How much do you know about these five little-known facts about durian?

Five little-known facts about durian

1. The first Chinese to record durian were the sailors who followed Zheng He on his voyages to the West.

The history of Chinese people eating durian on a large scale is not long, especially the history of people in northern China eating durian is even shorter. Because the origin of durian is not in China, but in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. When the temperature is below 22℃, durian cannot grow. So far, there is no commercial cultivation of durian in my country. The scientific research base in Hainan is trying to introduce and cultivate durian, hoping that cold-resistant varieties will appear.

The earliest record of durian was by a man named Ma Huan who followed Zheng He's fleet to the West. He recorded durian like this: "There is a kind of stinky fruit, called 'Du Er Yan' in foreign language, which is like the head of a Chinese water chicken, eight or nine inches long, with sharp thorns on the skin, which splits into five or six petals when ripe, and smells like stinky beef. Inside are fourteen or fifteen pieces of crispy white meat as big as millet seeds, which are very sweet and delicious. There are seeds inside that can be fried and eaten, and the taste is like chestnuts."

2. [Durian is a big family]

In fact, durian is not just one plant, but a large family with more than 30 members. Among them, 9 species can contribute edible fruits. The thorny skin and the special strong smell are their common characteristics. Among them, the most famous one is durian. Nowadays, the common durian in the market is almost all this species, including the famous golden pillow durian, the emerging Musang King durian, etc. As for the other 8 species, you can only have the opportunity to taste them in their place of origin.

3. [Durian from different origins is very different]

Malaysia is the core production area of ​​durian and the distribution of native durian species. There are many types of durian in Malaysia, not only the famous varieties such as Musang King, Red Prawn, D18, D24, but more importantly, there are many native species, such as red-fleshed durian, and yellow-fleshed and orange-fleshed durian. The flavors are really unique. For example, red-fleshed durian actually tastes like chocolate, while green and thorny butter durian tastes like peanut butter. The most amazing thing is that orange-fleshed red-fleshed durian actually tastes like orange. These types can only be eaten in the inland areas of Sabah Island, Malaysia.

Compared to Malaysia, the types of durian in Thailand are relatively simple, but the output is very large. The most representative ones are the golden pillow and the ganyao. Because the golden pillow has thick flesh, large size and strong smell, it has formed the traditional understanding of durian for Chinese people. Many friends do not like to eat durian, which is also related to the smell of the golden pillow.

In addition to Malaysia and Thailand, there are more and more Vietnamese durians on the market, especially the Vietnamese Ganyao durian, which is called Vietnamese Musang King. It is very similar to the golden pillow in appearance, but the flesh is more yellowish and has more obvious fibers. I don’t like this kind of durian very much.

4. [Musang King is bitter]

The Musang King durian, which is very popular in the market, is actually mainly produced in Malaysia. The durian variety number is D197. The typical identification characteristics of Musang King are that there is a clear five-pointed star on the tip of the fruit, the color of the peel is greenish-yellow, and the thorns are close to the shape of a pyramid. In addition, the flesh of Musang King has a distinct bitter taste, which is the characteristic of Musang King. If there is no bitterness at all, it is definitely not Musang King.

Let me say again, Vietnamese Musang King is not Musang King.

(In the picture above, the one on the left is the real Musang King, and the one on the right is D14 which is often impersonated as Musang King)

5. [Durian is a high-calorie food]

The special smell of durian is caused by some hydrocarbon compounds containing sulfur (such as C4H10S2, etc.). Different people react very differently to such substances, so whether or not to eat durian is indeed a matter of personal preference.

Durian is a typical high-sugar and high-fat fruit. Every 100 grams of durian can contain up to 27.09 grams of carbohydrates and 5.33 grams of fat. The two components of bananas, which we all think are very filling, are 22.84 grams and 0.33 grams respectively. It is not difficult for us to understand that it is easy to feel full after eating durian. Therefore, the total amount of durian must be controlled, otherwise it is easy to consume too many calories.

Source: Vegetative Shi Jun