails,
connective tissue, and pancreas; and it is one of the most mineral dense fruits in Asia.
FROM EATING FOR BEAUTY BY DAVID WOLFE
"Its consistence and flavor are indescribable. A rich butter-like custard highly
flavored with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but intermingled with it
come wafts of flavors that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, brown sherry,
and other incongruities. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp that
nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet
or juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities, for it is perfect as it is. 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."
- Alfred Russell Wallace, famous naturalist, The Malay Archipelago
Durian is the most exotic and sensual of all Southeast Asian fruits. It grows throughout
Vietnam, Indochina, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It is also been introduced to
and is growing in Brazil, Honduras, and Puerto Rico. Durians grow only in tropical climates on a
jungle tree that can exceed 30 meters (100 feet) in height!
Durian is the favorite food of orangutans, elephants, tigers, and all other jungle creatures who know
of its existence. When durian trees flower, fruit bats feed almost exclusively on their nectar.
The strong, pungent odor of durian is nearly nauseating to some, until they taste this fruit. Once
someone is hooked on durian, the interesting smell all but disappears.
Ancient Burmese kings had runners carry durians over 150 kilometers(80 miles) to their courts.
Description
The durian fruit is one of largest tree fruits in the world. The fruit grows to be the size of a large
oblong honeydew melon, and can weigh over 4 kilograms (10 pounds). The fruit is a capsule that
contains five to six sections containing edible "pillows." Around the inner edible "pillows" is a thick,
bone-like skin structure with sharp spines surrounding the exterior of the fruit. The spines are so
sharp that people are killed every year in Asia by falling durians.
Nutrition
Durian contains high levels of tryptophan. This is an amino acid and a tryptamine (similar to
serotonin, melatonin, and DMT). Researchers have discovered that tryptophan helps both anxious,
depressed, repressed people, as well as insomniacs. Tryptophan works by raising serotonin levels in
the brain. When serotonin levels increase, a euphoric feeling is felt as a free passage is cleared for
nerve impulses to travel.
Durian is a such a strong blood cleanser that eating a few durians a day can change the odor of
urine (urine is filtered out of blood).
What gives durian its strongest beautifying characteristics is its high concentration of raw oleic fats
(and vitamin E), sulfur compounds, and soft proteins. Durian actually contains one of the
highest concentrations of protein of any fruit, making it an excellent muscle builder.
Those who eat durian are known to be more attractive. According to Singapore lore, "when the
durians come down from the trees, the sarongs come off." This is in reference to durian's legendary
powers as an attractor and an aphrodisiac.
Durian is available in many North American and European Asian markets in frozen or fresh form.
Fresh durians are more rare, yet tastier, have a more pleasant texture, and contain more of the
nutrient value than those that have been frozen.
How To Select Durians

When choosing a frozen durian, look for three characteristics:
1. Choose browner and yellower durians instead of green.

2. Choose a durian that is just starting to split its skin longitudinally.
3. Choose durians that are heavier for their size.
When choosing fresh durians, purchase them just as they begin to split longitudinally. Look to see
that the stem has been cleanly cut. Ask the seller if they are willing to open it for you (to see if it is a
good one), They will continue to ripen and continue to split if left at room temperature on the kitchen
counter. When they begin to smell strongly, they are ready to eat. To eat the fruit, split open the
shell and eat the golden pillows. [Note: Eat cold the first time to lessen the new flavor and
smell of this exotic fruit. Run frozen durian through the Champion Juicer or in the Vita-
Mix to make Durian ice cream.]
DURIAN NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Source: http://www.durianpalace.com
Durian Nutritional Characteristics

(average per 100 grams)
calories 134-153 carotene (Vit. A) 20-30 IU
0.20-0.28
moisture 58-70 g thiamin (Vit. B1)
mg
0.10-0.28
protein 2.0-3.3 g riboflavin (Vit. B2)
mg
30.0-36.1 0 .68-1.1
carbohydrates niacin
g mg

fat 1.2-4.3 g Vitamin C 23-62 mg
7.4-18
calcium Vitamin E "high"
mg
phosphorus 27-56 mg trace minerals "many"
0.73-2.0 mana (intangible life

iron "powerful"
mg energy)
WHAT IS A DURIAN?
IMAGINE THE BEST, MOST DELICIOUS, AND SENSUOUS BANANA PUDDING

YOU CAN IMAGINE, ADD JUST A TOUCH OF BUTTERSCOTCH, VANILLA,
PEACH, PINEAPPLE, STRAWBERRY, AND ALMOND FLAVORS, AND A
SURPRISING TWIST OF — GARLIC??!!
Like many of life’s greatest experiences, eating durian cannot be adequately described with words.
Durian has a characteristic delicious flavor, creamy texture, and tantalizing fragrance that is just...
durian! — the king of fruits, Nature’s most magnificent fruit gift.
Durians vary greatly in quality, but the really good ones (like this)...I can’t imagine a more delicious,
sensuous, and exquisite food in existence on this planet.
The durian has a primeval quality — this very nutritious and delectable fruit occurs to me
as perhaps the original optimum primary food of Nature intended for the provision of
humans and other primates in the prehistoric jungle wild.
The durian tree is a strong, powerful, majestic tree that appears to have no inbuilt genetic program
to die; if older trees die after centuries, it is the result of damage by wind, lightning, flood, humans,
or soil deterioration followed by weakness and disease—not the result of sheer old age. Eating the
extremely delicious, delightful, and nutritious fruits showered by this benevolent tree is a very
positive influence for the health, strength, and longevity of your body! It's a true Tree of Abundant
Life.
Eating a good durian is such a satisfying experience, blissful. As Mark Twain declared the
cherimoya "deliciousness itself," I say the durian is "blissfulness itself!" I think it perhaps not
coincidental that so many of the buddha statues in Southeast Asia have been created with the head
covered with points that very much resemble a durian. (And I say that knowing full well that in some
countries the creation of those statues pre-dated the durian’s arrival.) Eating a good durian can be a
spiritual experience, giving quite literally an exquisite taste of bliss.

It’s one of the remarkable traits of this remarkable fruit that so many people, especially in
Eastern cultures, totally, wildly, enthusiastically enjoy everything about durians, including
their fragrance, while many others, mostly from Western cultures, are repulsed by the
same fragrance and say that it "stinks." Particularly in Southeast Asia, durians are loved by
millions of people with a passion and near-reverence quite unusual for mere food. Meanwhile in the
West, durians have gained a notorious reputation for their unfamiliar and strong aroma, largely as a
result of Western travel writers and horticultural writers delighting in using snide phrases like
"unbearable stench," "rotten onions with limburger cheese and low-tide seaweed," "French custard
passed through a sewer pipe," or "like sitting on the toilet eating your favorite ice cream." Fresh
durians do announce their presence with their fragrance, gently until ripe and robustly thereafter,
but I would never say they "smell bad." Those writers must have unfortunately encountered a low-
quality or seriously overripe durian...or interpreted the fragrance as resembling an unpleasant odor
in their past...or let the fragrance accumulate and spoil indoors.
We all take it for granted that a fruit’s odor tracks with the fruit’s current actual condition of
freshness or spoilage. For example, a rotten banana smell can only have come from an actually
rotten banana in the vicinity. Durian is different in a very unusual way: its fragrance spoils quite
independently and tremendously more rapidly than the fruit flesh itself. The original fresh fragrance
from a good durian at optimum ripeness is fruity and appealing, and I can barely imagine that
anyone would not enjoy it. But a ripe durian held in a closed indoors space continues to emit its
distinctive fragrance substances, which within half an hour can spoil and change into a decidedly foul
rotten-eggs odor that matches many of the negative reports about durian fragrance. Meanwhile,
back at the fruit flesh, everything smells fine, fresh, and fruity; it’s on its own track, and may not
actually spoil for several more days. It is this characteristic super-fast deterioration of durian
fragrance in a closed space that has led to the banning of durians in many public places in Southeast
Asia, such as hotels, buses, and airplanes.
These kinds of negative reports about durians often occur to me as having progressed to a kind of
fruit slander. Spoiled durian odor is not the normal enjoyable fragrance of durian any more
than rotten banana odor is the normal enjoyable fragrance of banana. Curiously, even
unspoiled durian fragrance apparently reminds some people of things that smell bad, but it’s not that
it actually does smell bad. Rotten eggs, rotten onions, skunks, cannonball tree fruits, raw sewage —
those are things that actually, absolutely do smell bad. But not durians! Not the same category, not
even close. Fresh durian fragrance occurs to me as a kind of pleasant, strong, sweet, fruity,
sawdusty aroma... again, words are inadequate.
In any case, durians and their perishable strong jungle fragrance do not usually fit well in the indoor
environments of modern human civilization any better than, say, elephants. And like elephants,
they’re really best enjoyed outdoors anyway!
DURIAN DAYS REVISITED

