A symphony of cheesecake, onion and vanilla pudding - that about sums up my taste impression of durians. Some of them are sweeter, some more savory and a few of them even have a quite strong alcoholic flavor just like white wine. All those weirdly mixed tastes in just one fruit? Yes, that might be hard to imagine if you’ve never come across a durian, but its distinctive flavors also draw a lot of foodies towards this fruit like a magic pull.
Let me introduce to you..."The King of Fruits"
Durians have a hard shell with thick, sharp thorns that try to keep any hungry mouths away from its precious goods. They grow on huge trees and as soon as they are ripe, they fall down so that they can be easily collected at ground level and no miraculous climbing skills are required.
Sad side note - falling durians can be quite a dangerous thing due to their sharp thorns, so that they can badly hurt and even kill people that are hit by them. I myself once had the experience that a durian fell down only a meter away from me. It was a pretty small one, but I bet that it would have given me quite some pain anyway.
Depending on the variety, location and time of the year durians are one of the most expensive fruit on our planet and you can easily spent a little fortune on them. But especially in South East Asia they are quite affordable and definitely worth their price.
Weird and smelly - Some people just can't stand durian
But not all people are crazy about this fruit - its uncommon mix of flavors, coupled with a strong smell which leaks out once the fruit is ripe places this fruit on the top list of forbidden snacks for any hotels, planes or buses. In countries like Malaysia or Thailand you often come across signs that warn durian lovers of bringing this amazing, but smelly fruit into any establishment.
I am right now sitting on our rooftop terrace in Bali, smelling the leftovers from our recent durian feast and find it quite hard to understand how anyone could find that sweet scent repellent. But at the same time for unexplainable reason I really can't stand the smell of cooked Brussel sprouts, so who am I to judge, right?
Love at second bite...
So, as you can have guessed by now, I am a durian fan through and through. Still, it was not love at first sight, since I tried a pre-packaged durian as my first encounter with this fruit, which is of course not as fresh as a durian that is opened right in front of your eyes. It tasted not good at all, but I couldn’t shake of the feeling that there was more behind it and that this just wasn’t the perfect first try.
So next time I had a durian on a road trip through Bali, a lovely woman was selling them on the side of the street, collected right on that day in a nearby forest. We let her select a good one for us and it was exceptionally delicious, so that we got a second and third one right away. After that, I was totally hooked by these astonishing fruits. Unfortunately it wasn’t the season then, so that we rarely got some more good durian for a reasonable price.
You want to know more about this astonishing fruit? On the blog Year of the Durian a real expert will show you her delicious world of durians.
...and I just can't get enough!
But once we were in Malaysia right in the peak season, the abundance of cheap and delicious durians was overwhelming. They even have buffet style offers where you can eat as many durians as you want. In Kuala Lumpur I then learned the hard way that there is definitely a „too much“ when it comes to this creamy, rich fruit.
After eating about 6 fruits each at such a feast (we celebrated our anniversary that way) I felt quite uncomfortable - a bit like after drinking too much alcohol, which was such a weird feeling since I haven't drunken any of it for quite a while now. The next day my nose was running, my head banging, I had problems to concentrate on the simplest tasks and there was a lot of mucus in my throat. By then I definitely knew - durian is a mucus-forming fruit.
Mucus matters - How excessive mucus harms our body
A certain amount of mucus produced within our body is normal and also very necessary since it acts as protection for mucous membranes throughout our body, for example in our intestines or in the respiratory system. Apart from that mucus is also responsible for trapping harmful substances to neutralize and at the end discharge them.
But if our body produces it excessively, it results in serious health issues in our digestive, respiratory and lymphatic system, showing in symptoms like digestive issues, cough, flu, running nose or even a foggy mind and can consequently lead to more severe conditions in the long run.
An excessive mucus production is often a consequence of the consumption of foods such as meat, dairy, gluten products and processed foods but can also result from air pollution, exposure to chemicals, viruses or bacteria. There are also a few veggies and fruits that are slightly mucus-forming, among them we have our beautiful durian. So you might not feel the impact of a bit durian now and then, but overdoing it again and again can be quite disturbing for your body.
Durian in moderation, a healthy life in abundance
Since health is one of my priorities I stopped going on such decadent feasts and instead only treat my taste buds with durian in moderation. As a rule of thump I decided to eat durian only if a) I got it as a gift from someone or b) I found it somewhere in the jungle for free.
So far I haven’t broken this rule and already had some durian nevertheless, since our former Airbnb host is such a generous and kind soul that he gifts us with a freshly fallen durian now and then - just because he knows how crazy we are about this wonderful fruit.
Have you ever tried durian? How did you like it? Did you experience unpleasant symptoms afterwards? I want to know it all!
(This post is taking part in the amazing Fruits and Veggies Monday Competition from @lenasveganliving.)
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Have a wonderful day and a fruity journey ahead!
Yours, Anais
Nomadic adventuress since 2018 | Raw foodie | Health enthusiast | Minimalist | Freedom seeker | Passionate believer in a life full of bliss.
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Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian, doctor or trained detox expert. My goal is to share my knowledge from conclusive research and personal experiences to inspire you on your own raw adventure. I do not give medical advice and am not liable for any negative consequences you might face by following any information from this post - even if it is too much energy from a newly gained vibrant health and no idea how to deal with it. Always do your individual research when it comes to your precious health, it is absolutely worth the extra effort!