The seeds are either boiled or roasted and eaten as nuts. On the flip-side, a drought will force the trees to shed leaves and drop fruits before they’ve developed a good flavor. This seed isn't edible. Durian Seeds Are Edible Posted by Joycelyn80 at 7:54 PM. This year he served them. Durians from Thailand are typically larger than durians elsewhere and have a higher flesh-to-seed ratio. Some enterprising durian growers are looking even further back in time, to the fruit’s jungle origins. Durian, (Durio zibethinus), tree of the hibiscus, or mallow, family and its large edible fruit.The durian is cultivated in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Thailand and is seldom exported. Both jackfruit and durian have smells that can be considered strong or pungent, although the smells are of different types. This powder can also be used as primary food ingredients that have a high economic value such as glucose. "Bombacaceae were long recognised as a family of flowering plants or Angiospermae. Most, but not all, have only a very thin layer of flesh. You won’t want to miss the stories about plants passed down from generation to generation. Let them cool and dry, and peel the outer white layer. But when the seeds are cooked, this toxic substance gets eliminated and the seeds become perfectly edible. Eating durian fruit might cause stomachdiscomfort, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, or allergic reactions in some people. Boiled seeds go well with the salads and taste amazing when you sprinkle a little salt, pepper and lemon juice over them. They chopped down a prosperous rubber orchard to make way for durian seedlings that would take up to 10 years to produce fruits selling for pennies at local markets. • Special discounted prices on tools, kits, and hands-on resources in the Mother Earth Gardener Store Durian tasting is an epicurean take on a fruit which is banned on most forms of public transportation because of its odor that most politely described as “strong.” Cruder descriptions include eating cake in a public outhouse, but we durian lovers say the flavors are a deliciously complex assortment of vanilla, chocolate, cherries, coffee, rum or red wine and yes, an odious hint of garlic. When the durians are ripe, the stem breaks in two and the 4-6 pound fruits fall to the ground. The durian edible part is the pulp that surrounds the seeds. People say that these seeds taste pretty bland and starchy, so you may want to add some seasoning to them. Durian seeds are small, round to oval shape and appear like jackfruit seeds. It has a conical crown and its trunk is buttressed. Newer Post Older Post Home. The edible portion of a durian fruit is only about one-third. It is not known if durian is safe. Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest. Email This BlogThis! The flesh or pulp of durian can be consumed at various stages of ripeness and is used as flavoring agent in a wide variety of culinary and sweet preparations in Southeast Asian cuisines. The roasted seeds become very crunchy and delicious, you can even use them in your ice-cream to give an extra bite to it. Some dwarves like durian trees for their fragrant fruit. Now, comes the most important section, how do you eat the durian seeds? Published by the editors of MOTHER EARTH NEWS, Mother Earth Gardener provides decades of organic gardening experience from the most trusted voices in the field. (USA only), • 1 year of Mother Earth Gardener magazine both print and digital Figuring Out The Smelliest Fruit, How To Tell If Durian Is Rotten, So You Don’t Waste Money, Almond Milk Substitutes – Here’s 8 Ideas To Try, Is Pineapple A Citrus Fruit? Place the seeds on a baking sheet lined with … In its natural state in a rainforest, a durian tree usually grows to a height of 30 to 40 m with some exceptional trees reaching majestic height of 60m. I should have taken two durian seeds, chopped them in half, and placed them in an entire jug of water. Before trying a new food for the first time, it’s good to have an idea of what it tastes of. Become a Preferred Subscriber and start enjoying the benefits today! They have been associated with a number of health benefits, including improved digestion and cholesterol levels. Durian fresh consumption is by far the most important. Keep the seeds in a tropically warm environment between 75 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. No comments: Post a Comment. So unless you’re eating raw durian seeds, you’re fine. Overripe durian pulps are processed to become durian paste in Thailand while unripe durian may be cooked as a vegetable (Rudrappa, 2015; Utilization of durian, n.d.). This may be good or bad, depending on what you’re looking for. If you like you can drizzle melted butter and salt and some chili flakes on roasted durian seeds to turn them into a campfire snack. Durian seeds are normally eaten after being boiled or roasted. Much like potato chips, they’re meant to be a snack and can be seasoned with anything. Here is a quick recipe of fried durian chips. Many discard them, though they can be eaten after boiled thoroughly. She says it’s an Ayurvedic recipe for general good health