When I say we love this spiky, downright smelly, exotic fruit is truly an understatement. We are obsessed with durian, in its purest and authentic form. Its creamy explosion of different flavors blows you away (in the right way), making you close your eyes in bliss and leaving you to say lots of “oohs and aahs” after each bite. I’m not even talking about the benefits you get from consuming this highly nutritious fruit (yes, durians are packed with more health benefits than we think).
Dom and I had more differences than similarities, as I explained here, but we are one team in our shared love for durian.
Our craving for it (or at least Dom’s is on a whole different level). When the durian season is in full swing, he checks the ranking of durian deliveries or stalls and orders different varieties like there is no tomorrow. Once, he even “hid” them in the fridge, buried under a couple of other food items, just long enough to snag one for himself before my sense of smell decides it all belongs to me (lol). It has become our treat after a long workday, a painful visit to the dentist, or a quick trip to the supermarket.
Even when we travel for work or leisure, hunting for the best tasting durian is on our off-the-beaten-track adventure list. We would rent a scooter and drive around town with the wind and the sun shining down on our can’t-wait-to-eat durian faces (lol). We would look for pop-up durian stalls, markets, or farms and stuff our tummies with as much fruit as possible.
Given its hefty price tag (notably the ever-popular and top-grade Mao Shan Wang), we tried not to be touched by its appealing aroma. Still, we always fall under the spell of its call and succumb to its yumminess.
We are far from being knowledgeable and experienced eaters. We just know they are many varieties of durian and range of flavors. So far, we’ve never experienced getting duped with fakes or nasty types (thank goodness!) that make you gag and spit them into a trash can. The sellers, even those wheeling through tourist areas, must have felt our pure passion and obsession (lol) and want us to have the best possible experience.
Love at first bite
Dom’s first durian tasting experience was in 2017. Along with durian-obsessed colleagues, they searched high and low in Bangkok for this picture-perfect magical fruit. Fortunately for Dom, he had an utterly delicious one. He remembered it all vividly – the cream-filled delight and taste like no other. He was hooked and couldn’t get out of its tight grip.
I didn’t understand his obsession with it until one evening in 2018 when we took a detour from our carefully crafted grocery list and tossed a pack of durian into the shopping cart. It was irresistibly and indescribably delicious! I can’t believe I waited that long to try it.
A must-have in our future food forest
Many of my fellow gardeners love this fruit as well. Whenever someone posts a photo of it in the group page, the conversation inevitably gets a lot of attention. We would even challenge ourselves (and some tried!) to plant it and see how it goes.
We have a massive problem with durian – we cannot get enough of it. What if we could grow them? It seemed like an excellent way to have an unlimited supply of it; unfortunately, I can’t have this very tall and large tree in our tiny balcony garden in the middle of the city.
Planting purely organic (if not wild), high-quality durian is a must in our future food forest (which I described in an earlier post here). Not just one tree, but an orchard of the best tasting durian varieties on the planet (lol). Just thinking about hundreds of them falling to the ground makes me salivate with excitement!
Our durian orchard and food forest dream are still years away, but we can’t wait to get it started. A little Googling says it takes four or five years (or 8-10 or more years if grown from seeds) for a typical durian tree to grow and bear fruit. We have to start fast!
We did, or should I say we experimented. One time we gave my mom seeds to try, but nothing came out of it. I guess durian is not an ordinary fruit to grow and will require a lot of hard work, learning and trying. Who said we’re giving up? We don’t call ourselves durian stalkers (lol) for nothing.
For now, we will eat as much as we can and possibly bring others to give their thumbs up at this majestic fruit. I am just kidding! If you are reading this, don’t worry, I will not annoy you to give durian a go. Perhaps, like some of the most common acquired tastes, it’s only a matter of time before durian finds you. Maybe you may like it, or even better, hopelessly fall in love with it.
Good night, for now, our durian love. We will be dreaming of you with all our five senses fully awakened (lol).
It's a wrap, but not for you. I would love to read your delicious discoveries of this magical fruit!
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