Durian - The King of Malaysian Fruit

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 When you talk of durians , do you know that the best quality of the "king of Malaysian fruit" comes from Penang.
Even though you may love  to eat durians,  I bet you never know that there are many variations of this thorny fruit. !!!

Durians of Balik Pulau
Penang - the Pearl of the Orient , is the place to get good durians and it is in the town of Balik Pulau <http://www.asiaexplorers.com/malaysia/penang/balikpulau.htm> , on the southwest corner of Penang Island , where you have the durian estates.

The small town Balik Pulau and her durians , were historically linked to the discovery of Penang. In 1786 , Captain Francis Light of the East India Company , had his ship anchored off the island. A Malay fisherman brought the thorny fruit on board the British ship ; Francis Light was fascinated by the fruit with such strong fragrance ; he ate the durian. He loved it. This triggered him to query the poor Malay fisherman where he got the fruit.
Ahmad the fisherman replied , " Tuan , dari balik pulau."( Sir, from the island behind me.) Ahmad was asked to deliver more durians for the captain. So the town Balik Pulau got its name.

Captain Francis Light , like all pirates , wrested Penang from the Sultan of Kedah and Penang became a British colony. That's how Penang was colonised , just because of her delicious durian.
The following is a selection of branded durians from Balik Pulau.
D11
'Number Eleven' is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.

D604
The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some 'body' to it as the seed is small

D600
This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness.

D700
The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.

Ang Sim (Red Heart)
Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.

Khun Poh
This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangey flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.

Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian)
The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a 'Hor Lor' pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.

Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian)
Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.

Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian)
Xiao Hung, whose name means 'Little Red One,' originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness.  There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.

Yah Kang (Centipede Durian)
Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name 'yah kang' means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.

Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian)
Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.

The following are some of the durians at Peng Siew Durian Estate in Titi Serong, Balik Pulau .
D17
D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.

Coupling
This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.

Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian)
The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.

Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian)
Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means 'green skin'. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian)
As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.

Lin Fong Jiau
This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. It is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple, for Lin Fong Jiau is a bittersweet lady.
Now the BEST OF THE BEST DURIAN has yet to come .............. you have to wait till 2016 , the year Penang celebrates her 230 years of discovery .
The durian farmers at Balik Pulau are presently experimenting to marcott a durian tree that produces her fruit that will surpass all the present durian brands in quality & taste. The fruit shall be BIG , ORANGE in colour , extremely fragrant , Platinum Super X-O in taste , and SEEDLESS.
The durian shall be named BOH (LAN) HOOT DURIAN after the former Chief Minister Koh Tsu Khoon because Penangnites loved KTK for doing NOTHING for Penang when he was in office.
So watch out 2016 for the famous BOH (LAN) HOOT.
Regards,
Ooi Hun Eng
huneng@singnet.com.sg