Durian

Thedurian(/ˈdʊəriən/) is the edible fruit of several treespeciesbelonging to thegenusDurio. There are 30 recognized species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit.Durio zibethinus, native toBorneoandSumatra, is the only species available on the international market. It has over 300 named varieties in Thailand and over 200 in Malaysia as of 2021. Other species are sold in their local regions.
Known in some regions as the "king of fruits",the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, andthorn-coveredrind. The fruit can grow as large as 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs 1 to 3 kg (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk from green to brown, and its flesh from pale yellow to red, depending on the species.
Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering and unpleasant. The smell evokes reactions ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The persistence of its strong odour, which may linger for several days, has led some hotels and public transportation services inSoutheast Asia, such as inSingaporeandBangkok, to ban the fruit. The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of sweet desserts and savoury dishes inSoutheast Asian cuisines. The seeds can be eaten when cooked.
The name "durian" is derived from theMalaywordduri(thorn), a reference to the numerous prickly thorns on the fruit'srind, combined with the noun-building suffix-an.According to theOxford English Dictionary, the word was first used in English in 1588, in a translation ofJuan González de Mendoza'sHistorie of the Great and Mightie Kingdome of China.Historical variant spellings includedurion,duryoen,duroyen,durean, anddorian.The name of thetype species,D. zibethinus, is derived from Italianzibetto(thecivet), as the strong pungent stink of the fruit reminded people of the smell of the animal.
Durian trees are large, growing to 25–50 metres (80–165 feet) in height depending on the species.The leaves areevergreen, elliptic to oblong and 10–18 centimetres (4–7 inches) long. The flowers are produced in three to thirty clusters together on large branches and directly on the trunk, with each flower having a calyx (sepals) and five (rarely four or six)petals. Durian trees have one or two flowering and fruiting periods per year, although the timing varies depending on the species, cultivars, and localities. A typical durian tree can bear fruit after four or five years. The durian fruit can hang from any branch, and matures roughly three months afterpollination. The fruit can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and typically weighs 1 to 3 kilograms (2–7 lb).Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on the species.Among the thirty known species ofDurio, nine produce edible fruits:D. zibethinus,D. dulcis,D. grandiflorus,D. graveolens,D. kutejensis,D. lowianus,D. macrantha,D. oxleyanusandD. testudinarius.
D. zibethinusis the only species commercially cultivated on a large scale and available outside its native region.Since this species is open-pollinated, it shows considerable diversity in fruit colour and odour, size of flesh and seed, and treephenology. In the species name,zibethinusrefers to the Indian civet,Viverra zibetha. There is disagreement over whether this name, bestowed byLinnaeus, alludes to civets being so fond of the durian that the fruit was used as bait to entrap them, or to the durian's smelling like the civet.
Durian flowers are large and feathery, with copiousnectar; they give off a heavy, sour, buttery odour. These features are typical of flowers pollinated by certain species ofbatsthat eat nectar andpollen.Durians can be pollinated by bats (the cave nectar batEonycteris spelaea, the lesser short-nosed fruit batCynopterus brachyotis, and the large flying fox,Pteropus vampyrus).Two species,D. grandiflorusandD. oblongus, are pollinated byspiderhunterbirds (Nectariniidae), whileD. kutejensisis pollinated bygiant honey beesand birds as well as by bats.Some scientists have hypothesised that the development of monothecateanthersand larger flowers (compared with those of the remaining genera in Durioneae) in the clade consisting ofDurio,Boschia, andCulleniawas in conjunction with a transition from beetle pollination to vertebrate pollination.
Over the centuries, numerous duriancultivars, propagated by vegetativeclones, have arisen in Southeast Asia. They used to be grown, with mixed results, from seeds of trees bearing superior quality fruit. They are now propagated bylayering,marcotting, or more commonly,grafting, including bud, veneer, wedge, whip and U-grafting, onto seedlings of randomly selectedrootstocks. Different cultivars may be distinguished to some extent by variations in the fruit shape, such as the shape of the spines.
The Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry has since 1934 maintained a list of registered varieties, where each cultivar is assigned a common name and a code number starting with "D". These codes are widely used through Southeast Asia; as of 2021, there were over 200 registered varieties.Many superior cultivars have been identified through competitions held at the annual Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agrotourism Show. There are 13 common Malaysian varieties having favourable qualities of colour, texture, odour, taste, high yield, and resistance against various diseases.
