Durian season has already started in some parts of Malaysia, and it's a hot topic among durian enthusiasts!
Common durian-fueled conversations like “What’s this year’s price for musang king?”, “Which SS2 durian place offers the best deal?” and “Where can we get the cheapest yet creamy durian kampung?” will dominate chit-chats and Google enquiries among Malaysian durian fans.
Despite all these innocuous exchanges, once in a while, we did hear some bizarre stories about durian, like this story of a Dato’ who took to the skies to satisfy his Segamat durian cravings with his close buddies.
If you think the story with the Dato’ is wild, you haven’t seen anything yet.
Because hey, we've got more durian legends from abroad for you! They're totally true, by the way.
So crack open some durians and enjoy them while reading this perfect companion piece on your smartphone!
1. Who’s Up For Some Hainan-Grown Durians?
China has been the world’s leading importer of durians since 2017, but the country is about to turn the table soon.
That’s because China is about to have its first homegrown durian harvest this summer after working on it for over four years!
An aerial view of the ladang durian at Hainan Island. Image from SCMP
The Chinese-grown durians are cultivated and will be harvested on Hainan Island due to the island’s tropical climate with mild winter.
No word yet on if the Chinese-grown durians will end up on Malaysian shelves or if they’re exclusive to China only.
Either way, we’re still spoilt with local variants like XO, Musang King, Black Thorn and Udang Merah, right?
2. No More Nose-Pinching!
Some food does taste good when you can get past their signature odour, like durians, which have been getting bad reps over the years.
People who despise durians have been known to describe their smell as rotting socks, fermented garlic and onions, or just straight-up barf.
Well, that is no longer the case with this unique variant of Thai durian!
Tenderly referred to as ‘Pak Chong-Khao Yai’ by the Thai locals, now you can enjoy this almost scentless durian in your hotel room without the fear of being reprimanded!
3. The ‘Botak’ Durian
For those of us who’re fond of durians, we prefer durians the way they are - smelly and thorny!
Plus, you can’t spell durian without ‘duri’ (thorn), right?
Well, check out this rebellious variant of durian - it doesn't have thorns!
Image from Year Of The Durian
First found in Lombok, Indonesia, the locals refer to this thornless durian as ‘durian gundul’. ‘Gondol’ is a legit Malay and Indonesian speak for bald, by the way!
This botak durian can also be found in Davao, Philippines.
This variant produces thinner and sweeter flesh compared to its spiky counterpart. Plus, it’s easier to crack open this durian.
4. Durian For Atas-Atas People
Real T20 folks don’t flex by spending their summer in Cannes. Nor do they flex by charging their BMW iX at a shopping centre parking lot or installing a ceiling fan on their porch just because they can.
The peak T20 are the ones who pay serious money for durians that are fit for royalty!
The kanyao durian, a prized delicacy unique to the Nonthaburi region 40 miles north of Bangkok, is the world's best due to its luxuriously sweet flavour and velvety texture.
Kanyao durian's primary trait is its long stem. Image from Year Of The Durian
In 2019, a wealthy businessman won an auction for a kanyao durian by spending a whopping RM199,289!
That’s a T20 power move for you!
5. Durian Nightwatchmen
Would you be surprised if your pile of gold was looted after being exposed to the elements almost daily?
That’s what happened in Thailand in March this year. Except that the gold we’re talking about is the fleshy, pungent gold in a thorny shell.
Local farmers in the Muang district apparently complained that thieves were sneaking into their plantations at night and plundering ripe durians from the trees.
As a countermeasure, the local police force and affected farmers came up with probably the world’s first durian-guarding service.
6. Who’s The Most Fairest Durian Of Them All?
Here’s another durian-flavoured story from Thailand…
They have a beauty pageant queen who’s slaying it with the king of fruits dress!
7. The Man From Toronto Eats Durian Goreng
A true hallmark of Malaysians is that we get stoked when we see anything remotely connected to our country in pop culture, especially from Hollywood.
Here’s one of those instances:
In this action-comedy movie, ‘The Man From Toronto,’ Randy, played by Woody Harrelson, whips a yummy durian goreng breakfast!
We don’t know about you, but we find this absolutely hilarious since Malaysians typically don’t deep fry durians as a snack like cempedak goreng.
But the on-screen durian goreng looks delicious, though!
8. A Durian Makes A Cameo In Jimmy Kimmel Live
Malaysians, prepare to lose your mind again with another instance of durian taking centre stage in American primetime TV!
Actress Jessica Chastain proclaimed her love for durian during an interview with Jimmy Kimmel on the latter’s talk show.
Even though we can’t help noticing how odd Jimmy slices the durian in half with a serrated blade instead of hacking it with a machete and prying it open with bare hands, Jessica and Jimmy deserve the kudos for bringing durian to the attention of the Americans and the rest of the world!
9. A Makeshift Biological Weapon?
If you’re wondering how alien durian odour is to Europeans, this story might give you a clue.
The smell of Thai durians in a package at a Bavarian post office triggered a panic to the tune of six hospitalised workers, treatment for twelve who suffered from nausea, the presence of six ambulances, five first-responder cars, and two emergency vehicles.
Oh, and add another three fire departments who rushed to the scene to perform containment measures.
Let’s just hope the Germans don’t return the favour to us Asians by ambushing us with their version of ‘durian’, the Limburger cheese. Trust us, you don’t wanna get caught in the waft of this particular cheese!
Hungry For Durians? We Can Lalamove Them To You!
All this talk about the durian has got us craving some of this heavenly fruit. Looks like a great time to visit our durian merchant buddies in SS2, like:
- Dking
If you’re like us but can’t go out to eat durians, you can always hook up with your preferred durian sellers and have it delivered to you with our on-demand delivery service!
Planning to buy packed durians? You can pick our Motorcycle or Car delivery.
If you’re thinking of buying more durians, like more than a car boot can handle, requesting a 4 x 4 Pickup or Van delivery will be a good idea!
Just don’t forget to inform our abang or kakak delivery partner that you’re requesting a durian delivery in the notes before you confirm your delivery.
