"The Durian"

written by David Klein
Owner of Living Nutrition Magazine

Durian, the legendary tropical fruit of Oceana, is considered by
many to be the ultimate eating experience. Covered with a thick
brown spiky husk, it resembles a bizarre medieval football.

However, the treasure that lies within is out of this world!

Durians are mainly available in the U.S. and Europe from inner-city
Asian food stores. If your Asian grocer does not recognize the
name durian, ask for it by the name of its most popular variety
grown in Thailand, "monthong." Durians typically arrive frozen
from Thailand.

They are also grown and, to a lesser extent, exported from
Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, northern Australia, Central
America and Hawaii. When frozen, they typically sell for around
$0.99 to $1.50 per pound; fresh they typically sell for $4.00 per
pound. Averaging seven pounds each, durian is an expensive
meal but you may find them to be well worth any price!

A good durian has a light fruity aroma, but a durian which has a
repulsively noxious aroma may still be good to eat. The husk may
he decomposing and releasing sulfurous gases, giving it the
characteristic rotten egg aroma. But don't give up--ecstasy resides
within!

Durians typically have five inner chambers (or "locules", each
with a soft creamy, yellowish piece of fruit, with one or two large
seeds (to be discarded). Each chamber, or pod, has an invisible
seam down the middle.

When naturally ripened on the tree, the seams split open, yielding
fruit for fortunate primate or human connoisseurs. Since virtually
no durians arrive at the market split open, you can try feeling for
the seam and peeling the pods open with your finger nails. If that
fails, a sharp knife will do the trick.

Durian can be eaten semi-frozen, providing a delight reminiscent
of banana-nut ice cream. Eaten at room temperature after thawing,
the durian fruit is amazingly silky and creamy, making it an
incomparable, naturally sensual delight.

Mildly to moderately sweet, with about eight percent fat content
(weightwise), durian is oh so satisfying. However, the secret to the
durian's allure goes way beyond the sweetness. All tropical fruits
contain natural hormonal proteins, precursors to neurotransmitters
which enhance our brain functions and promoting a sense of
well-being.

The durian apparently is the richest food source of these hormonal
proteins, bringing most eaters to a wonderful state of euphoria and
happiness, of loving and being loved! Indeed, durian is well known
as an aphrodisiac. But if this makes you uneasy, fear not, for the
effect is comfortable and natural.

In contrast to the dense, ice cream like texture imparted by
freezing, fresh (unfrozen) durian is lighter, reminiscent of whipped
cream. If you can shell out the $30 to $36 for a fresh durian, here's
hoping that it it is a perfectly ripe one!

Durians are available in different varieties, each varying in flavors
and textures. Generally, a small percentage of the durians we
choose will not be completely ripe. They can be hard, rubbery and
unpalatable.

The quality of the fruit inside is not easily discerned, making
durian buying a bit of a gamble, however, a nice fruity aroma and a
light brown husk are the best clues to go by. Avoid dark brown
husks, these typically have been thawed out and refrozen one or
more times, reducing their flavor and producing the characteristic
rotten egg aroma.

If you get one or more "bad" durians, don't give up! The next one
might provide the eating experience of your life! A good durian is,
in my opinion, the ultimate mono meal. Share one with a friend
and enjoy this gem of Creation.

Special thanks to Nirav of the Durian Palace
www.DurianPalace.com for contributing to this article.

Article by Dave Klein, Owner of Living Nutrition Magazine



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2007 03:43AM by Bryan.

Cool, I have an article about durians too. And I don't even sell them or anything.

D is for...

Durian is often given the title The King of Fruits. It is the only real fruit that combines fat with sugar. Most people seem to either love it or hate it. The flesh is creamy like vanilla pudding and, to me, tastes similar to a vanilla custard. The durian fruit is most well known, however, for its strong odor, which smells quite unlike anything you've ever encountered. In the United States, Durian is often found frozen in Asian specialty markets...or at a fruit stand in a Chinatown near you! Sometimes, however, during durian season in the fall, one can come across a rare (and very expensive) fresh durian!