Musang King(D197) was discovered in the 1980s, when a man named Tan Lai Fook from Raub, Pahang, stumbled upon a durian tree inGua Musang,Kelantan. He brought a branch back to Raub for grafting. The cultivar was named after its place of origin.The variety has bright yellow flesh and is like a more potent or enhanced version of the D24. The D24 or Sultan durian has golden yellow flesh and a rich texture and aroma. It is a popular variety in Malaysia.
Other popular cultivars in Malaysia include "Tekka", with a distinctive yellowish core in the inner stem; "D168" (IOI), which is round, of medium size, green and yellow outer skin, and easily dislodged flesh which is medium-thick, solid, yellow in colour, and sweet;and "Red Prawn" (Udang Merah, D175), found in the states ofPahangandJohor.The fruit is medium-sized, oval, brownish green, with short thorns. The flesh is thick, not solid, yellow-coloured, and has a sweet taste.
Indonesia has more than 100 varieties of durian. The most cultivated species isD. zibethinus.Notable varieties are Sukun (Central Java), Sitokong (Betawi), Sijapang (Betawi), Simas (Bogor), Sunan (Jepara), Si dodol and Si hijau (South Kalimantan),and Petruk (Central Java).
In Thailand, Mon Thong is the most commercially sought after cultivar, for its thick, full-bodied creamy and mild sweet-tasting flesh with moderate smell and smaller seeds, while Chanee is most resistant to infection byPhytophthora palmivora. Kan Yao is less common, but prized for its longer window of time when it is both sweet and odourless. Among the cultivars in Thailand, five are currently in large-scale commercial cultivation: Chanee, Mon Thong, Kan Yao, Ruang, and Kradum.
By 2007, Thai government scientist Songpol Somsri had crossbred more than ninety varieties of durian to create Chantaburi No. 1, a cultivar without the characteristic odour.Another hybrid, Chantaburi No. 3, develops the odour about three days after the fruit is picked, which enables an odourless transport yet satisfies consumers who prefer the pungent odour.In 2012, two odourless cultivars, Long Laplae and Lin Laplae, were presented to the public by Yothin Samutkhiri, governor of Thailand'sUttaradit provincewhere they were developed.
In 2018, Thailand was ranked the world's number one exporter of durian, producing around 700,000 tonnes of durian per year, 400,000 tonnes of which are exported to mainland China and Hong Kong.Chantaburiin Thailand holds the World Durian Festival in early May each year. This single province is responsible for half of the durian production of Thailand.TheDavao Regionis the top producer of the fruit in the Philippines, producing 60% of the country's total.
InBrunei, consumers preferD. graveolens,D. kutejensis, andD. oxleyanus. These species constitute agenetically diversecrop source.
Durian was introduced into Australia in the early 1960s, and clonal material followed in 1975. Over thirty clones ofD. zibethinusand six otherDuriospecies have been subsequently introduced into Australia.In 2019 the value of imported fresh durian became the highest of all fresh fruits imported to China, which was previouslycherries.In 2021, China purchased at least US$3.4 billion worth or 90 percent of Thailand's fresh durian exports in that year.Overall Chinese imports grew to $4 billion in 2022, when the Philippines and Vietnam gained permission to export fresh durians to China, and $6.7 billion in 2023 when 1.4 million tonnes were imported. Durian has become astatus symbolindicating wealth. Durian from Thailand retails at around ¥150 (US$20), while the more prestigious Musang King variety retails at around ¥500 and can be a birthday or wedding gift. The potential value for exporters has allowed China to leverage durian as part of trade talks.The entire export of durians from Southeast Asia to China increased from US$550 million in 2017, to US$6.7 billion in 2023.China's largest imports of the fruit came from Thailand, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam.
Durian is a relatively costly fruit because of its short shelf life.Shelf life can be extended to around 4 to 5 weeks by shrink wrapping each fruit. This inhibits dehiscence, probably by multiple mechanisms: inhibiting respiration; reducing loss of water; holding the fruit's parts together; and reducing decomposition by microbes.The edible portion of the fruit, known as theariland usually called the 'flesh' or 'pulp', only accounts for about 15–30% of the mass of the entire fruit.
The strong flavour and odour of the fruit have prompted views ranging from appreciation to disgust.Writing in 1856, the BritishnaturalistAlfred Russel Wallacecalled the fruit's consistency and flavour "indescribable. A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy." He concluded that it provided a "new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. ... as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed."Wallace described himself as being at first reluctant to try it because of the aroma, but on eating one in Borneo "out of doors, I at once became a confirmed Durian eater".He cites another writer  as stating: "To those not used to it, it seems at first to smell like rotten onions, but immediately after they have tasted it they prefer it to all other food. The natives give it honourable titles, exalt it, and make verses on it."
