Durian fruit is widely revered as the “King of Fruits” in the South-East Asian countries. Five or six times larger than the mango, it is a unique fruit with thick and rough skin, covered with sharp thorns. One of its own kinds, the durian tree is a tropical and seasonal fruit, its season lasts typically from June until August. Durian tree starts bearing fruits after four or five years after plantation. The tree can grow up to 50 meters in height depending on the species.
Durian Fruit in Vietnam
This soccer ball-sized fruit is normally loved or hated; loved by the locals and hated by westerners! It would be the only fruit that keeps people arguing, fighting with each other either to ”destroy” or to place this fruit on a throne! But the road to the glory seems difficult, despite the huge popularity that the durian gain over a hundred years! It has an extremely unpleasant smell. Scientists examine what chemicals make the Asian fruit smell like “turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock”. Many people think it has smells of rotten eggs.
The fruit is so stinky that most airlines have to ban passengers from carrying this fruit on board and it’s banned from public places in Singapore. In Vietnam there’s no banning here – eat it, sell it, and transport it where-ever you want. For Vietnamese this kind of fruit is delicious, soft, succulent and very popular for its unique characteristics.
At first, maybe you will find it smell terrible. Yet if you can eat it, you will love it. Just after cutting the edge of the outer sell gently, one will be fascinated by layers of bright yellow segments of meat shining like butter. It has the special flavor of well-kept honey and rich in nutrition. “Smell like hell, taste like heaven”, that is what they talk about durians. In addition, it is an excellent source of energy and excellent at keeping your regular. It’s high in fat, calories, vitamin C, iron, copper, potassium, thiamin and folate.
In Vietnam durian fruit is not only a fresh fruit to enjoy after peeling, but also an important ingredient in various succulent foods like sweet soups, steamed sticky rice with durian fruit, durian ice cream, durian smoothie, durian candy, dried durian fruit… If you come to Vietnam, you can find stalls or three-wheeled motorbike which sell it on the streets or in any markets.
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