Jack showing off his sweet digs Our friend Jack from 30bananasaday.com invited us to come stay with him in his beautiful beach side villa overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. How could we say no? So after a few weeks on the durian hunt, we decided to give ourselves a little vacation, sans durian (or so […]
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Fast Facts about Thailand's Durians:
Thailand produces six times more durian than any other country (second place is Malaysia)
There are 234 varieties of durian in Thailand (see the complete list here)
The most expensive durian in the world is a variety called Ganyao from Nonthaburi.
The most common varieties of durian are Monthong, Chanee, and Ganyao.
Quick Links
Nonthaburi Durian Quest
Who would pay $300 USD for a durian? Rob and I wondered out loud as we rode the water-taxi to Nonthaburi. Located an easy 45 minutes hop up the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok, it’s hard to believe that Thailand’s most renown, and most expensive, durians are grown only 20 kilometers north of its […]
Recipe: How to Cook Durian Jam, also called Guan, Lempok, or Kek
I know exactly where I was the moment I fell in love with durian jam. Durian was already my favorite thing, and I really didn’t see how cooking the fruit down into a sticky, brown goo could improve the flavor. And it doesn’t improve durian – it just morphs into its own utterly delicious, sweet, […]
The Durian Artist
Suan La-Ong Fa is a small organic durian orchard that has recently gained notoriety not only for its unique durians but for its unique owner, a quiet man named Chatri Sowanatrakul. Chatri is an accomplished artist, and he finds both his work and inspiration in his durian trees. His orchard is a sanctuary for the […]
Miss Durian World Beauty Pageant
In most countries, the durian fruit is thought to be ugly, misshapen, and stinky. If you remember the story about the Petruk durian from our travels in Indonesia, a durian beauty pageant might seem like a bit of an oxymoron. Rob and I were joking that maybe the winner of the Miss Durian pageant is […]
Durian Speed Eating
Probably the most exciting part of the World Durian Festival is the speed eating contests. Held twice a day and featuring a few different fruits, they attract crowds of Thais and a surprising number of foreigners. The premier event is of course the durian race, but the rambutan and mangosteen contests add another fun element, […]
Chanthaburi World Durian Festival Overview
Chanthaburi’s World Durian Festival is fairly new. In fact, when it was first held in 2004, it didn’t focus on durian. It’s original title can be roughly translated as “Good Things of Chanthaburi,” and included, in addition to fruit, wicker furniture, jewelry, seafood, and woven mats. As the festival matured, the spotlight rested on fruit, […]
Sunshine Durian Factory
If you live in Australia or Canada and you’ve ever purchased a frozen durian, chances are it passed through Sunshine International’s factory in Chanthaburi, Thailand. The company is the largest supplier of frozen durian in Australia, sold under the brand “Fruit King”, and has a large presence in Canada as well, shipping four 18 tonne […]
Return to Chanthaburi
After ten amazing days in Cambodia, it was time to return to Chanthaburi. We have a tour scheduled at a durian exporting factory, and the World Durian Festival is about to start. Even though I was really excited about the factory tour and the festival, I was sad to leave Cambodia and all its interesting […]
New Year’s Water Celebration
Sawadee Pee Mai! Happy New Year! Yesterday was the New Year’s celebration of the year 2555 here in Thailand. This is our third New Year’s Day in 2012, and definitely the most fun! Unlike our New Year’s back home in Oregon, which is celebrated in the depths of miserably cold and dark winter, the Thai […]
A Durian Feast with Friends
From left: Olivia, John, Terra, and Chris feasting on durian Chanthaburi, Thailand has a reputation among fruit fanatics as the place to go in May. A lot of this hype is thanks to our friend Harley, a.k.a durianrider, who has been touting the wonders of Chanthaburi’s fruit to his following of fruit freaks on youtube […]
Friendly Locals
We arrived in Chanthaburi late last night. At that point, the streets were dark and quiet, and as far as we could tell the only open restaurants offered shrimp balls and noodles. But then I smelled it – durian! In a small shop, two girls were sitting at a small table watching a soap opera […]
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