The novelistAnthony Burgesswrote that eating durian is "like eating sweet raspberryblancmangein the lavatory".The travel and food writerRichard Sterlingstates that "its odor is best described as pig-excrement, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock."Other comparisons have been made with thecivet,sewage, stalevomit,skunkspray and usedsurgical swabs.Such descriptions may reflect the odour's variability.Different species and cultivars vary markedly in aroma; for example, red durian (D. dulcis) has a deepcaramelflavour with aturpentineodour while red-fleshed durian (D. graveolens) emits a fragrance of roastedalmonds.
The fruit's strong smell has led to its ban from public transport systems in Singaporeand in Bangkok.
A draftgenomeanalysis of durian indicates it has about 46,000codingand non-codinggenes, among which a class calledmethionine gamma-lyases– which regulate the odour of organosulfur compounds – may be primarily responsible for the distinct odour.
Hundreds ofphytochemicalsresponsible for durian flavour and aroma include diversevolatilecompounds, such asesters,ketones,alcohols(primarilyethanol), andorganosulfur compounds, with variousthiols.Ethyl 2-methylbutanoatehad the highest content among esters in a study of several varieties.Sugar content, primarilysucrose, has a range of 8–20% among different durian varieties.Durian flesh contains diversepolyphenols, especiallymyricetin, and variouscarotenoids, including a rich content ofbeta-carotene.In 2019,ethanethioland its derivatives was identified as a source of the fetid smell. However, the biochemical pathway by which the plant produces ethanethiol remained unclear.
People in Southeast Asia with frequent exposures to durian are able to easily distinguish the sweet-like scent of its ketones and esters from rotten orputrescineodours which are from volatile amines andfatty acids. Some individuals are unable to differentiate these smells and find this fruit noxious, whereas others find it pleasant and appealing.
This strong odour can be detected half a mile away by animals, thus luring them. In addition, the fruit is highly appetising to diverse animals, includingsquirrels,mouse deer, pigs,sun bear,orangutan,elephants, and even carnivoroustigers.While some of these animals swallow the seed with the fruit and then transport it some distance before excreting, thus dispersing the seed.The thorny, armoured covering of the fruit discourages smaller animals; larger animals are more likely to transport the seeds far from the parent tree.
According toLarousse Gastronomique, the durian fruit is ready to eat when its husk begins to crack.However, the ideal stage of ripeness to be enjoyed varies from region to region in Southeast Asia and by species. Some species grow so tall that they can only be collected once they have fallen to the ground, whereas most cultivars ofD. zibethinusare nearly always cut from the tree and allowed to ripen while waiting to be sold. Some people insouthern Thailandprefer their durians relatively young, when the clusters of fruit within the shell are still crisp in texture and mild in flavour. For some people innorthern Thailand, the preference is for the fruit to be soft and aromatic. In Malaysia and Singapore, most consumers prefer the fruit to be as ripe and pungent in aroma as possible and may even risk allowing the fruit to continue ripening after its husk has already cracked open. In this state, the flesh becomes richly creamy and slightly alcoholic.
The various preferences regarding ripeness among consumers make it hard to issue general statements about choosing a "good" durian. A durian that falls off the tree continues to ripen for two to four days, but after five or six days most would consider it overripe and unpalatable.All the same, some Thais cook such overripe fruit with palm sugar, creating a dessert called durian (or thurian) guan.
In Thailand, durian is eaten fresh with sweet sticky rice, and blocks of durian paste are sold in the markets, though much of the paste isadulteratedwithpumpkin.Unripe durians are cooked as a vegetable, except in the Philippines, where all uses are sweet rather than savoury. Malaysians make both sugared and salted preserves from durian. When durian is minced with salt, onions and vinegar, it is calledboder. In Kelantan of Malaysia, fresh durian or tempoyak is mixed with onion and chilli slices, lime juice and budu (fermented anchovy sauce) and eaten as a condiment with rice-based meals. The seeds, which are the size of chestnuts, can be eaten boiled, roasted or fried incoconut oil, with a texture that is similar totarooryam, but stickier. InJava, the seeds are sliced thin and cooked with sugar as a confection. Uncooked seeds are potentially toxic due tocyclopropenefatty acids.