By Frederic Patenaude, editor of the Just Eat An Apple magazine.
Concerning the Most Desirable, Effusive, Wild and Elegant Fruit

and the Ways of the Wild
Have you ever had a fresh durian? Ever spent $30 for one of them? Ever had the chance to try the
most amazing fruit of all? You may have seen one at an Asian market, but thought $30 was too
much for one fruit, and so left the store without buying it. Or maybe you tried a frozen durians
recommended in a previous article (issue#1). Some of you might have loved it, while others may
not have. You may have thought it tasted weird, or got repulsed by the smell, or perhaps what you
detected to be similar to a slight garlic-onion flavor. If you are one who did not enjoy your first
encounter with a durian, I encourage you to try it again. This time you may understand why
most raw eaters and Asian people swear by them, and love them so much they end up throwing all
their money in that never-ending well that soon denudes them of all their material possessions -
only for the selfish desire of tasting the creamy, heavenly substance of the seductive durian. After
eating a few perfect durians, I concluded that experiencing the fruit is essential to one's
understanding of human evolution.
An Unusual Fruit
For those who have never heard of this fruit, the durian is a weird looking, strong smelling fruit that
grows in South-East Asia. It resembles a spiked American football, is brown (almost yellow when
ripe), and its smell has been compared to a sewage tank. The fruit separates into five segments,
after being split open. The meat of the fruit is a creamy substance surrounding the chestnut-like
seeds. The edible part of the durian has been compared in taste to cheese cake, onion flavored
custard, or chocolate mousse.
Those who most enjoy this fruit are often raw eaters, Asians, or appreciative of unusual tastes.
Because the durian has such an unusual look, smell, and taste, it is the perfect incarnation of
mysterious and wild life. Staring at a durian may brings one visions of what living meant when
human life on this planet was more wild and natural. After all, there is no other like it. Nothing
comparable to it. It has aspect that inspire respect, awe, and even fear. A meditation that may help
us understand this wild fruit is to look at it and visualize it in a damp, dark, tropical forest, being
fought over by diverse creatures, amidst sounds and energies many modern humans have never
experienced.
Favorite Fruit of the Orangutans

Orangutans are exceptionally fond of the durian. Authors writing about the life of these animals
often mention how durian is the favorite fruit of the orangutan. They often mention being quite
puzzled by the fact that this stinky, weird-looking fruit is their favorite. Scientists spend all day
observing orangutans delighted eating the strange fruit; walking across under the wild durian trees,
then retire to camp and eat cooked meat and bread.
How strange it is that the scientists do not consider why they are spending time and energy to
prepare cooked food after observing thriving wildlife that feasts on wild fruits taken directly from
Nature. Like those scientists who spend years observing the beasts of the wilderness, we all have a
lesson to learn from the strong and energetic animals who thrive on wild, raw fruits and plant life.
The repulsion that Westerners have for the durian is the perfect representation of humanity's
departure from the wild. As much as a diet of raw foods may be considered an extreme next to the
present day diet of cooked food, cultivated foods over wild foods represent an even more profound
alienation from Nature.
We Once lived on Wild Foods

We once lived the life of gatherers, entirely subsisting on wild foods. Agriculture and the whole
science of cultivating foods came very recently in our history: about 10,000 years ago. Before that
time, humans like every other animal on this planet, lived on what was growing in their natural
environment, most likely never planting a seed on purpose or watering a plant by artificial means.
Now the idea of returning to such a state couldn't even cross the minds of many living in modern
society. Because they have been altered by man, many of the plants grown on modern farms,
including fruits, vegetables, grains, need our attention to stay alive. They need water, proper care,
compost, etc. Even those of us who have home gardens are growing seeds that have been altered
by humans. If we were to stop to watering our gardens and tending to the vegetables, they would
likely die miserably within a few weeks. This is because many of the plants we grow for food are
artificially adapted to our climate and can't even grow by themselves. Though they may provide us
with tender and pleasing produce, they are most likely weak plants that cannot survive unassisted.
Such weak seedlings cannot sustain life to its highest level. A plant that cannot grow by itself in
Nature is not likely to have enough life-force to turn us into vibrant beings. Every analysis you can
read will show how wild foods have, by far, the highest amount of vitamins and minerals. For
example, wild dandelion contains more beta-carotene than any other cultivated vegetable, even
though it does not receive any additional compost, and grows often where the soil is of poor quality.
Wild foods are superior on every nutritional level to cultivated foods, besides the fact that they will
grow without human care and give without needing anything. If wild foods are so far superior to
hybridized foods, you might ask: then why did we start to cultivate foods in the first place? Why
didn't we just keep freely eating what just naturally grew around us, instead of messing with the
plants, grafting them, selecting them, and soon having to plow, sow, water, and work the soil to
harvest our miserable pittance. Although nowadays we can reason that plants are hybridized for
economical reasons, to create bigger, tougher, rounder, cold resistant plants, etc. But this alone
cannot explain why humans began modern methods of agriculture.
How Cooking Began

Let us suppose for a moment that all tribes of humans on this planet were once eating all raw foods,
until one fateful day when they got to taste something cooked, after having discovered fire and
cooking a food by pure accident. Perhaps it was a cooked sweet potato and they found this to be
quite a new and tasty experience. It tasted a lot sweeter than the raw root, and they found
themselves eating a lot of it, not experiencing a "taste change," like every other mono raw eater
would. The taste change (alliestetic taste change) a raw eater experiences indicates when its time
to stop eating a certain food. After the taste changes, the food becomes less attractive: too acid,
bitter, sweet, bland, etc. The taste change we are talking about happens when you eat foods one at
a time, in their raw, unadulterated state. It is part of our genetic makeup, and is an instinct that
regulates our nutritional intake. But going back to our early "chefs," what do you think happened the
next day? They found that, being overloaded with this cooked starch, their attraction for the typical
wild, raw fruits they were eating at the time decreased tremendously. They didn't taste as full and
sweet, and our cooks just wanted to eat more of the heavy, cooked sweet potato instead. The
situation probably got worse after they started eating cooked cereals. Grains grown are hybridized
version of grass seeds, and are much higher in starch (false sugar), than all the primitive cooked-
foods humans ate. This means more sugar overload, and decreased attraction for natural wild fruits.
Some modern research indicates that cereals contain compounds that are chemically addictive. (See
side-bar)
Adaptation?
Could it be possible that we are not really adapted to the plants our ancestors bred for thousands of
years? Why are the fruits and vegetables created by modern agriculture techniques less than
excellent for us? Our ancestors certainly have not done much different than reproduce plants that
seemed nourishing and ,but nothing apparently different than what is done in the rest of the animal
world. But there is one factor that differentiates today's mass marketed fruits and vegetables at a
fundamental level. And this may very well be the spontaneous selection as it occurred originally, and
what it became since humans started to alter their foods. It is that our sense of taste ceased to
function normally.

