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I live in Malaysia. We are right in the middle of durian season (May to August). Musang King costs Ringgit Malaysia(RM)48 per kg. That is around USD12/kg or (U
by vdas 7y ago
I live in Malaysia. We are right in the middle of durian season (May to August).
Musang King costs Ringgit Malaysia(RM)48 per kg. That is around USD12/kg or (USD5.45/pound). So a single Musang King durian will cost around RM60 per fruit (USD14.50/fruit). I usually buy slightly lesser quality durian at RM38/kg. The seller will help to choose a fruit that is ripe and creamy but not overripe. You can take home the partially opened fruit or just transfer it to a styrofoam container that you put in the fridge when you get home.
Musang King has smaller seeds and is creamier than what I usually buy. But the less expensive fruit is good enough for me since I buy durian pretty often. If you had a durian orchard why would you grow fruit that does not taste good? If I were a durian farmer I certainly would not. The difference in quality between Musang King and the others is not that noticeable.
My friends from India who visit me just hate the smell because it (sorry to be so graphic!) smells like fruity poo and refuse to taste it or taste it with a cringing expression. I'm sure that other people have the same reaction. But if you do visit Malaysia (or another durian country such as Singapore or Thailand -- both remarkable countries for food as well), you should partake. It is the closest you will come to eating palkova from a tree.
- rorykoehler 7y agoI'm Irish and I really like Durian. The flavour and character can really change amongst different varieties too.
- ianai 7y agoHow do you most often eat it? Raw? With some condiment?
- czl_my 7y agoYes, also at room temperature
- vdas 7y agoYou would eat the flesh raw and discard the seeds. Some people like to pair durians with mangosteens[0]. Durian burps have a strange aftertaste so most people I know avoid drinking carbonated drinks (i.e. Coke, Pepsi) while eating durian. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangosteen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangosteen
- ValentineC 7y ago> Durian burps have a strange aftertaste so most people I know avoid drinking carbonated drinks (i.e. Coke, Pepsi) while eating durian. I grew up with durian, and I think durian burps are fine. In the region, there's this belief that durians shouldn't be eaten with alcohol though — you're welcome to read up on the myth behind it.
- ak39 7y agoHow does it compare to Jack fruit?
- vdas 7y agoJackfruit flesh is firm and juicy. In contrast, durian flesh is creamy -- imagine thick, dense whipped cream around a jackfruit-like seed. You can't cook with durian seeds like you can with jackfruit seeds (i.e. chakkakuru upperi or chakkakuru mezhukkupuratti)
- callmeal 7y agoThere are two different varietals of jackfruit: one with firm/crunchy flesh (this is the kind you see canned in stores) and the other with creamy. Durian is like the jackfruit with the creamy flesh (in texture), but durian's fruit is larger. They have a similar mouthfeel (and taste: to me, that is), but the smell puts off a lot of people. Unfortunately you don't get the creamy jackfruit in a lot of places so you have to hunt for it. Luckily my parents have a tree in their back yard....
- nrmn 7y agoCan jackfruit be eaten raw too?
- 2muchcoffeeman 7y agoYes. The seeds can also be saved and cooked. And if you have the young fruit, you could cook it in say a curry like a meat substitute.
- ajudson 7y agoIs the creamy jackfruit the same thing as cempedak?
- vram11 7y agoBased on looking up durian in Wikipedia, and having seen large jackfruits in India, I can say that jackfruit can grow much larger.
- AlchemistCamp 7y agoThis is the stuff of nightmares. My old roommate was a durian fan and thanks to him, our refrigerator often smelled like it had a rotting carcass in it. There's something powerful about the fruit. It's an acquired taste and an extreme one, but people who love it really love it.
- jessaustin 7y agoI only had it once. It was awful, but I could tell that if I ate it again I would develop a taste for it. That's why I haven't had it since.
- gshakir 7y agoI might visit KL soon, which place would you recommend to try out eating Durian? And which place to get it to bring it back home? I am hoping they take care of packing etc.
- jeromegv 7y agoMost airlines recommend against bringing durian on flights. Also, not sure which country you are from, but at least in Canada/USA you can’t bring fresh fruits from abroad, it’s strictly forbidden and there are dogs walking around the airport trained for the smell of food.
- harrygeez 7y agoYou'll want to head out to the suburbs. There's an area called SS2 that is where most of the locals go to have their durians. I'd recommend against taking it out because even for locals many of us can't bear the smell, and it's considered impolite. On a side note, are you coming here for NG MY conference?
- gshakir 7y agoThank you. I had to look up “NG MY” conference, so, no not coming for Angular conference.
- ValentineC 7y agoProtip: the cultivar of durian matters, and is what I suspect makes many foreigners dislike durian (since they're likely to buy the cheapest to hedge their risk). Musang King (mentioned in the article, though some unscrupulous sellers might pass D101 off as it) and D24 are favourites among the locals. The cheapest is usually either Red Prawn, Green Bamboo, or Black Pearl, which aren't that great. I think this article is pretty decent in describing the more common durian cultivars found in Malaysia: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/hail-the-king-of-fruit-10-types-of-durians-from-malaysia https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/hail-the-king-of-frui...
- kzrdude 7y agoSounds pretty expensive for a fruit, especially in Malaysia! So is it a luxury food?
- harrygeez 7y agoIn some ways it is. But in the grand scheme of things it doesn't cost that much more than a meal at a restaurant, and many people actually consume them as if durians were a meal
- klingonopera 7y agoThis comparison is highly skewed: In Malaysia, in part maybe also due to cheap labour, it is far more frequent and standard to go out to eat, a entire full course meal in a "restaurant" ("Mamak" stall) costs less than a pack of cigarettes/a can of beer. So if you're comparing this to the European type of restaurant, much cheaper than you'd believe. Source: Lived there when I was 7-16 years old. EDIT: Because of Islam, a can of beer in Malaysia is more expensive, and costs the same/somewhat less than a pack of cigarettes.
- harrygeez 7y agoI'm comparing against more... "proper"(?) restaurants actually, where it's normal to cost anything from RM30-RM50 for a meal. P.S. I'm not belittling hawker food/budget food options, it's just when you go to restaurants I feel that you expect a certain level of hospitality, just like how you don't really call kebab joints restaurants in Europe?
- klingonopera 7y agoYeah, but you can see "Restauran" on many signs in Malaysia belonging to those hawker and mamak stalls, and they "own" that word in Malaysia. Where in Europa (and I'm guessing in Northern America, too) you'd say you're going to a restaurant for dinner, you'd have to emphasize that fact in Malaysia that it would be an "uptown" joint. I hadn't realized Durians were that expensive! Maybe I have the kilogram-price in my head, but I thought they were less than RM10... But yeah, RM30-50 is normal, cheap I would think, for a "proper" restaurant in Malaysia. But I haven't been there since ~2013, and last lived there ~2006, and in the meantime, had the feeling that the RM lost buying power over the years...
- youeseh 7y agoI was afraid of Durian because of everything I'd heard about its smell. Then, one day I visited Vietnam and a friend brought Durian for all of us to try. The smell wasn't bad at all and it tasted pretty good!
- philliphaydon 7y agoI live in Singapore. Tried it 3 times. Durian I’ve cream, durian pancake, and just the raw fruit. I just don’t like it at all :/ but damn it’s popular! Amazing seeing people queue for it.
- darklajid 7y agoExpat in SG here. Durian is really nice, the smell doesn't bother me. I do think it's very heavy and filling though, so I rarely eat a lot.