Be careful picking those Durians up, though! A Durian is an alien looking fruit covered in hard spikes! (In the Malay language "Durian" translates as meaning "thorny fruit"...) But when it is ready and willing to be consumed, it magically splits open as it ripens to reveal its soft, creamy inner flesh...

A fresh durian is magical and sensual, but durian also freezes amazingly well due to it's hight fat content. Sometimes, I even prefer to buy it frozen because frozen durians are consistantly delicious and frozen at their peak of ripeness and flavor. In most Asian Markets, durians are found in the frozen food aisle along with the other frozen exotic fruits, such as jackfruit and lychees,

Frozen Durian is by far the best raw food substitute for ice cream! Here's what I like to do:

~Take two pods (once you open one up you'll know what I mean...) of Durian from the freezer and put them in the blender (exclusive of pits, of course) . A thick cream will form just like ice cream! Put it in a bowl and top it with some shredded dried coconut and the chocolate sauce below for the best Sundae ever!

For the chocolate sauce: - 1.5 cups maple syrup (organic grade B, it's less filtered and darker which makes it richer in vitamins and minerals)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raw carob powder
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs

Blend all of these up (I love the small, convenient but still powerful Magic Bullet blender) and you have an amazing chocolate sauce to drizzle on your Durian ice cream!

Sometimes, for the unaccustomed Westerner, the pungent odor, creamy texture and elusive taste of the Durian may take a bit of getting used to. To gradually adjust those lackadaisical tastebuds to this exotic, naturally delicious specialty this recipe works great!

~2 pods Durian
~2 cups orange juice
~water of 1 coconut (old or young)

Blend all of these to make an amazing thick and creamy Durian Colada smoothie!

The Durian is Not just another tropical fad fruit. Fresh or frozen the experience of a Durian, it's unique taste texture and pungent perfume, is not to be missed!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2007 04:25AM by Bryan.

I have a close relation to durians....as my name's Dorian.
haha-theres a few times when I accidently say"hey I'm Durian"
oincedence?I'd hope not!

Cheerios...Big D!

See you at the top!!

Thanks Mike for this very informative article on durians. I took the liberty of saving everyone having to click on the link to see the entire article, instead I just copied the article into your post.

Thanks again for your contributions to our forum. We know how much you love contributing here.

Narz, I can't believe you provided
a link to your website. You will be
Banned if you do it again.

ha ha, just kidding! I won't ban you.

YES..king of fruits for sure





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2007 03:57AM by coconutcream.

In case any on you were wondering, I caught Mike with his fingers in the raw cookie jar. For the time being, I am not permitting Mike to put links on messages to his website, so he can make sales off of members here. In the past, I would permit this, as Mike made an valuable contribution to this forum. Nowadays, most of Mike's contribution is about products he sells on his website, or about products where he is an affiliate in a multilevel marketing program. As I run across these kind of marketing messages, these commercial advertisements, I will be deleting them.

I've asked several folks on this website to not put signatures in their profiles that point to online stores that sell raw foods oriented products. For the most part, every person complied with my request. However, Mike feels that he doesn't need to follow the rules, and continues to post links to his website. If this behavior continues, you can ask Mike your questions on the rawfoodtalk or other raw forums, as he won't be posting here.

Mike, you really shouldn't try to sell us durian. Go get a real job at Burger King or something! You dity spammer!

Hey, I just heard about Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump who were, oh, wait a second...

Anyways...this thread is about Durian.

The first person to guess the answer to the
following question will receive a free copy
of the bestselling book "Raw Food Made Easy
For 1 or 2 People" by Jennifer Cornbleet

The Question: What book is the following article from?

Durian...

It's consistence and flavour are indescribable.
A rich butterlike custard highly flavoured with
almonds give the best general idea of it, but
intermingled with it comes wafts of flavours 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 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 has 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.

The durian fruit is one of the 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
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.

Durian contains high levels of tryptophan.

This is an amino acid and a tryptamine (similar to
serotonic, 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 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.

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