Of all the known fruits, it is the durian that has earnedsuch polar characteristics. And it is impossible to even imagine how true they are. The smell of durian is so disgusting that it is not allowed into hotels, shops, elevators, taxis and other public places. There is even a special sign - durian crossed out with a red line. This means that entry with it is prohibited. After all, even after the fruit is eaten, such an "aroma" remains in the room that it cannot be aired out for a long time by any cosmetics. For the same reason, durian cannot be stored or transported for a long time.
Durian Fruit
What epithets have not been used to describe its aroma!The smell of rotting flesh, rotten onions, dirty socks, toilets, rotten eggs... An Englishman who visited Siam in the 19th century described his impressions of the durian aroma as follows: "It's like eating herring with blue cheese over an open manhole." And after all this, they call it the "king of fruits"?! Is that really possible? Perhaps, - answer the Thais and Malaysians - if, holding your nose and overcoming your disgust, you still try the durian pulp. And only then will you understand how "divine" its taste is. The Thais claim that durian is actually sweet in taste and is similar to a sweet cream of eggs and milk. According to the famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, "To try durian is to it is to get radically new sensations, and a trip to the East is worth it. The more you eat durian, the less you want to be distracted by anything else. " And in general, for true gourmets, this fruit proudly occupies one of the places of honor in a row of such famous "aromatic" delicacies as, covered with green mold... The name of the fruit comes from the Malay word "duri" (thorn) and the Malay suffix "an", which means "prickly fruit". The homeland of durian is Indonesia, Thailand, India, Ceylon, Indochina, the Philippines. By the way, it is believed that the most delicious durians grow on plantations near Bangkok in Thailand. It is also cultivated on plantations in central Africa and Brazil. Usually a ripe fruit weighs 2-3 kg, has a diameter of 15-25 cm and a length of 20-30 cm. It grows as large trees. It reaches 15-20 meters in height, and produces its first fruits in the 8th-10th year. And then it bears fruit all year round. It blooms for less than eight hours: bright white flowers open at dusk and fall off at dawn. They say that they are pollinated by bats. The fruit should never be picked. When ripe, it should fall on its own. If the durian falls on your head (God forbid!), you will be in for a real treat. Individual fruits are the size of a good football and weigh about 10 kg. They also have sharp thorns.
The local population prepares unripe fruits asboiled vegetables in various dishes, and ripe fruits are a truly refined dessert of exceptional taste, possessing a wide range of nutrients. This fruit is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. Durian pulp contains many B complex vitamins, and the amount of vitamin C is much greater than that contained in a sweet orange. And its specific smell is attributed to the presence of organic sulfur, the healing properties of which are only just being studied. A good durian has a sweet taste, smooth texture, rich, like custard, taste, reminiscent of banana, mango, pineapple, overripe papaya and vanilla. The disgusting smell comes from the thick prickly peel, dotted with thorns of a threatening appearance and size. Inside, the fruit is divided into segments with white walls, each section contains three to four large shiny seeds from beige to bright yellow (depending on the variety and ripeness of the durian). They will reward with their taste anyone who can handle the smell. Beginner gourmets and tourists are often helped by a seller who can advise the right fruit - not overripe or rotten on the side, not with clots, because they usually smell strongly of hydrogen sulfide, and not unripe. It is most convenient to eat durian with a spoon, otherwise the ingrained smell cannot be washed off with any soap. If you are not used to it, the first time you eat durian the same way you drink vodka. First, exhale air, and then sharply bring the fruit to your mouth. By the way, you should not drink durian with strong alcoholic drinks. It is not compatible with them, but many tourists for some reason ignore this advice and then suffer from severe stomach irritation. An example can be taken from the locals, they wash down the delicacy with ordinary salted water, which they pour into the empty cup-shaped half of a giant shell. Durian is so filling that having eaten a "slice" in the morning, it is easily enough until dinner. At the same time, there is not even a slight feeling of hunger.
The people of South Asia value durian for its excellent taste.and medicinal properties, but it is bought very rarely and most often for children, since this delicacy is sold at a fairly high price. For example, in the UK, durian can be bought for about 15-25 pounds, in the US - for 5-20 dollars, and in Thailand itself, even in season, a small piece of pulp is sold for no less than 70 baht (about 3 US dollars). But the price does not stop tourists curious about new tastes. An illustration of getting to know durian can be the story of a certain Russian tourist, who emotionally and colorfully shared his feelings about this strange fruit on the Internet: "Do you know what onions smell like? And a rotten onion? And a vegetable warehouse where all the onions have rotted? This is the smell that spread from this delicacy. I even had tears in my eyes. If I had been offered such a dish at a party, I would not have touched it. But now, out of sheer stubbornness, I had to try at least a small piece. Pinching my nose and closing my eyes, I pinched off a piece of the oily paste that made up the inside of the durian. And then I experienced culture shock. It tasted like the most delicate, sweet cream, reminiscent of the sweetest varieties of dried apricots mixed with cream and chocolate. And only somewhere in the background - a slight taste of baked onion. In surprise, I unclenched my nose - and immediately spat out this disgusting thing - but it was too delicious. Anyway, I ate it all, pinching my nose.