Once the metabolism was surcharged with cooked sweet potato, manioc, taro, and other first foods
in this ever advancing gastronomy, our ancestors couldn't experience in the same way the flavors in
the natural fruits and vegetables. They then automatically preferred and started to propagate the
fruits they found good in spite of their altered physiological state, which were the fruits that,
following a genetic accident, were forcing the instinctive barrier. In other words, all the fruits that
were the most adapted to us didn't taste good to us anymore, and all the fruits that were the least
adapted passed this disrupted instinctive taste barrier.
Now, since this selection of plants has been done since the beginning of modern agriculture, over
10,000 years ago, if you were to go wander in most tropical jungles of the world, you would be
surprised to find how little food there is to eat. Almost nothing edible, just enough to let starve the
poor unaware camper who would venture without a plethora of canned goods It would seem quite
surprising that Nature would refuse us the foods we are supposed to thrive on.
Wild Fruits Still in Existence

There are some places though, where a huge variety of the most amazing fruits is still growing in
the wild. These include durian, cempedak, rambutan, and other delights that can only be
appreciated by the pure taste buds of the raw eater. These places are the jungles in South-East Asia
where some of the great apes live. Only they were left to practice natural and wild permaculture for
all these eons. When they like a fruit, or another natural food, they eat it and carry the swallowed
seeds inside them, thus propagating the species they prefer. They then create, after hundreds of
years, the food environment best suited to them. Since our tastes are still very close to theirs, it's
only in the regions where the primates live that we may find an abundance of edible, wild fruits.
Humans intoxicated with cooked-foods cannot appreciate the pure taste of wild fruits. For them, wild
foods are not sweet enough, or, to the cooked food eater, carry a "weird" flavor. Adults especially,
after a lifetime of feeding on cooked starch, cannot even appreciate the flavor of a wild blueberry
without adding cream and/or sugar. These same people when they were children were probably very
fond of the wild berries, eating the fruits straight from the bush. But as they became older they
could not find the sweetness and flavor of the old days, thinking that the pollution or the weather
probably had something to do with the change of taste, and ended up wasting the good fruit under a
mountain of cream and baking them into horrible pies and other cooked concoctions.
How many of us remember eating raw carrots like Bugs Bunny, and hating the taste of cooked
carrots and peas as a child before finally, after years of eating other cooked foods, finally getting a
taste for cooked vegetables? Many of us even change from desiring raw, unaltered fruits and
vegetables as a child, to desiring the same food items in a cooked form. The surprise that many who
change to a raw-food diet experience is that, after a period of time, they gain back an appreciation
of raw, unaltered fruits and vegetables. The fruits and vegetables suddenly become as good as when
one was six-year-old. Did the fruit change? No. Did one's taste change? Yes.
Repulsion for the Durian

This brings me back to the topic of the durian. I never thought the durian smelled bad. I think it
smells quite good in fact, like being amidst a field of flowers. I certainly do not understand how one
could compare the smell of the durian to a sewage tank! But that is how I have heard others
describe durians. When we see how Westerners are repulsed by the durian, while all the raw eaters
and great apes revere it, it becomes very clear how cooked food is affecting our perception of taste
and smell. The homo culinaris has been surcharged with cooked hybridized plants for thousands of
years and can't even enjoy the taste of the wild plants that are the most adapted to their
physiology. All the plants we once were thriving on are gone, except for the few precious jungles
were the monkeys have been doing the work of natural selection for us.

Conclusion
Many of the fruits and vegetables enjoyed by humans for thousands of years still exist. But they are
growing wild in areas not often visited by humans. While there are many plants that have become
extinct, many still exist. So paradise is not quite lost. If bulldozers don't go too fast over these
precious jungles, we might be able to gather some of the seeds and grow the plants in all
appropriate climates of the world. Otherwise we'll be left to eat tasteless oranges and bananas for
more eons to come.
References:
o "The Origins of Agriculture ? a Biological Perspective and a New Hypothesis", by Greg Wadley &
Angus Martin. Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne. Published in Australian Biologist 6:
96 - 105, June 1993. o "Fruits sauvages au kilom tre", by Guy-Claude Burger, Instincto-Magazine
#43-44, July-August 1991.

RESPECT FOR THE DURIAN
"All hail great Durian,

in whose spiny breast
A thousand wondrous flavours have their birth
All hail to thee!
We wanderers from the West
Here crown thee
King of all fruits of earth!
— H. S. Whiteside, from Gula Melaka, 1914

"What is a durian?
Well...simply put,
Durian is a fruit:
a big, green thorny fruit.
But wait, it is not
just another exotic and expensive fruit
from South East Asia.
In fact, it is considered
‘King of the Fruit’
throughout the region.
Personally, I think that is
an understatement of the millennium
since we Asians are humble people.
In fact, the actual status of Durian is
"THE GOD OF ALL FRUIT!"
—Durian Online
http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~durian
"Westerners do not generally become excited by the durian and this may be due to not
knowing how to select or eat this wonderful fruit. It doesn't help that Western descriptions of
the fruit usually mitigate against the formation of favorable reception. It is a pity that the authors of
travel guide books are not more fair-minded about the durian. Their descriptions are extremely
negative and frequently use scatological terms in reference to the durian. Hundreds of thousands of
Asian people do not see it that way at all and find such comparisons insulting. Fine durians are so
extraordinarily delicious that it seems hard to understand that anyone could disparage them. The
great naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, who spent eight years researching the flora and fauna of the
Malay archipelago in the late 1800’s wrote that ‘eating durians is a new sensation, worth a voyage to

the East to experience’—and this was written at a time when eastern journeys involved long tedious
sea passages and untold difficulties and hardships.
Because of the inherent limitations of words, it is impossible to adequately describe the taste of the
durian. It is highly reminiscent of custard or cake and after eating one of them one feels a sort of
glow and a sense of euphoria, an inner satiety.
(...) Not only does durian bring in a significant income, it is greatly relished
in one form or another by almost every Bidayuh [ed. note: a tribal people of
Borneo]. It is interesting to note that no one regards durian in a negative
light; the Bidayuh are extremely fond of this fruit. It is virtually unheard of
for a child to dislike durian. All the children, even the youngest, eat it with
abandon. If it truly was such a loathsome and ‘smelly’ item as so many
Westerners decree, how could there be such unanimity and avid enjoyment
of it among children? They simply take to it naturally and instinctively
because it is genuinely wholesome and agreeable. The Bidayuh do not
regard the smell as repulsive and heaps of durian are kept right inside the
living quarters. The only time that they are really cognizant of the aroma is
when they are out collecting. They have an uncanny ability of finding
durians which have dropped into dense undergrowth and can't be seen.
From the aroma alone they are able to detect hidden durians and they can
find and follow a durian scent much in the manner of bloodhounds. How
may one view or interpret this aroma? Is it merely something incidental? It
must fit in somewhere. Perhaps this aroma is a sort of 'calling card' or a
kind of advertisement. Nature has endowed durian with a wonderful and
unmistakable aroma to insure that it will be noticed. This arousing aroma
seems calculated to invite animals to come closer and investigate the offer,
the reward being a highly delectable and memorable repast. Of course
there is a bit of a ruse at work. The wide dispersal of the seeds is
fundamentally what the tree must achieve. Durio zibethinus has perhaps
gone further and put more into its reliance on animals to assist in the
dissemination of its kind. It has developed a huge fruit with a very
nutritious aril and enclosed that in an almost impregnable housing which

provides sufficient protection for the seeds until their maturation. Once
that state is reached this attractive odor is broadcast announcing the
presence and the readiness of the flesh. The outer skin which once was so
invincible is now opening all by itself. It doesn't require much reflection to
see that this is an artfully ingenious design."
— Jay Hersker, Hawaii
from "Durian of Kuching, Part 2"

