Pulau Ubin is an islet just off the coast of Singapore. It only takes 10 minutes to get there, but it’s a world apart from the city. Few vehicles are permitted on the island, most roads are unpaved, and but for day trippers it’s now mostly uninhabited. It’s so quiet you might imagine that not […]
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Fast Facts About Singapore's Durians:
Singaporeans have the highest per capita consumption of durian in the world, and import over 22,000 tons of durian every year from Malaysia.
The majority of durians sold in Singapore come from Malaysia, but they also import from Thailand and recently, the Philippines.
Planned urban growth has left a green space and forested areas that are rife with wild durians and abandoned orchards.
There are three registered Singaporean durian varieties, but no one has reported eating them since the 1990's. Maybe you can find them: H.C. Tan No. 2, H. C. Lim, and Lim Keng Meng.
Durian Hunting In Singapore’s Forbidden Forest
Hansel and Gretel did it. So did Little Red Riding Hood, and Harry Potter. They all went into forests which were strictly off limits – dark, creepy and dangerous even without tropical insects (although I guess Harry’s spiders were comparable) – looking for something magical. Singapore has lots of forbidden forests, and lots of durian […]
Photo Tour of A Brief History of Durian Exhibition | Singapore
This week, a unique exploration of durian in the history and culture of Singapore is on display at the National University of Singapore. If you can’t make it to the exhibit don’t worry. I couldn’t either, so Martina and Wanda were kind enough to give me a virtual tour to share with you. Scroll on […]
lllegal Durians: How Much Trouble Will You Really Get In?
I think the first thing I learned about durian is that it’s banned in public spaces because of it’s supposedly foul odor. That’s usually the first thing Westerners learn about durian. A fruit that is not allowed on buses, trains or in hotels has a certain shock factor, a fact that most journalists disclose in […]
How to Identify Musang King and D24
Currently, Musang King is like black-market gold. It’s the most sought after, desired and expensive of all the durian varieties, selling for more than twice the price of average durian. It’s also the durian most likely to be faked. That’s right: unscrupulous durian vendors will try to pull a fast one on the naive and sell […]
10 Tricksy Ways Durian Sellers Cheat Durian Lovers
“There are three people you should never trust: Used car salesmen, lawyers, and durian vendors,” joked Leslie Tay of Singapore’s most popular foodie blog, ieatishootipost. We were sitting at one of his preferred durian stalls while I told him about our disappointing evening at Singapore’s most famous durian hotspot: Sims Avenue in the Geylang District, […]
Durian at Changi Airport
Rob and I have eaten durian almost every day of this year. While flying to Sri Lanka, we were faced with an 18 hour layover at Changi Airport in Singapore and a possible day without durian. Singapore, the land that caters to durian obsession, came to the rescue. We didn’t even have to leave the […]
Sembawang Durian Stall Singapore
With so many durian stalls to choose from, Rob and I asked our Singaporean friend Qinghui to choose where she wanted to meet us. She chose Sembawang Durian stall, the stomping ground of the happiest durian vendor on earth. On his 60th birthday this year, Mr. Yap made headline news when he gave away over […]
Geylang Durian
The Geylang Durian district is the most famous of Singapore’s durian stalls, although I don’t know why. Maybe its because the greatest concentration of durian stalls are located here, giving it the nickname “Durian Street.” Or maybe its because its located in the red light district, where everything is a little shady, including the durian […]
Singapore Durian Guide
Many people have questioned why we would go to Singapore, citing that Singapore is not a durian producing nation. This answer is simple: how could we not go to Singapore? Our Year of Durian would not be complete without experiencing this teeming metropolis of durian fanatics. Singaporeans have the highest reported consumption of durian in […]
717 Trading and Durian Mpire | Singapore
Rob and I visited 717 Trading in Singapore on a quiet Monday night. Only a few customers trickled in, and most of the “durian boys” had been given the day off after an intense weekend catering to two large events.We met with Shann, the daughter of Mr. Goh Kwee Leng and manager of the office […]
Singapore Durian Varieties
Singaporeans eat more durian per capita than any durian producing nation. That, combined with the high value of the Singapore dollar, is changing the face of the durian industry as durian producers seek to capitulate to Singaporean tastes. As much as 90% of the durian in Singapore originates in Malaysia, it’s northern neighbor. While Malaysia […]
