John Myers
The ovoid or round fruits of the evergreen durian tree, up to 30 cm long and 5 kg in weight, have an olive-green to brown-yellow, leathery skin covered with pyramid-shaped spines. Inside is a tripartite pulp with brown or yellowish seeds up to 7 cm long in a cream-colored or dark yellow shell. Her nickname stinky fruit is no coincidence. Durian smells very intensely and strongly of rotten eggs and turpentine.
Origin
The home of the durian is in Southeast Asia. It is still cultivated there today and is widespread. The fruit is also occasionally found in Australia, the Caribbean, South and Central America. They are very rare to find in Europe.
Season
The durian is ripe once a year from July to August or twice a year from March to April and from September to October.
Taste
With us, the durian is very unpopular because of its strong smell. In its home country, it is still considered a delicacy because of its special taste. Durian tastes like custard and almonds with a hint of cheese and sherry.
Use
In most cases, durian is eaten raw. To do this, the fruit is cut in half and broken open at the seams. The pulp is taken out and eaten from the seeds. In Asia, durian is also cooked and served as a vegetable side dish. The fruit is also often found frozen. This is how it is processed into ice cream and desserts. The seeds are also edible roasted in coconut oil or cooked.
Storage
Durian can be stored at room temperature. However, because of their strong smell, it is advisable to eat them as quickly as possible and to pack them well in plastic foil until then.
Durability
Durian can be stored at 10°C for about two weeks. It can be kept in the fridge at 4-6°C for up to six weeks. If only one half is used, its shell should be placed over the other half. The rest will keep in the fridge for another day.