because the seed water acts to cool the body after eating durian, which has heating properties. What Does Durian Taste Like ? The heartwood is … Over the course of the afternoon, Eric served us flights of different durian cultivars like vineyards serve wines, beginning with the light, syrupy-sweet fruits and ending with those that are richer, earthier, more flavorful, and more stinky. Durian seeds are small, round to oval shape and appear like jackfruit seeds. The eight members of my group “oohed and aahed” and leaned in for photos. But, contradictory to what most people believe that such a seed is useless, it is actually has a lot of nutritional value and usability hidden in its hostile rumoured nature. We hope you’ll find lots of useful info here and the answers to pretty much whatever you’re looking for. Planting: When the seed coat shows cracks and a fat, cream-colored bud begins to emerge, place your seeds lengthwise on top of the soil, not buried. Durian is primarily harvested in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, but the unusual fruit has become popular throughout Asia and can be found in Asian markets in the United States. But Thailand’s drastic loss of diversity has also spurred a small counter-movement of heirloom preservationists who have turned to the tourism niche for support. A ripe jackfruit offers a distinctive gummy texture that can shock and disgust some. So, we decided to share with you all the info we discover throughout our journey. Eat.” kobetobiko thinks the boiled seeds taste like “really chalky potato without much flavor,” but Ali likes them. At the time, they were taking a big risk. However, to a local South Asian, this fruit is like a prized exotic dessert. Figuring Out The Smelliest Fruit. The reason you need to cook durian seeds is that they contain cyclopropene fatty acids, which are unsafe for humans. I'd heard durian seeds were edible, but never had enough seeds to feel i could try it out. Finally, the most favorite way of eating durian seeds is durian seeds chips. Durians from Thailand are typically larger than durians elsewhere and have a higher flesh-to-seed ratio. Can durian seeds be eaten? Here a burgeoning durian tourism industry is encouraging a new generation of growers, like Eric, to open their farms during the late May-August season to groups of durian lovers like us. Next, peel the outer burnt shell of the roasted seeds to get the white part. Already a Member but haven't activated your account? After you eat the flesh away, you will see some heart or round shaped seeds of either yellow to slightly brown color. Subscribe to: … They call it Asian Viagra. You can boil and roast the seeds in the same way you do with other veggies and food items. The other is Penang’s climate and mountainous topography: its terroir, to use wine speak. A durian poster was plastered the length of the car. Eating durian seeds might cause shortness of breath. Eating durian fruit might cause stomach discomfort, gas, diarrhea, vomiting, or allergic reactions in some people. Seeds of the jackfruit are edible and have a taste close to the flavor of almonds or sunflower seeds when raw. We are lucky to have good weather: a recent rain will result in durians with low flavor and a watery texture, while a flood may kill the trees altogether. These chips taste very similar to our potato chips. If your climate is dry, cover seeds with clear plastic or lightly sprinkle sphagnum moss or peat over the seeds to trap humidity. The reason you need to cook durian seeds is that they contain cyclopropene fatty acids, which are unsafe for humans. On his experimental nursery in Banyuwangi, East Java, he’s been breeding them with Durio zibethinus to make durians that are pink, candy-cane striped, or even marbled yellow, orange, and pink. Dubbed ‘the king of fruit,’ durian is a weird and unique fruit known for its stinky and flavorful nature. It is a large, tropical, evergreen fruit tree growing up to 25-40 m tall with up to 120 cm trunk diameter. The durian is a member of the plant family Malvaceae.The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio (some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family by itself, Durionaceae). Eko Mulyanto thinks these other species are the future of the niche durian market. As we bumped around the orchard, Kajohn Puttisuknirun spoke into a microphone and pointed to trees tagged blue, yellow, or red. Of the 27 species of durian, only a handful are generally considered good enough to eat. The hugely fatty golden pods of a D15 durian at Eric Chong’s farm signify a Thai origin. Every durian cultivar tastes slightly different, and at Eric’s we savored the differences between his 25 or so cultivars. i decided to try eating them. Durian seeds have been regarded as a chunk of natural waste. The fruit has an edible flesh characterized by a very strong distinctive odour. If you want to roast the seeds in an oven, start by preheating the oven to 400F. This powder can be used to replace wheat flour that can be used at home to make cakes. It holds a high starch content. Eating: When cooked, durian seeds have a similar texture to baked potato. We were