Durians can be eaten at various degrees of ripeness. Some people, mostly Thais, actually prefer their durians slightly under ripe, like those who prefer their bananas green. Others, notably the Indonesians, often prefer a durian so ripe it’s developed an alcoholic bite. I like neither. I chase that perfection of flavor when the sweetness and caramel-stink are at their peak and the texture is smooth as silk and sticky as cream cheese. Here are our tips and tricks to picking the perfect durian.
That Heavenly Smell
Durian is odoriferous, and all the more so when fully ripe. However, the outside of a perfectly ripe durian doesn’t have the same sharp pungency as the inside. Since the shell of the durian doesn’t contain the same volatiles as the flesh, if the durian hasn’t been broken open yet, either by force of falling or a knife, the odor should remain mostly sealed inside. This varies slightly with the thickness of the shell.
If the durian has no smell at all, chances are it’s not ripe. If it smells really strong, chances are it’s overripe. When you get your nose close to the fruit, you should experience a low level, earthy yet sulfurous smell, like
fresh cut grass and scrambled eggs. The famous, nauseating stink that
wafts up and down streets is the result of opened durians, overripe
durians and durian waste in the vendor’s trash bins. So choose a durian
that smells freshly stinky.
2. The Fall
When ripe, durians fall off the tree. That’s why durian orchards have such a bad rap – every year, several people are injured or die from falling durians (see 2012’s victims).
If the durian fell within the last day, chances are that it’s perfect.
Some people believe that allowing a durian to sit for up to 12 hours
improves the flavor (and drug-like effects), but it’s up to personal tastes.
Ask the vendor if the durian fell, and how long ago. If the person selling the durians also owns the trees, chances are they know exactly what time of day or night that particular durian fell, and from which tree. If not, they’ll also know exactly how long that particular durian has been sitting around at their stall.
Knowing if the durian fell is a good start, but immature durians sometimes get knocked down due to strong winds, rain, animals, or a natural culling process when the tree has too many fruits. In many countries, durians are purposefully cut off the tree days before it would have fallen, for transportation or ease of harvest. All durian vendors outside of Thailand know that the best durians are those that fell, and many have developed tricks to convince you the durian fell fully ripened, when really it’s been sitting under a tarp with calcium carbide. Read on.
PATRICK Shinsato says
I have a durian tree that was grown from a grafted seedling and it is over 14 yeaŕs old. No. Fruit and then one day this week, we found a fruit pod on the ground. Crazy, out of no where it was there, upon checking there were no other fruits? What gives? How is there only 1? Hòpefully more will come? Aloha! From the 50th state- Hawaii
[email protected] says
Hey Patrick! Are there any other trees around? It might be that your tree was a lonely one with no boyfriend/girlfriend trees nearby to make fruit with until recently, when maybe someone planted a new tree in the neighborhood? Keep an eye out for flowers and keep my posted!
JP says
How will I know if my durian is not yet riped???
thony villasenor says
paano ko malalaman na pwede ko nang pitasin ang durian sa puno?
CocaKolaKid says
Did you write that future article on how to pick a ripe durian including the frozen ones? If so, please post the link. If not, I hope you are still planning to do it. So far I've only seen whole frozen durians or frozen prepackaged durians available in Toronto. Bought them twice. Lucked out on the first one; it was very tasty. Not so lucky on the second; it had a milder flavour.
Anonymous says
I have a grafted durian, and I want to plant in a large pot. Because I don't have big space to plant it in my area. The question is can this durian tree will it survive for a long year in a pot? any one can help me.
Lindsay Gasik says
I had to ask my friend Jay from http://www.tropicalfruithunters.com about this one. Here's what he says:
"I believe a grafted durian will do just fine in a container…don't let the container be much bigger than the root mass. Once it starts producing several branches and well established in the container, then the plant can begin to be pruned/shaped how they wish. They as if the tree will survive a long year. I'm assuming they are asking "many years". I would say absolutely it can. Now, will it get the growth necessary to begin fruiting in the normal time? Depends upon where they are located I imagine. I wish I had a nice grafted tree to try on my own!!!"
Hope that helps 🙂
Johnny Kay says
I have 3 Durian trees growing on my property here in Far North Queensland and finally 2 trees are bearing fruit, I think one is the Mon Tong variety as the fruits are huge Im just hoping that they ripen soon but not all at the same time. there's only so much Durian one can eat.
Johnny Kay says
I have 3 Durian trees growing on my property here in Far North Queensland and finally 2 trees are bearing fruit, I think one is the Mon Tong variety as the fruits are huge Im just hoping that they ripen soon but not all at the same time. there's only so much Durian one can eat.
Jennifer says
Did you enjoy your durian? You'll have to throw a durian party if you cannot eat them all in the future, put me on the guest list!! 🙂
ngumbang says
The best way that I found personally is by smelling. But smells can fool you. Then shake it. If you hear something is dangling inside, it means the durian got to be small on the inside. But if you hear nothing, then that means it is compact and good to go.
The final resort is through observation. That is colour. Most durians with that golden or yellowish and orange colour, tend to stand out. They are the best.
Nate @ House of Annie says
Yes, but we'd have to be really REALLY desperate to eat a frozen Thai durian. 😉
Lindsay says
Well, I think so. If you like durian, it still tastes good. Monthong durian is still a good fruit, it just doesn't compare (IMHO) to the real deal. If you've never had durian, it will give you a rough idea of what a durian tastes like, although the texture will be off.
Anything's better than no durian at all, right? 😉
BrianJewett says
So… Is there ANY point in trying a durian inside the US?