Durian Fruit

Durian

The durian fruit is also known as the King of Fruit. It is a member of the Jack fruit family and originally comes from Malaysia, but now is grown all through southeast Asia.

The durian is brownish green and has a semi-hard shell covered with thick spikes. The durian is 8 to 12 inches in diameter, and up to 16 inches long.

The flesh of the durian has a nauseating smell. The flesh is creamy and custard like and tastes similar to sour milk. (Or rotting socks, some people say.) Because of the scent the fruit emits, the durian can only be imported to the United States when it is frozen.

When ripe, the shell of the fruit will crack open on it’s own. Inside the durian, there are 5 to 6 sections, each separated by a white inedible membrane. In each section there are up to 6 shiny black seeds each section. The flesh is kind of spongy and light yellow in color, and the texture is similar to hard cooked scrambled eggs.

The durian grows on a tree related to baobab, cacao, cotton plant, and the mallow. The tree grows 65 to 130 feet and is not very adaptable to many climates.

Durians contain potassium, and vitamin C. Durians are also aphrodisiacs. However, alcohol and the durian fruit create a an unpleasant fermentation, so it is not recommended.

Durian Cake

*This is not my recipe, so therefore the ingredients are in Metric- I just figured you’d like to see an example of how to utilize this fruit!

150 ml butter

200 sugar

4 eggs, separated

120 ml durian pulp

300 ml self rising flour

Beat butter and sugar till light. Add egg yolks, beating well after adding each yolk. Beat in durian pulp. Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth, then fold into the mix.
Gently fold in the flour.
Bake in a greased tin for 60 minutes at 180ºC.

Yields 1 cake.