Tropical Fruit World magazine
November-December 1990
"The banks of the Sarawak River are everywhere covered with fruit trees,
which supply the Dyaks with a great deal of their food. The Mangosteen,
Langsat, Rambutan, Jack, Jambou, and Blimbing, are all abundant; but
most abundant and most esteemed is the Durian, a fruit about which very
little is known in England, but which both by natives and Europeans in the
Malay Archipelago is reckoned superior to all others.
The old traveler Linschoot, writing in 1599, says: ‘It is of such an excellent
taste that it surpasses in flavor all the other fruits of the world, according
to those who have tasted it.’
And Doctor Paludanus adds: ‘This fruit is of a hot and humid nature. To
those not used to it, it seems at first to smell like rotten onions, but

immediately they have tasted it they prefer it to all other food. The natives
give it honorable titles, exalt it, and make verses on it.’
When brought into a house the smell is often so offensive that some
persons can never bear to taste it. This was my own case when I first tried
it in Malacca, but in Borneo I found a ripe fruit on the ground, and, eating it
out of doors, I at once became a confirmed Durian eater.
THE DURIAN GROWS ON A LARGE AND LOFTY FOREST TREE, somewhat resembling an elm in its
general character, but with a more smooth and scaly bark. The fruit is round or slightly oval, about
the size of a large coconut, of a green color, and covered all over with short stout spines, the base of
which touch each other, and are consequently somewhat hexagonal, while the points are very strong
and sharp. It is so completely armed, that if the stalk is broken off it is a difficult matter to lift one
from the ground. The outer rind is so thick and tough, that from whatever height it may fall it is
never broken. From the base to the apex five very faint lines may be divided with a heavy knife and
a strong hand.
The five cells are satiny white within, and are each filled with an oval mass of cream-colored pulp,
embedded in which are two or three seeds about the size of chestnuts. This pulp is the edible part,
and its consistence and flavor are indescribable. A rich butter-like custard highly flavored with
almonds gives the best general idea of it, but intermingled with it come wafts of flavor
that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, brown sherry, and other incongruities. 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 one feels the want of none of
these qualities, for it is perfect as it is. In fact to eat Durians is a new
sensation, worth a voyage to the East to experience.
When the fruit is ripe it falls of itself, and the only way to eat Durians in
perfection is to get them as they fall; and the smell is then less
overpowering. When unripe, it makes a very good vegetable if cooked, and
it is also eaten by the Dyaks raw. In a good season large quantities are
preserved salted, in jars and bamboos, and kept the year round, when it
acquires a most disgusting odor to Europeans but the Dyaks appreciate it
highly as a relish with their rice. There are in the forest two varieties of
wild Durians with much smaller fruits, one of them orange-colored inside;
and these are probably the origin of the large and fine Durians, which are
never found wild.
It would not, perhaps, be correct to say that the Durian is the best of all
fruits, because it cannot supply the place of the subacid, juicy kinds, such
as the orange, grape, mango, and mangosteen, whose refreshing and
cooling qualities are so wholesome and grateful; but as producing a food of
the most exquisite flavor it is unsurpassed. If I had to fix on two only, as
representing the perfection of the two classes, I should certainly choose
the Durian and the Orange as the king and queen of fruits."

—Alfred Russell Wallace,
a great naturalist who spent eight years
in the late 1800’s researching the flora and fauna
of the Malay archipelago
(The Treasury of Botany, Vol. 1).
A dissenting opinion: Charles Darwin, who was a contemporary of Alfred

Russell Wallace, did not like durian, and someone wrote this witty limerick:
The durian...neither Wallace nor Darwin
could agree on it
Wallace said, "It's delicious"
Darwin said,"I'm suspicious,
for the flavor is scented
like papaya fermented
after a fruit-eating bat has pee'd on it." :-)
Too bad for Darwin—

he didn't know what he was missing!
For millions of people
in southeast Asia agree:
"It's yum!"
—Ma Bodhi Vistara
Perth, Australia
CHANTHABURI: DURIAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Source: Shunyam Nirav, www.durianpalace.com
Click here to view World Durian Festival 2006 photogallery
Chanthaburi province is the heart of Thailand orchard country, 240 km [145 miles] southeast of
Bangkok, and the durian capital of the world in terms of production — Thailand produces
approximately a million tons of durian per year, and over half comes from Chanthaburi province and
another 25% from neighboring Rayong province. Both provinces hold festive fruit fairs at peak
season, when durians, mangosteens, rambutans, mangos, longkong/langsat, jackfruit, longans,
pineapples, papayas, bananas, coconuts, sugar apples, dragonfruit, and more are present in great
lavish abundance. There are so many fruits around, in fact, that the talented local people use them
to not only to eat but to create astounding magnificent colorful beautiful works of community folk
artistry every year in parade floats built on trucks, or this year, rafts in the water.
Chanthaburi has a charming large lake right in the center of town, and sometime in the past year or
two they've built a new beautiful wide sidewalk/promenade all the way around it. It wasn't there in

2004 when I was last here; before it was sort of a muddy trail and broken-down brick path around
the lake. So this year they shifted the fruit fair to all around the lake from the nearby streets where
it used to be. And instead of fruit floats built on trucks in the parade, there were literally floats in the
lake alongside the promenade. Same idea, covered artistically with hundreds of fruits, but on
floating rafts and boats in the lake instead of on trucks in the street! A charming innovation and
likely to result in some spectacular creations in future years.
Of course, the durians were fantastic as always in Chanthaburi -- in most of Thailand, usually out of
every 10 durians I buy, 2 or 3 are fantastic, 2 are not good, and the others are OK but not the best.
In Chanthaburi, 9 out of 10 durians I buy are excellent! At least 5 varieties are readily available:
Kradoom (the early season one), Chanee (like raspberry-flavored cream cheese, big rough spikes on
husk), Kan Yao (cultured favorite of Thai connoisseurs), Poungmanee (small and supersweet), and
the everpopular Monthong (luscious fruity celestial pudding with undertones of butterscotch and
almond). I also was introduced to a variety I'd not experienced before, Nokacheep -- "Nok" means
"bird" in Thai, and the "cheep" is exactly that -- the sound a bird makes! Difficult to describe,
somewhat like Chanee but with a different flavor composition. Delightful.
I was in Chanthaburi for 9 days and for the whole time ate only (many) durians plus a few other
fruits (mango, longan, rambutan, mangosteen, coconut, pomelo). Wonderful, wonderful. :-)
HOW TO SELECT A GOOD DURIAN