visiting Green Acres, a 16-acre organic durian farm in the hillsides of Penang, Malaysia. They’re beautiful and tasty, but Eko is most excited about their antioxidant potential — those bright pigmentations are created by anthocyanins and beta-carotene. If you buy frozen durian, the seeds will no longer be viable; however, you can always eat them. Some Southeast Asian cultures believe eating uncooked seeds causes shortness of breath, and research shows the raw seeds contain a toxic fatty acid known to interfere with the working of the heart muscles. Your crispy and lip-smacking durian seed chips are ready to eat. Even slight changes in weather patterns can affect flavor, and like a sommelier Eric filled us in on the year’s weather patterns as he tugged open another durian. And voila! You can either enjoy the cooked seeds on their own, or use them to enhance other dishes such as ice-creams, puddings etc. The fruits from older trees are prized, but this prevalence of “old varieties” is only part of what makes Penang a hotspot for durian lovers. The trees have been topped, sometimes multiple times, and look ridiculously small compared to the enormous fruits hanging in their branches. This can be done mostly for texture, since durian seeds aren’t very flavorful but have a high amount of starch which makes them a great thickening agent. Like most recalcitrant seeds, they need to be kept in a warm, humid place. The steep granite hillsides provide good drainage for trees often affected by root rots like phytophtoras, while the cool sea breeze is also believed to keep the trees disease free while adding a slightly salty flavor to the durians. Drain the water and place the seeds on a baking sheet. It is not known if durian is safe. Register Today! Durians are from the equatorial tropics and don’t do well in climates that are dry or cool. Connoisseurs believe that the impact is an important factor in creating the flavor profile of individual fruits, and that harder falls equal more flavor. You can have them as it is or pair them with nice and creamy durian ice-cream for the best experience. They’re great to thicken a sauce or curry or even to use as an interesting twist on hummus. Dry them slightly and fry them till they turn crisp and golden brown. Register now to get access to ALL current video workshops and prerecorded webinars plus anything new that we add through the end of 2020. When the water is gelatinous and gooey, the men drink it. Today we’re going to find out if durian seeds are edible, and what you can do with them. We even stayed overnight, because many farmers believe the best fruits fall in the evening and early morning just before dawn. Selecting and Storing: Healthy seeds should feel heavy and solid. Durian seeds must be cooked before eating, do not eat them raw. • Access to exclusive online content -- seasonal recipes, organic pest control & more. Like all crops that are commercialized, only a few cultivars are grown for export. However, in Sri Lanka a concoction of raw durian seeds is believed to enhance men’s sexual prowess. These seeds are very starchy, and for that reason the powder of durian seeds is used to replace flour in several dishes. Penang is an island that juts abruptly upward from the Malaccan Straits. Jackfruit seeds are not only edible but also highly nutritious. Durian is known as the king of all fruits, still many people stop themselves from tasting it due to its strong smell which is often compared to all the gross things like vomit, dirty socks and so on. After the tram tour, Kajohn served us a buffet of durian and other local fruits, including foot-long bananas, longkong, rambutans, and jackfruit. If you want to know the answer, keep reading below! His visitors are looking for a novelty, health and flavor — not a perfect product. The agritourism model is successful enough that nearby farms have started offering accommodations. Get one year (4 issues) for only $24.95! The main qualifier for the “edible” category seems to be a relatively high flesh-to-seed ratio. Kind of like a moist potato flavor, but not as starchy. Kajohn says it’s a healthier lifestyle than growing for export because visitors to the farm are more tolerant of imperfections like odd shapes or insect damage, so fewer pesticides are needed. They can also be roasted and topped with palm sugar. Uncooked durian seeds are toxic due to cyclopropene fatty acids and should not be ingested. Up to 40 percent of a D15 is edible, while some other local durians have a ratio as low as 10 percent. Unripe durian is boiled and eaten as a vegetable. Already a Member but haven't activated your account. Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment. Durian is one of the most divisive foods in the world. His plan comes at a time when farms like Green Acres are also experimenting with serving other durian species to groups in search of gustatory novelty, like ours. Durio zibethinus or commonly known as Durian is the most common Durio species. The texture is also quite fibrous and dense, like a pineapple or mango. The seeds are sliced thinly and cooked with sugar or dried and fried with coconut oil and spices in Java. The rest aren’t poisonous, but their palatability is in the tongue of the beholder. Eric Chong hooked his fingers into an incision in the thorny, cement-like husk of a durian fruit and pulled until his forearms and shoulders were taut with exertion. The seeds feature a bland taste akin to jackfruit seeds. The seeds can be fried like other snacks and the husk can be dried and used as fuel or as organic fertilizer for the trees. But after devouring all the flesh, what to do with the seeds? The large seeds of a durian are also edible, though they must be boiled. First Eric sliced along two weakened seams on either side of the durian. This, in … After accidentally slicing through 3 seeds when cutting open a fruit. Now the orchard is a landmark for Bangkok day-trippers and foreign tourists (like us) in search of a culinary adventure. And eating raw durian seeds is difficult, because they’re pretty hard, so not easy to bite into. this is especially useful if you’re allergic to the most common nuts used in desserts, like peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and such. These attractive seeds vary in color between cultivars and species, from pale tan to reddish-brown to a deep mahogany bordering on black. 2. Now, dry roast them in a heavy bottom wok until they become nice and black. Malaysia has over 100 registered varieties of durian, but each region has its own special cultivars beyond the official list that thrive in particular soils and climates. It’s one of those rare times when I feel good about being a tourist; groups of durian lovers like ours are making small, more diverse farms profitable, and therefore possible. The common durian has many differences in fruit colour, odour, and size of aril or flesh, seed, tree characteristics and growth. It was an act of love, but has turned into a worthwhile investment. This site is owned and operated by Ciuraru Dragos PFA, and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. There are so many delicious ways to eat them. The same goes with the roasted seeds. While it’s true that durian seeds are very tasty and healthy, they can be actually poisonous in the raw form. Durian seeds may look a little like elongated chestnuts, and cook very similarly. The seeds feature a bland taste akin to jackfruit seeds. A durian tasting group pauses to photograph the famed Black Thorn durian before digging in at Bao Sheng’s Durian Farm in Balik Pulau, Penang. Durian seeds must be cooked before eating, do not eat them raw. Slice the white part and boil it until it becomes nice and soft. Durian seeds are edible, and they are a large part of the durian fruit. The edible fruit of a durian is the soft and yellowish pod-like flesh at the center of each wedge. Lindsay Gasik is an unremorseful durian addict who uses her fascination with fruit to explore the world. There are several methods of cooking and eating durian seeds, and we’ll explore those today. As mentioned that durian seed is high in carbohydrate content, durian seeds hence can also be processed into starch. Or, they can simply be used as a garnish to an actual grilled meal. It belonged to the species Durio graveolens, and for years Eric let the fruits fall and rot because he thought no one would want them. To make the fried durian seeds, collect the seeds after eating the flesh and wash them properly. Typically eaten fresh, because the fruit is very perishable, should be eaten seven days after the fruit has fallen from the tree. Loved by some and hated by others, this tropical fruit can be served raw or cooked. While only one species of durian is widely cultivated, Durio zibethinus, there are at least seven edible species, most now threatened by deforestation and cultural forgetfulness. These seeds are said to be very delicious and nutritious as well. We said goodnight to Eric and fell into our beds under the durian trees, knowing we could sleep well. The edible part of the durian consists of the white or cream to golden-yellow arils (= seed appendages) covering several very large (c. 2 x 6 cm), chestnut-brown seeds. Plant your seeds in indoor pots if you live in a cold or dry climate. In Java , the seeds are sliced thin and cooked with sugar as a confection. As we ended our feast, Eric opened a durian with neon green thorns and a bright orange interior the consistency of cream cheese. For hours after we went to bed, the 5-7 pound fruits crashed onto the roof from trees towering 150 feet or more overhead. There are several methods of cooking and eating durian seeds, and we’ll explore those today. Syrup-shaped glucose can be used in various industries of medicine, food, and … These seeds are edible and can be boiled, dried, fried or roasted. Special Precautions & Warnings: Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of durian during pregnancy and breast-feeding.Stay on the safe side and avoid use. Delight your taste buds, mind and eyes with beautiful photos and inspirational techniques on everything you need to know to grow, preserve and cook your own heirloom fruits and vegetables. What you want is the thin brown layer inside. Be sure to layer … Eat the fruit with your hands. It can be eaten raw when ripe or cooked.