Durians on my mind

DURIAN season in the peninsula is in full swing. From the north to the south, stalls brightly lit by fluorescent lights are popping up all over the place. Due to the unfavourable weather throughout the fruiting phase, the quality and quantity of the fruits have dropped markedly. Prices have increased across the board due to the smaller harvest. Still, the fruits are literally flying off the shelves as demand is outpacing supply and price is no object to lovers of the king of fruits.

Durian trading is a lucrative business. There is a saying that one can make a living for one year from selling durians for one season. That is about three months of work only. It is hard labour nonetheless as one has to haul baskets of durians weighing as much as 50kg each from wholesalers and then sort them according to quality.

An honest durian seller is a misnomer of sorts. Most of them are as trustworthy as snake oil pedlars, ready to rip customers off at every available opportunity. I say this coming from a family of durian planters on my mother’s side and having knowledge of what good and bad durians are and when sellers are being deceptive.

A friend who loved durians was coming from overseas recently and I wanted to make sure he could savour some before leaving. My wife and I went to check out a durian stall at an affluent part of the Klang Valley to see what was available. Our favourite stall had not opened yet. It was the beginning of the season and the fruits were in short supply.

There were many customers when we arrived. We had to queue to place an order for Musang King at RM45 per kg. When the fruit was placed on our table, I noticed a layer of moisture on the flesh. As we dug into the fruit, some parts of it were firm and not ripe.

We pointed it out to the server who replaced the unripe portion with another small fruit. The replacement fruit was bland. We overheard the customers at the next table also complaining about the poor quality of their durians and were discussing among themselves to go look for better quality ones at another stall.

Our bill came up to RM108. That was for one fruit only, the most I have ever paid for a durian. I told my wife I will never go back to the stall again even if I had cravings and that was the only stall left. For the amount of money I paid, I had expected fresh durians but was thoroughly disappointed. I have enjoyed better quality kampung durians for a fraction of the price.

Another time, a seller tried to push a durian that did not emit any smell. He said it would ripen the next day. I refused to buy his story as I know from experience that local durians should have that distinct smell once they drop from the tree.

In my teenage years, I used to stay at my uncle’s plantation during school term holidays where I would help him pick durians that just dropped from the trees. It was quite an adventure as some of the durians could be hidden among the tall grass and shrubs. The only way to locate them was to sniff and follow the smell.

I have learnt that durians fall from the tree when they are ripe. They should be consumed within the same day. The stem should be intact and not shrivelled. When put close to the nose, they emit a pleasantly pungent and raw odour. This has to be learnt through practice.

When left overnight, durians ‘sweat’ and develop a layer of moisture on the flesh. The fruit would also crack open by itself, losing most of its pungency and flavour, practically rendering the fruit worthless. Never buy durians with rubber bands holding the bottom together. They are a sign the fruit is about to crack open or has cracked open.

When paying for durians which are in the premium price range, it would be good to know the market price and basic characteristics of the respective fruits internally and externally, like the colour and taste of the flesh, and the shape of the fruit, thorns and colour of the husk. Some durian sellers have been known to pass off cheaper durians as premium ones to unsuspecting customers. As for me, I am happy with the midrange priced durians. I have yet to find a reason to splurge on more expensive cultivars.

Balik Pulau durians are popular among connoisseurs. There are those who are willing to travel great distances during durian season to get a taste of it. They fetch a higher price than those from surrounding areas. There was once when my cousin stopped by a stall for some durians. He asked the seller where the fruits were from. Without flinching, he told my cousin they were from Balik Pulau.

He is my cousin whose father owns the durian plantation in Balik Pulau. He knew for sure there was not a single fruit on the tree. He asked again and the seller confidently confirmed his earlier assertion. Exasperated at this blatant lie, he challenged the seller to go to Balik Pulau with him and if there was even a single fruit on any of the trees there, he would eat the roots and the twigs of that tree. Knowing he was caught redhanded, the seller was as quiet as a mouse after that.

Despite my complaints of unscrupulous durian sellers, I have found two who are honest. If the durians are of poor quality, they would say so and not try to dupe me. They are the ones my wife and I go back to whenever we have a hankering for some durians. They are a rarity. And this reminds me I should visit them again soon. The craving for the undisputed king of fruits is building up again.