I wonder why some people doesn't like durian. Even the sound or the smell of durian will turn off a group of people. The pungent smell freak out people. It become a "Fear Factor" syndromes. Not sure what to do. There is nothing to be fear or frighten with this fruit. This hub will unlock the secret of this mighty kings of the fruit and reveals some of the facts, truth and myths.

How this name durian comes from can be so intrique and interesting to know. Durian is the fruit of trees of the genus durio which belongs to the Malvaceae which better known world wide especially in South East Asian as Kings of Fruits. Interestingly it derives it names from the Malay word duri (thorn) together with Malay suffix that is -an, meaning "thorny fruit".

1. It has 30 different species and all natives to South East Asia.
2. There are nine species of Durian that edible to eat.
3. The one that sold worldwide or market internationally are known as "Durio zibethnus" whereas the rest sold for local market.
4. it can grow up to 30cm long and 15cm in diameter and normal weights one to 3 kg.
5. The shapes of the fruits ranging from oblong to round shapes.
6. The colors of the fruits can be from green to brown and it's flesh from pale-yellow to red.
7. It has strong smell and depends on individual, the odour can be regarded as sweet aroma of fragrant or it can be offensive and distasteful to some.

What This fruit used for? For apparent reason, Durian fruit is used to flavor a wide variety of sweet edibles such as traditional Malay Candy, dodol and with a toucvh of modern innovation, ice cream, milk shakes, mooncakes and cappuccino, yes! you heard it right, cappuccino.  The place where i come from, Sabah, red durian is fried with chilli and served as a side dish. In other parts of the world, Tempoyak which is another delicacies of Malay which refers to fermented durian, usually made from the lower quality durian that is unsuitable for direct consumption. Tempoyak can be eaten with rice and can also be used for making curry. Now, for bigger truth, the durian seeds which are the size of chestnuts, can be eaten whether they are boild, roated or fried in coconut oil.  

In Java, the seeds are sliced thin and cooked with sugar as a confectinery. Young leaves and shoots of the durian are occasionally cooked as greens. Sometimes the ash of the burned rind is added to special cakes. The petals of the durian flowers can be eaten, while the husk of the durian is used as fuel to smoke fish. Aside from being eaten, believe it or not, there are durian-flavored condoms, due to its reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Now, what is so good about durian? Can I get anything from this fruit? As matter of facts, yes you can and i lists down some of the medicinal and health benefits that you can get and shown below:-

1. The leaves of the durian has potential in curing fever. What folk medicine will normally do, the juice of the durian leaves is applied to the head on patients with high fever. Normally they Boil the leaves and roots in water to lower the fever.
2. It contains a high amount of sugar, vitamin C, potassium and the amino acid tryptophan. It is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It has no cholesterol.
3. It is beliefs, by Asian communities that the durian fruit to have warming heat that can cause excessive 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. Another way to cool off the heatiness when eating durian is with mangosteen that is considered to have cooling sensation. It is advisable by the older generation that People with high blood pressure or pregnant women are traditionally advised not to consume durian.

1. A Common local belief is that the durian is harmful when eaten along with coffee or alcohol bereverages. One should not drink alcohol after eating durians as it will cause indigestion and bad breath.
2. The Javanese believe durian to have aphrodisiac qualities and impose a strict set of rules on what may or may not be comsumed with the durian or shortly after.
3. A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries or death because it is heavy and armed with sharp thorns . It may fall from a significant height so wearing a hard hat is recommended when collecting the fruit.
4. A naturally spineless variety of durian growing wild in Davao, Philippines was discovered in 1960s, and fruits borne on tree grown from seeds of this fruit were also spineless. Sometimes spiness durians are produced artificially by scraping scales off the immature fruits, since the base of the scales develop into the spines as the fruits mature.

Now, there you are, some of the information about this kings of the fruits. Hopefully, these articles will vanish and removes the fear that some people have towards this fruit.