Source: Shunyam Nirav, www.durianpalace.com
"To choose a durian, pick a fruit which is comparatively light and whose stem
appears big and solid. When shaking a good durian, the seed should move.
Maturity is indicated when the middle of the fruit exudes a strong, but not sour
smell. Finally, an inserted knife should come out sticky — this is the best
indication that the fruit is ripe. Cut fruit perishes fairly rapidly. Avoid fruit with
holes: worms may have prior claims."
http://www.proscitech.com.au/trop/d.htm
The book Durian: Fruit Development, Postharvest Physiology, Handling and Marketing in ASEAN,
edited by Sonthat Nanthachai (ASEAN Food Handling Bureau, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1994) lists 9
ways to detect the ripeness of a durian:
x in many varieties, the tips of the spikes turn darker brown than the bases of the spikes
x the spike tips also become slightly elastic and more flexible
x the grooves between spikes expand and turn darker
x depending on variety, the fruit stem may become either more stiff or more flexible than
unripe fruits
x the abscission zone in the fruit stem just above the fruit tends to bulge
x the sutures in the rind where the sections will split apart become more noticeable
x the fruit when tapped has a hollow sound—if a solid sound, it’s not ripe; when shaken, the
best fruits have a sound of something moving inside, of fruit sections knocking shell
x the sap from the fruit stem will be clear and sweet; in unripe fruits, it is thick, sticky, and not
sweet
x if a small "window" into the fruit is cut to check out the insides, the fragrance will be stronger
and the pulp more colorful than unripe fruits
The same book also reports:

"Kosiyachina (1993) classified consumers of fresh Thai durian into four groups:
1. Those who prefer partially ripe pulp,

2. Those who prefer edible ripe pulp,
3. Those who prefer soft ripe pulp,
4. Those who prefer overripe pulp."

THE GREAT GLASS ELEVATOR
Source: Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe, 132-133
If you’ve read Shazzie’s book Detox Your World, you may have
already experienced “The Best Meal in the World.” Here it is with a
chocolately twist. And twist you it will! Serves 2.
1 Young Coconut
30 Cacao Beans, skinned
1 Durian
2 people
A ball pond (a pool of plastic balls you find at amusement parks!)
Cut off the top of the coconut and add two straws. Open the Durian. Eat the Durian
and Cacao until they’re all gone, without fighting over the Durian. Sip from the
coconut, together. This will give you a major chakra rush and make you feel all
funny! After finishing the coconut water, enjoy your post multiple duriasmic chill by
lolling about in your ball pond for an hour before resuming any adult responsibilities
that you may have. Believe me, you won’t want to do anything else.
GREEN COCONUT AND DURIAN SOUP

Source: Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe, 131
Serves 2
2 Young Thai Coconuts (water and pulp)

1 tablespoon of powdered green superfood
1 level teaspoon coconut oil
2 real vitamin C capsules (powdered camu camu berry or acerola berry)
1 heaped teaspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of fresh durian
5 skinned almonds
1 tablespoon of maca
Drain the coconuts through the tops, then cut the tops off so you can use them to
serve the soup in.
Add 1.5 coconuts’ worth of water and jelly into a blender. You can save some of the
unused pulp for decoration if you like. Remove the vitamin C powder from the
capsules, and add that to the blender. Add all the other ingredients except the
almonds, and blend until it’s all smooth.

Make sure there is no pulp in either of the coconuts, and then pour equal amounts
of the soup into the coconuts. Split the almonds in half and place them in a flower
pattern in each bowl. Add a tiny pinch of ground cacao on top, and serve.
HOW TO GROW DURIANS

Source: www.durianpalace.com (Hawaii growers click here)
Latitude: The durian tree is ultra-tropical, a native of Southeast Asian equatorial rainforests, and
needs much tropical warmth, abundant moisture, and sunshine to thrive (except for the young
trees’ first year, when semi-shade is preferred — simulating rainforest conditions). Most commercial
durian cultivation in Southeast Asia is located within 15 degrees latitude of the equator, and some
literature has suggested that 18 degrees north or south is the limit at which durians can thrive.
However, growers in the Hawaiian Islands have demonstrated that durian cultivation is quite
possible as far north as the island of Kaua‘i at 22 degrees north (1 degree latitude equals about 70
miles or 112 km, at these latitudes). And in Thailand, one of the established commercial durian-
growing areas is in the northern province of Uttardit, not far from Chiang Mai at 18 degrees north;
the southernmost point of land in Hawaiì is only about 70 miles [115 km] further north in latitude
than this. Successful durian cultivation is very unlikely outside the tropics.
Altitude: In Sri Lanka, the upper elevation limit for growing durians is said to be 600 m [2000
feet]; in the Philippines, 700 m [2300 feet], in Malaysia, 800 m [2600 feet]. These are the upper
limits at which it’s possible to grow durians at all, though, not the optimum; on Penang island in
Malaysia, few productive durian farms are above 300 m [700 feet]. These places are also all
relatively close to the equator, which suggests that the altitude limit for successful durian growing in
areas further away from the equator like Hawai‘i may be considerably less, perhaps 300 m [1000
feet] at the most, with best growth and production at the lower elevations. It will take some
experimentation by growers at marginal altitudes in more northern or southern tropical areas (such
as Hawai‘i) to determine just what is the upper limit for growing durians there. The Hawaiian islands
in particular have so many microclimates depending on elevation, wind patterns, terrain, and
existing vegetation that it may be difficult to give any set rules for this. Some higher-elevation
microclimates as on the south slopes of gulches, may be suitable though the surrounding area is not.
Regarding altitude and climate, coconuts may be a fairly good indicator as to the likelihood of
success with growing durians: if coconut palms can grow and bear well in your micro-climate…
except for seaside areas [durians are not salt-tolerant], durians may be possible too.
Temperature: For an ultratropical, durian is surprisingly tolerant of relatively low mean

temperatures. There are places on the island of Java between 400-600 m [1300-2000 feet] altitude
where durian is successfully grown that have a mean yearly normal temperature of just 23º C. (73º
F.) Some research has indicated that growth is limited below a mean monthly temperature of 22º C.
[71º F.]. The trees may survive occasional dips in temperature as low as 10º C. [50º F.], but may
drop their leaves. On the other end of the spectrum, durian trees in India sometimes successfully
tolerate high temperatures up to 46º C. [114º F.].
Water: Durian trees need abundant rainfall, or equivalent irrigation. In most areas of Asia where
durians are grown, mean annual rainfall is greater than 2000 mm [75 inches]. Historically, though,
the better production sites have developed in areas with annual mean rainfall totals of 3000 mm
[125 inches] or more, well distributed throughout the year. There is no doubt, though, that drier
zones can produce good crops with appropriate irrigation. In India, durian trees are often planted