Durian fruit is used to flavour a wide variety of sweet edibles such as traditional Malay candy,ice kacang,dodol,lempuk,rose biscuits,ice cream,milkshakes,mooncakes,Yule logs, andcappuccino.Es durian(durian ice cream) is a popular dessert in Indonesia, sold at streetside stalls in Indonesian cities, especially in Java.Pulut durianorketan durianisglutinous ricesteamed withcoconut milkand served with ripened durian. InSabah, red durian is fried with onions and chilli and served as a side dish.Red-fleshed durian is traditionally added tosayur, an Indonesian soup made from freshwater fish.Ikan brengkes tempoyakis fish cooked in a durian-based sauce, traditional inSumatra.
Raw durian is composed of 65% water, 27%carbohydrates(including 4%dietary fibre), 5%fatand 1%protein. In 100 grams, raw or fresh frozen durian provides 33% of theDaily Value(DV) ofthiamineand a moderate content of otherB vitamins,vitamin C, and thedietary mineralmanganese(15–24% DV, table). Different durian varieties from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia vary in their carbohydrate content from 16 to 29%, fat content from 2–5%, protein content from 2–4%, anddietary fibrecontent from 1–4%, and incaloric valuefrom 84 to 185 kcal per 100 grams.The fatty acids in durian flesh are particularly rich inoleic acidandpalmitic acid.
The origin of the durian is thought to be in the region of Borneo and Sumatra, with wild trees in theMalay Peninsulaandorchardscommonly cultivated in a wide region from India to New Guinea.Four hundred years ago, it was traded across present-day Myanmar and was actively cultivated especially in Thailand andSouth Vietnam.
The earliest known European reference to the durian is the record ofNiccolò de' Conti, who travelled to Southeast Asia in the 15th century.Translated from theLatinin whichPoggio Bracciolinirecorded de Conti's travels: "They [people of Sumatra] have a green fruit which they call durian, as big as a watermelon. Inside there are five things like elongated oranges, and resembling thick butter, with a combination of flavours."The Portuguese physicianGarcia de Ortadescribed durians inColóquios dos simples e drogas da Indiapublished in 1563. In 1741,Herbarium Amboinenseby the German botanistGeorg Eberhard Rumphiuswas published, providing the most detailed and accurate account of durians for over a century. The genusDuriohas a complextaxonomythat has seen the subtraction and addition of many species since it was created by Rumphius.During the early stages of its taxonomical study, there was some confusion between durian and thesoursop(Annona muricata), for both of these species had thorny green fruit.The Malay name for the soursop isdurian Belanda, meaningDutch durian.In the 18th century,Johann Anton Weinmannconsidered the durian to belong toCastaneaeas its fruit was similar to the horse chestnut.
D. zibethinuswas introduced intoCeylonby the Portuguese in the 16th century and was reintroduced many times later. It has been planted in the Americas but confined tobotanical gardens. The first seedlings were sent from theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, toAuguste Saint-ArromanofDominicain 1884.
In Southeast Asia, the durian has been cultivated for centuries at the village level, probably since the late 18th century, and commercially since the mid-20th century.InMy Tropic Isle, Australian author andnaturalistEdmund James Banfieldtells how, in the early 20th century, a friend in Singapore sent him a durian seed, which he planted and cared for on his tropical island off the north coast ofQueensland.
In 1949, the British botanistE. J. H. CornerpublishedThe Durian Theory, or the Origin of the Modern Tree. This proposed thatendozoochory(the enticement of animals to transport seeds in their stomach) arose before any other method ofseed dispersaland that primitive ancestors ofDuriospecies were the earliest practitioners of that dispersal method, in particular red durian (D. dulcis) exemplifying the primitive fruit of flowering plants. However, in more recent circumscriptions of Durioneae, the tribe into whichDurioand its sister taxa fall, fleshy arils and spiny fruits are derived within the clade. Some genera possess these characters, but others do not. The most recent molecular evidence (on which the most recent, well-supported circumscription of Durioneae is based) therefore refutes Corner's Durian Theory.
Since the early 1990s, the domestic and international demand for durian in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has increased significantly.In the early 2020s, a durian craze in China led to a large increase in international trade of the fruit.
