Southeast Asian cultivators and connoisseurs will swear that the durian is a fruit without compare. Durian is called King of Fruits in Southeast Asian countries where it is widely abundant. People who have just seen and smell it are immediately turned off by its strong, pungent odor, while for the brave, who manage to taste the fruit itself, the offensiveness of the smell quickly wanes. Some people describe the odor of durian as strong and pervasive that the best hotels refuse to allow their guests to bring durians into their room. But the proof is in the eating, and most people who have tasted it become lifelong addicts.

Durians are not plucked but allowed to fall, which is when they are best for eating. In rural areas, villagers clear the ground beneath the durian tree. They build grass huts nearby at harvest time and camp there for 6 or 8 weeks in order to be ready to collect each fruit as soon as it falls. Caution is necessary when approaching a durian tree during the ripening season, for the falling fruits can cause serious injury. Durians are highly perishable. They are fully ripe 2 to 4 days after falling and lose eating quality in 5 or 6 days.

Fruit Description:

• Durian tree: grow up to 27 m
• Fruit Shape: oblong
• Length: 20-35cm, diameter: 18-22 cm and weighs from 1-9kg.
• Rind: thick, semi-wood with stout, sharply pointed spines; color: yellowish-green.
• Edible Pulp/ flesh: After opening the fruit you will find 5 or less compartments containing the creamy-white or yellowish edible pulp with custard-like consistency.
• Seeds: 1 to 7 chestnut-like seeds, 2-6 cm long with glossy, red-brown color.

Health Benefits:

• Durian is extremely nutritious because it is rich in vitamin B, C and E and with high iron content. Eating durian is alleged to restore the health of ailing humans and animals.
• A preparation from its roots and leaves is prescribed by traditional doctors for fevers and jaundice.
• Decoctions of the leaves and fruits are applied to swellings and skin diseases.
• Durian fruit helps lower cholesterol.
• Durian is a strong blood cleanser.
• The ash of the burned rind is taken after childbirth.
• Durian contains high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, known to alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and create feelings of happiness, by raising levels of serotonin in the brain
• Durian contains high level of soft protein which makes it a good muscle builder.
• Durian has a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac.
• Durian is recommended as a good source of raw fats.

Nutritive Value per 100 g

• Vitamin A: 20-30 I.U.
• Ascorbic Acid: 23.9-25.0 mg
• Vitamin E: "high"
• Calcium: 7.6-9.0 mg
• Phosphorus: 37.8-44.0 mg
• Potassium: 436 mg
• Thiamine: 0.24-0.352 mg
• Riboflavin: 0.20 mg
• Niacin0.6: 83-0.70 mg
• Iron: 0.73-1.0 mg
• Sugars(approx.) 12.0 g
• Protein: 2.5-2.8 g
• Fat: 5.33g
• Fiber: 3.8 g
• Total Carbohydrates: 30.4-34.1 g
• Calories: 144

Culinary Uses: Durian fruit is best eaten fresh but is can also be used for making durian cake, dessert and paste. Seeds are also edible, it can be eaten after boiling, roasting or frying. The unripe fruit is boiled whole and eaten as a vegetable.

Market form: Durians are sold in local market as whole, or cut open and are wrapped in clear plastic. Durian is also available canned in syrup for export. It also comes in dried form for local use and for export.

Yield: Durians mature in 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 months from the time of fruit-set. Well-grown, high-yielding cultivars can bear 6,000 lbs of fruit per acre (6,720 kg/ha).

Note: Durian fruit is highly nutritious it is not advisable to eat this fruit in excess. Pregnant women or people with high blood pressure are traditionally advised not to consume durian. The seeds are believed to possess a toxic property that causes shortness of breath.