along the banks of streams, where the roots can reach water. They do not do well very close to the
ocean, having almost no tolerance for salinity in the soil.
Established durian trees cannot withstand more than 3 months drought without suffering irreversible
damage. However, in places fairly close to the equator (such as Malaysia), three to four weeks of dry
weather and relatively dry roots are needed to provoke the tree to flowering. Without a sufficient dry
period, there will be no fruit that season. Farther from the equator, on the edges of the tropics (as in
Hawaiì) where weather patterns start to somewhat resemble the four seasons of the temperate
regions, this dry period is not necessarily required, and flowering is influenced more by day length
and seasonal temperature.
Soil: "Rich soil conditions will make the tree grow well and fast. Sometimes four to five-year old
trees can start to flower. The secret is in the soil. Organic fertilizer will improve the soil by balancing
the pH level. This will produce quantity and quality durians."—Bao Sheng Durian Farm website,
Malaysia
Favorable terrain for good durian cultivation ranges from flat to steep. In Chanthaburi province,
Thailand, which leads the world in quantity of annual durian production, many durian plantations are
on relatively flat land. In contrast, on the island of Penang, which has the reputation for growing the
finest connoisseur durians in Malaysia, all the durian farms are on tall hillsides and valleysides, many
of them fairly steep. The root system of a durian tree is very sensitive to standing water, and good
drainage is essential, which is well taken care of by such sloping situations.
Durian trees grow best in a rich, deep, well-drained sandy clay or clay loam (deep alluvial or loamy
soil), high in organic matter, pH range of 6 - 7. Heavy clay soils are not supportive of good durian
tree growth and health, as they do not drain well. Seedlings make more vigorous growth when
potted into media that is light and sandy rather than high in clay content.
In Thailand it is commonly recommended that growers avoid using organic animal manure, as the
most troublesome disease of durian trees there, the fungal Phythophera palmivora, is encouraged by
the moist fertile conditions at ground level around the trunk created by manure and mulch. It is not
clear that such advice holds true for conditions elsewhere, however, and when using good organic
tree planting practices. Traditional organic fertilizers are used with good results in Malaysia and
elsewhere.
In many places in Southeast Asia, semi-wild durian trees thrive and bear perfectly well on their own
with relatively little care. Maxing out the health of durian trees of choice varieties with modern
organic methods and soil amendments such as compost and rock dust is likely to produce bumper
crops of humongous spiky fruits of unimaginable and staggering deliciousness! Amen. :-)
Planting: In equatorial regions, the most favorable time for planting is winter from November
through mid-January (and not during the February-May dry season). In tropical areas far from the
equator, early spring is probably best but is likely not too critical.
In Malaysia, planting holes 0.6m [2 feet] in diameter and depth are dug and allowed to weather for
2-4 weeks. (The Brunei Department of Agriculture recommends .5 m deep by 1 meter in diameter.)
Organic matter or compost at the rate of about 5-10 kg [10-20 pounds] is added to each hole, also
about 200 gm [1/2 pound] of rock phosphate, and the young trees are planted with as little
disturbance to the roots as possible. It’s advisable to go further than this, and add rock dust (which
enhances a plant’s health and enriches the flavor of the plant’s resulting food harvest) as well as
other available organic amendments, and use standard organic tree planting techniques.
In orchards, durian trees are commonly spaced 6-16 m [20 to 50 feet] apart, aiming for about 156
trees/hectare [64 trees/acre] to 40 trees/hectare [16 trees/acre]. T.S. Chang of Bao Sheng Durian
Farm in Malaysia recommends 30 trees/hectare [12 trees/acre]. At closer spacings, thinning will be
necessary by the time the trees are 8 to 10 years old to reduce tree density and give remaining

trees room for further growth. As grafted trees may start bearing at age 4-6, planting the trees
more closely in the orchard’s first decade is a way to increase fruit production from a given piece of
land. However, T.S. advises against this, saying from experience that few growers who plant more
closely can bring themselves to cut down any 10-year old bearing durian trees of good quality to
thin out the orchard, and most often allow them to remain. In the long term, this is unfortunate for
the trees and the grower, as the trees compete for canopy sunlight in the increasingly cramped
situation and eventually grow very tall and thin with less fruitbearing capacity.
It's worth remembering that durian is a native of equatorial rainforests, eventually growing to the
high canopy, and is at home amongst a mix of other plants and trees. As the Permaculture approach
recommends, other useful plants can be grown among durian trees at ground level and lower levels.
These can also provide needed shade during the durian trees' early life, as happens in the rainforest.
The Brunei Department of Agriculture recommends interplanting durians with bananas and/or
papayas.
Young durian trees interplanted with bananas

Brunei Dept. of Agriculture photos
The bananas or papayas should be planted 6 months ahead of the durians, at a spacing of 3 x 3
meters [~10 feet]. Eventually the durians will shade out the bananas or papayas, which can be
trimmed and used as mulch and will also of course provide fruit harvest of their own. By the time
the durians are fruiting, the banana or papaya plants should be removed, however, as their fruits
will draw unwanted pest insects to the area. For trees that will remain interplanted among the
durians indefinitely, in Malaysia, rambutan is a favored choice, as is nutmeg and chile pepper plants;
but not mangos, mangosteen, citrus, starfruit, jackfruit, champedak, nor many others that can
attract pest insects. The Brunei Department of Ag also suggests another alternative of interplanting
with fast growing nitrogen-fixing-trees (there are a great many possibilities, including various
species of Gliricidia, Sesbania, Leucaena, Albizia, Acacia, and others) which will provide shade,
nutritious mulch, and soil improvement.
Propagation: Propagation of durian trees can be done through either seeds or by vegetative
means.
Unlike most seeds of temperate-climate plants, the big seeds of the ultra-tropical durian tree have a
very short period of viability out of the fruit, especially if exposed even briefly to sunlight: only a few
days at most. (However, if kept in ordinary cool storage, they can be successfully be kept for a
week, or as long as a month if surface-sterilized, placed in an airtight container and kept at 20º C.
[68º F.]) This high perishability of durian seeds no doubt has been a factor in preventing the durian
tree’s widespread dispersal far from its native territories.