A common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten with coffeeor alcoholic beverages.The latter belief can be traced back at least to the 18th century whenRumphiusstated that one should not drink alcohol after eating durians as it will cause indigestion andbad breath. In 1929, J. D. Gimlette wrote in hisMalay Poisons and Charm Curesthat the durian fruit must not be eaten withbrandy. In 1981, J. R. Croft wrote in hisBombacaceae: In Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guineathat "a feeling of morbidity" often follows the consumption of alcohol too soon after eating durian. Several medical investigations on the validity of this belief have been conducted with varying conclusions,though a study by theUniversity of Tsukubafinds the fruit's high sulphur content inhibits the activity ofaldehyde dehydrogenase, causing a 70 percent reduction of the ability to clear certain toxins such as alcohol from the body.
In its native Southeast Asia, the durian is an everyday food and portrayed in the local media in accordance with the cultural perception it has in the region. The durian symbolised the subjective nature of ugliness and beauty inHong KongdirectorFruit Chan's 2000 filmDurian Durian(榴槤飄飄,lau lin piu piu), and was a nickname for the reckless but lovable protagonist of the eponymous Singaporean TV comedyDurian Kingplayed byAdrian Pang.Likewise, the oddly shapedEsplanadebuilding in Singapore (Theatres on the Bay) is often called "The Durian" by locals,and "The Big Durian" is the nickname ofJakarta, Indonesia.
A saying in Malay and Indonesian,mendapat durian runtuh, "getting a fallen durian", is the equivalent of the English phrase 'windfall gain'.
Nevertheless, trees bearing mature durians are dangerous because the fruit is heavy, armed with sharp thorns, and can fall from a significant height.Hardhatsare worn when collecting the fruit. A common saying is that a durian has eyes, and can see where it is falling, because the fruit supposedly never falls during daylight hours when people may be hurt.In Malaysia, a spineless durian clone D172 was registered by the Agriculture Department in 1989. It was called "Durian Botak" ('Bald Durian').
Sumatran elephantsand tigers sometimes eat durians.Being a fruit much loved by a variety of animals, the durian is sometimes taken to signify the animalistic aspect of humans, as in the legend ofOrang Mawas, the Malaysian version of Bigfoot, andOrang Pendek, its Sumatran version, both of which have been claimed to feast on durians.
In Malaysia, adecoctionof the leaves and roots used to be prescribed as anantipyretic. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient.The most complete description of the medicinal use of the durian as remedies for fevers is a Malay prescription, collected by Burkill and Haniff in 1930. It instructs the reader to boil the roots ofHibiscus rosa-sinensiswith the roots ofDurio zibethinus,Nephelium longana,Nephelium mutabileandArtocarpus integrifolius, and drink the decoction or use it as apoultice.
Southeast Asian traditional beliefs, as well as traditionalChinese food therapy, consider the durian fruit to have warming properties liable to causeexcessive sweating.The traditional method to counteract this is to pour water into the empty shell of the fruit after the pulp has been consumed and drink it.An alternative method is to eat the durian in accompaniment with mangosteen, which is considered to have cooling properties. Pregnant women or people withhigh blood pressureare traditionally advised not to consume durian.
TheJavanesebelieve durian to haveaphrodisiacqualities, and impose a set of rules on what may or may not be consumed with it or shortly thereafter.A saying inIndonesian,durian jatuh sarung naik, meaning "the durian falls and thesarongcomes up", refers to this belief.The warnings against the supposed lecherous quality of this fruit soon spread to the West – theSwedenborgianphilosopherHerman Vetterlingcommented on so-called "erotic properties" of the durian in the early 20th century.
The high demand for durians in China has prompted a shift in Malaysia from small-scale durian orchards to large-scale industrial operations. Forests are cleared to make way for large durian plantations, compounding an existing deforestation problem caused by the cultivation ofoil palms.Animal species such as thesmall flying fox, which pollinates durian trees, and theMalayan tigerare endangered by the increasing deforestation of their habitats.In theGua Musang District, the state government approved the conversion of 40 km(10,000 acres) of forestry, including indigenous lands of theOrang Asli, to durian plantations.
The prevalence of the Musang King and Monthong varieties in Malaysia and Thailand, respectively, has led to concerns about a decrease in the durian'sgenetic diversityat the expense of higher-quality varieties.A 2022 study of durian species inKalimantan, Indonesia, found low genetic diversity, suggestive ofinbreeding depressionandgenetic drift.Additionally, these dominant hybrid varieties are more susceptible to pests and fungal diseases, requiring the use ofinsecticidesandfungicidesthat can weaken the trees.