The seeds are best planted or sprouted within a day or so from removal from the fruit, sprout end
pointed down, to a depth of half the seed with the other half above the soil surface. Healthy durian
seeds sprout as quickly and vigorously as bean seeds, usually within a few days but possibly as long
as a week. For transport or mailing, the seeds are best immediately placed in moist coconut fiber.
Durian seedlings produce highly variable results. Their fruit may be better or worse than the parent
tree, and it may be 10 to even 20 years before first fruit! ("It is reported that, in some countries,
seedling durian trees have borne fruit at 5 years of age. In India, generally, they come into bearing
9 to 12 years after planting, but in South India they will not produce fruit until they are 13 to 21
years old. In Malaya, seedlings will bloom in 7 years; grafted trees in 4 years or earlier."—Julia
Morton, Fruits of Warm Climates)
Therefore, vegetative propagation, which is not difficult, is universally preferred and recommended
for reproducing cultivars with known desirable traits. A large number of grafting methods are
commonly employed. In Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines wedge (cleft), whip, approach,
Forkert, and bud grafting of durian trees are all common. Propagation by airlayers and cuttings does
not work. Wedge grafting and bud grafting are probably the most common techniques. Click here to
view the Brunei Department of Agriculture's durian-grafting instruction pages.
As reported by the authors of Tropical Tree Fruits for Australia (compiled by P.E. Page, Queensland
Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane, 1984), growers in Thailand employ an unusual type of
bottle graft with which many or most of their trees are grown. Durian seedlings that will serve as
rootstocks are sown in beds and dug up when approximately 300 to 600 mm [1 to 2 feet tall]. The
roots are packed with moist coconut husk fiber and sealed in a plastic bag. This rootstock seedling is
then tied to a branch of the established durian tree that is desired to be reproduced, next to a lateral
branch that appears suitable to serve a scion. The top of the young rootstock plant is then cut off,
and the rootstock plant is inarched in a side-veneer graft to the branch/new scion. After the union is
complete, the new scion is severed from the mother tree at about the level of the bottom of the
seedling roots. The scion butt is also potted up and develops roots, so that the resulting grafted tree
actually has two root systems, and is stronger and more vigorous as a result.
Most durian growers regard any variety of durian as suitable for a rootstock as long as it is healthy
and vigorous. In Thailand, the common vigorous Chanee variety is said to serve very well as a
rootstock. There is also increasing use there of some wild Durio species such as D. malaccensis, D.
mansoni, and D. lowianus for resistance to Phythophora palmivora. In India, a relative of the durian,
Cullenia excelsa (native to Sri Lanka) is favored as a good vigorous rootstock which is said to also
hasten the time of first fruiting.
Management: Following planting, young durian trees should be provided with temporary shade and
complete wind protection for the first year, as in a shadecloth nursery structure or equivalent. The
structure of the young trees and their leaves is such that strong winds can twist the leaves right off,
a setback from which they are unlikely to ever fully recover.
Proper pruning of the durian tree is said to be important to obtain a tree form that encourages early
flowering and good yields. The pruning system commonly used in Southeast Asia includes:
x formative pruning resulting in a main leader; after about age 2 or 3 the interior is thinned
out, removing all thin or dead branches and water shoots
x encouraging early branching to encourage early bearing
x topping to maintain a manageable tree height as the tree grows older
x general maintenance pruning contributing to a healthy and productive tree, removing dead,
broken or diseased branches and water shoots, and allowing free circulation of air and plenty of
sunlight throughout the canopy
In Southeast Asia, cut surfaces are routinely treated with a fungicide and bitumastic compound (use
an organic equivalent).
Durian growers in Thailand are often advised to keep the area under the tree and drip line area free
of weeds, manure, and mulch, primarily so as to not create a microclimate suitable for the thriving
of Phythophora palmivora disease. (As previously mentioned, it is not clear if this is necessary or
advisable in using strictly organic methods. Durian trees are otherwise benefited from manure and
mulch, like many other trees). Likewise, for the same purpose, the trunk of the tree is kept free of
any water shoots and weak branches up to a height of about 1 m [3 feet] above the ground.
However, tropical legume cover crops between trees, such as perennial peanut, are recommended.
Durian trees are surface feeders, and if any weeding is necessary (with a cover crop like perennial
peanut, there shouldn’t be much), care should be taken to prevent damage to the roots.
Durian trees remove a relatively low amount of nutrients from the soil. However, like many other
fruit trees, it is a good idea to at least quarterly topdress the soil under the tree with a mix of
organic fertilizers (preferably particularly rich in nitrogen and potassium) during the first five years.
(Animal manures are favored in most places for this purpose, but not in Thailand, where chemical
fertilizers are widely used in commercial production). T.S. Chang of Bao Sheng Durian Farm
recommends placing topdressed fertilizer just beyond the edge of the root zone so that the trees’
roots will chase after it and expand their reach in the process. The times a few months before
flowering, during fruit development, and after harvesting are favored for fertilizing durian trees
throughout Southeast Asia.
Water: In Asia, areas with a dry season longer than 3 months are regarded as marginal for durian,
unless adequately irrigated, in which case there is no problem. Micro-sprinkler or drip irrigation can
be used. Durian trees are as incapable of withstanding any standing water around their trunks as
papayas; they will simply die. In low-lying rainy areas, it may be advisable to construct surface
drainage systems to prevent that possibility from ever occurring, or to plant only on sloped land, as
is done in many areas of Southeast Asia.
The times most critical for water for the durian tree are during flowering and fruiting. In equatorial
regions, it needs at least three to four weeks of dry weather without rain to produce flowers to fill all
branches. (Farther from the equator as in Hawaiì, this may not hold true, and day length and
temperature may be the primary factors in inducing flowering). Like mango trees, heavy rains and
wind during flowering can knock off many of the blossoms, decreasing or even eliminating fruit
production that season. When blossoms are forming, water is sometimes deliberately withheld to
enhance flowering. To maximize flower and fruit production, after allowing a 3 to 4 week dry period,
growers in Malaysia then begin applying irrigation. Topdressing the trees with organic fertilizer just
before flowering also increases production. Various cultivars may have their own unique responses
to dry weather and irrigation; for example, the common Malaysian cultivar D24 is sensitive even to
short dry spells; the common Thai variety Chanee tends to drop flowers if watered as much as other
varieties. An unseasonal drought may provoke durian trees to an out-of-season round of flowering
and fruiting.
Pests: As with any plant or tree, the best way to minimize damage of durian trees or fruit by pests
or disease is to keep the soil and tree as maximumly healthy as possible using modern organic
methods.
Except for usually light damage by local fruit borers, beetles, and leaf cutters in some areas, the tree
and fruit tend to be relatively free of insect pests. Phytophthora palmivora is a dreaded fungus
disease of durian trees in Southeast Asia. The organism is a primary parasite of durian roots.
Symptoms are canker development on the trunk at or just above ground level, and an oozing of
brownish-red gum at the collar of the tree, up the trunk and down to the roots, which can result in
complete girdling and subsequent death of the tree. The organism gains access to the interior
tissues of the tree suitable for its growth through natural or pruning wounds, thus hygienic pruning
and using (natural) fungicides are very important to guard against infestation. Grafted trees are said
to be particularly susceptible due to cracks that often form in the tree structure due to inherent
grafting weaknesses. In Thailand, as previously noted, steps are taken to eliminate a moist
microclimate at the base of the tree which might support the growth of P. palmivora, such as not
using animal manures or mulch, and removing any branches starting to grow below about 1 m [3
feet] height. Growth of P. palmivora in Southeast Asia is also controlled by using cultivars known to
be resistant.
Harvest: Grafted cultivars generally start bearing at 4 to 6 years after planting in the ground;
seedlings usually take from 7 to 10 years but have been known to wait as long as 13 to 21 years—
powerful incentives to use vegetative propagation.
Durian fruits vary in size and shape depending on variety and completeness of pollination, but most
often are oblong and have an average mass slightly larger than a (U.S.-style) football. Fruit weights
of 1.5-4 kg [3 to 10 pounds] are common, but occasionally massive 8 kg [20 pound] (tribal-size!)
durians are produced. Of the weight of a typical whole durian, only about 15% to 25% is fruit pulp
and about 20% is seeds, making it one of the most expensive fruits in the world in terms of its ratio
of whole fruit to the part actually edible.
Depending on variety and climate conditions, it may require from about 85 to 150 days for durians
to develop after flower pollination, and if not harvested, they will naturally drop from the tree over
about a 10-week period.
In areas near the equator where there are no defined wet and dry seasons, as in parts of Malaysia
and Sumatra, individual trees commonly bear fruit twice a year, with the peaks in June and
December. In these equatorial areas, durian trees do not start flowering in response to any seasonal
changes in day length or temperature, but rather are stimulated to flower by periods of dry weather.
In tropical areas with distinct wet and dry seasons, for example, India and eastern Java, flowering
begins near the end of the dry season. In tropical areas farther than 10º north or south from the
equator, flowering normally starts in the spring months, with an annual harvest in mid-summer to
autumn. There is a tendency with some trees to bear only every other year, even in areas where
twice-a-year fruiting is possible.
"Initial yield may be 10 to 40 fruits for the first year of fruiting to about 100 fruits for the sixth year.
Yield of up to 200 fruits is common after the 10th year of fruiting"
— Durian OnLine
Well-grown, high-yielding cultivars may produce 10 to 15 tons per hectare [9000-13000 pounds per
acre] of durian fruits per year by 10 to 15 years after planting. As durians command relatively
expensive market prices even in the areas of southeast Asia where they are plentiful, it is easy to
understand that in that part of the world, people who have more than a few bearing durian trees are
considered wealthy.
The two very different approaches to harvesting durians

Shunyam Nirav
As inclined to diversity as the durian is, it’s not too surprising that two very different basic
approaches to harvesting and eating durians has developed among humans. For convenience they
can be called the Thai approach, which is prevalent mostly only in Thailand, and the Malaysian
approach, which is prevalent almost everywhere else in Southeast Asia but has been particularly
developed and refined in Malaysia.
In Thailand, it’s customary to harvest durians from the tree by cutting with a knife (sometimes on
the end of a long pole), when they are approaching ripeness, but not entirely ripe. Like papayas,
bananas, and avocados, durians do ripen well off the tree, if not cut too soon. Many people
(including me) savor Thai varieties of durians eaten when mid-ripe, somewhat before totally ripe;

totally ripe is usually past their peak of deliciousness. The Thai durian varieties have evidently been
selected and bred over generations to support this customary harvesting-before-ripe. Part of the
fruit stem (botanically speaking, the peduncle) is always left attached when the durian is cut from
the tree, rather than breaking off the fruit from the stem. The fruit stem is cut as long as practically
possible, and is often wrapped with a banana leaf or paper, which is said to extend the fruit’s shelf
life.
In Malaysia (and elsewhere), it’s a fundamental principle that durians should be allowed to naturally
fully ripen on the tree for maximum-quality flavor, aroma, texture, and appearance. Durian growers
wait until the trees naturally drop their ripe fruit, and collect the fruit several times a day from under
the trees. To prevent damage from hitting the ground or rocks (or people!), either large safety nets
are arranged under the trees to catch the falling spiky fruits; or workers climb the trees early in the
season to attach long strings or ropes to each developing fruit, which are looped over branches
above and then down to ground level like a pulley, so when the fruits are dropped by the tree they
are caught and can be safely and easily lowered. Durians in Malaysia are thus regarded as highly
perishable commodities — those that have fallen within the past 12 hours command very high prices
in the marketplaces; after 12 hours the quality is perceived as having diminished and become
ordinary, and the price is reduced. On Penang, at Bao Sheng farm, the best just-dropped varieties of
durians sold in the 1999 season for about the equivalent of US$3.50 a pound, which meant that a
typical 4-pound durian cost about US$15 for one fruit. That’s at the farm, though; just-dropped
durians are rushed from farms to the cities of Malaysia where the same durian may readily sell for
over twice the farm price. And in durian-crazed Singapore, when swiftly exported fresh-dropped
Malaysian durians of the highest quality varieties are available there, durian connoisseurs snap them
up for the equivalent of US$75 per fruit! For the lowest prices and good fun, large numbers of
Malaysian durian-lovers make pilgrimages to durian farms in various regions of the country during
the season to savor the best freshly-dropped durians. It’s a real connoisseur scene in Malaysia
around durians — over a hundred officially registered varieties (and countless more unregistered),
all with rich subtle differences of flavor, texture, aroma, and appearance, and much importance
given to tree-ripening and fresh-droppedness. Malaysian varieties are generally smaller than Thai
durians (rarely as large as a soccer ball), many varieties have much thinner spikes, and usually the
fruit flesh around the seeds is not as thick as is common in Thai varieties. They usually have a much
more complex and rich flavor than most Thai durians have, though, and it can be highly variable
from fruit to fruit from the same tree, even from section to section within the same fruit.
It’s evident that Thais and Malaysians have a good-natured rivalry around their approaches to
durians. The Malaysians disapprove of the Thai practice of harvesting durians before ripe and letting
them ripen off the tree — that’s unthinkable in Malaysia. To cut durians early and not allow them to
ripen on the tree and drop naturally occurs to most Malaysians as an insensitive ruination of full-
flavored durian quality. (T.S. Chang of Bao Sheng Durian Farm asserts that durians lose 20% to
25% of their full potential for aroma and flavor by being harvested early...and I can understand from
eating Malaysian durians what he means.) However, a Thai variety of durian allowed to ripen and
drop from the tree is usually already past its prime. The Thais possess durian varieties which in their
own way are of magnificent quality when cut, ripened off the tree (like bananas), and eaten at just
the right stage before totally ripe. Having the kinds of durian varieties they have, Thais don’t
understand Malaysians’ (and others) obsession with tree-ripened fruit and enduring all the
harvesting and marketing challenges and high prices that result. The practically-inclined Thais do
have a commercial advantage with their approach — cutting durians before ripe has allowed them to
develop a large profitable commercial durian-growing industry, the biggest of any country. In
Thailand, everyone has about a week after harvesting to transport and market the fruit far and wide,
whereas the Malaysian practice of only accepting tree-ripened durians necessarily greatly limits their
commercial reach and shelf life and makes them very costly to consumers. Malaysians, however,
cheerfully just regard these things as facts of life that necessarily come with obtaining their high-
quality tree-ripened durians, satisfied that their durians have a much richer and more complex flavor
and better overall quality than those of their Thai neighbors.

When I visited both countries in June 1999 at the peak of durian season, the highest-quality durians
in Thailand were selling in the marketplaces for the equivalent in U.S. money of about 50 cents a
pound; over the border in Malaysia highest-quality durians were selling for the equivalent of
US$3.50 a pound at the farm, more in the marketplaces. Durians in Thailand have been made a
widespread commodity that the majority of average people appear to be able to afford; in Malaysia
it appears that durians are in financial reach of primarily only wealthier consumers (not a criticism,
just an observation of the way things are). However, the big exceptions in either country are people
who grow their own durians...who, if they have more than a few trees, inevitably become wealthy
themselves from the abundant bounty given year after year by the trees!
As a durian-lover from the outside, I respect, understand, and enjoy both the Thai and Malaysian
approaches and the resulting fruit. I’ve been fortunate to experience both incredibly luscious Thai
durians (especially Monthong and especially those grown on the southern islands of Koh Samui and
Koh Pha-Ngan, and in the durian-growing capital of Chanthaburi in eastern Thailand) — and some of
the extremely richly-delicately-flavored connoisseur creme-de-la-creme Malaysian durians
(especially on the island of Penang). Comparing them isn’t really fair; at their best they’re both
fantastic, unmistakably durian and yet so different — as similar and yet as different as, say, Chinese
and Japanese humans. And then there are all the other durian varieties found in Indonesia, Brunei,
the Philippines, Vietnam, south India, and Sri Lanka, with a vast range of subtle differences and
nuances. If you enjoy eating durian and get a chance to be in that part of the world during the
season, visit the colorful local marketplaces and try as many as you can! Or better yet, if you live in
a tropical area, seek out the best varieties of grafted trees to grow yourself!
More cultivation information: click here to view the Durian chapter (19 pages) from The Production
of Economic Fruits in South-East Asia by Othman Yaacob and Suranant Subhadrabandhu (Oxford
University Press, New York, 1995).

Durian

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DURIAN

THE KING OF FRUITS

Table of Contents: DAVID WOLFE ON DURIAN

Books: Durian Palace E-Book http://www.durianpalace.com/e-bookgive.htm

Websites: The Durian Palace: http://www.durianpalace.com

Live Food Nutrition:

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 1

FROM EATING FOR BEAUTY BY DAVID WOLFE

How To Select Durians

1. Choose browner and yellower durians instead of green.

DURIAN NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Durian Nutritional Characteristics

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 3

phosphorus 27-56 mg trace minerals "many"

0.73-2.0 mana (intangible life

IMAGINE THE BEST, MOST DELICIOUS, AND SENSUOUS BANANA PUDDING

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 4

DURIAN DAYS REVISITED

Concerning the Most Desirable, Effusive, Wild and Elegant Fruit

Favorite Fruit of the Orangutans

We Once lived on Wild Foods

How Cooking Began

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Wild Fruits Still in Existence

Repulsion for the Durian

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"All hail great Durian,

— H. S. Whiteside, from Gula Melaka, 1914

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— Jay Hersker, Hawaii

from "Durian of Kuching, Part 2"

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A dissenting opinion: Charles Darwin, who was a contemporary of Alfred

Too bad for Darwin—

CHANTHABURI: DURIAN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Click here to view World Durian Festival 2006 photogallery

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 16

HOW TO SELECT A GOOD DURIAN

x the grooves between spikes expand and turn darker

The same book also reports:

1. Those who prefer partially ripe pulp,

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 18

GREEN COCONUT AND DURIAN SOUP

2 Young Thai Coconuts (water and pulp)

Printed: October 7, 2007 www.JuiceFeasting.com Durian 19

HOW TO GROW DURIANS

Temperature: For an ultratropical, durian is surprisingly tolerant of relatively low mean

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Young durian trees interplanted with bananas

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The two very different approaches to harvesting durians

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