What Are The Health Benefits Of Eating Durian?

Durian is a thorny fruit that grow in Southeast Asia. It's very smelly, but if you are brave enough to open the shell, it tastes wonderful and creamy. This fruit is rich in Vitamin C and protein. The locals eat this for breakfast or throughout the day as snacks with some sweetened condensed milk or a cup of coffee.

I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Durian, as the smell is very overpowering and it usually makes me feel nauseous after eating it. But my aunt Linda loves this fruit so much, she made us try it when we visited her country last year in the Philippines. My dog suddenly wanted to eat as well. I suddenly wondered, is durian safe for dogs?

Durian generally grows in trees, but there are also some tree growing on the ground. The fruit is separated into three distinct sections; fleshy outer shell, a spongy inner shell full of ants and a custard-like substance in between.

The best time to eat Durian is when it's just ripe or still greenish yellow in color. It's important to make sure that you pick Durian that have a strong, pleasant smell. If the fruit is too ripe, it can be rather bitter and it will taste to creamy or even rancid.

Here's an interesting fact: in Indonesia they say "Durian for breakfast will keep your coffin away". This means that if you eat durian every day, you will live a very long time. I guess they don't have any evidence to prove that theory though.

Health Benefits Of Eating Durian

Durian has many health benefits and it's also very rich in nutrients:

1. Durian fights cancer & control high blood pressure

2. Prevents anemia

3. Boost immune system

4. Help to maintain low Cholestrol

5. Increase energy and libido

6. Good for diabetic patients: high fiber content helps lower the blood sugar level and helps regulate diabetes.

7. Rich in iron, protein and vitamin C which boosts your energy instantly! (I always love fruit that provides instant burst of energy)

8. Cures constipation

Durian is also very good for your skin, since it contains high amount of vitamin C. Besides that, Durian fruit helps to keep wrinkles away and has anti-aging properties. It's a great way to smooth out the fine lines of your face while keeping the moisture intact and preventing new wrinkles from forming.

History Of Durian

The King Of Fruit!

The durian is one of the most controversial fruits in the world. But readers who grow up in Asia, or have lived there for a while know that it has a special place among all tropical fruits to date. Westerners believe that durians are intimidating and repulsive looking. They will not touch an unripe fruit with a 10 foot pole.

Durian is a Malay word and it's also the name that we use in Malaysia known as "durian besar" or simply "durian". Durians are native to Southeast Asia and there are more than 100 different species. They can be found growing wild from Myanmar (Burma) to New Guinea.

It is believed that the durian was first domesticated and cultivated in Malaysia as most of the Malaysian species were growing wild since then. The Malaysians would wait for the fruits to fall into their hands at a very early stage when they are not ripe. They will pack them into baskets and carry them home where they start a fermentation process to make the fruits edible.

Of all 100 species, only 15 are commonly cultivated. In production, Malaysia leads the world with 12 million tons of durians produced annually, followed by Thailand with 3 million tons and Indonesia with 1 million tons. In the USA, Hawaii is known for its tropical plants and fruits but not many know that there are also durians being grown in this region.

For the Malaysians, it is a delicacy that comes every year during the monsoon season which falls between September and January. There are 2 main seasons of durian harvest: July to September for fruits with yellow flesh and December to February for those with white flesh. But Chinese people who were brought to Malaysia during the colonial period were forbidden from eating durian due to their religious beliefs. However, there was a time when the Chinese plantation workers secretly picked some durians and brought them back home to share with all their family members. This wasn't uncommon as most Malaysians who know of this fruit are in love with it.

Durian Anatomy

The large green to brownish-red fruit is covered by a thick, spiky green shell that gives the appearance of a medieval helmet. This "helmet" protects its insides which are soft in texture making it one of the highest valued tropical fruits out there.

The durian itself has an extremely strong odor and our blog post will analyze that soon. It has been described as having a sweet and slightly bitter flavor.

The fruit contains two to five large, edible, fleshy seeds in its center surrounded by soft creamy-yellow pulp containing high levels of polyunsaturated fat. Its rich, buttery flavor is followed by a strong odor which many people adore but others find offensive. Hence the reason why it's a fruit loved or hated by people.

The odor from durian is created when the flesh of the fruit is damaged, for example, if you're slicing open the seed and your hands happens to smell like garlic or onions as many people around you will quickly make that connection and point out your "bad" breath.

So, where does this intense odor come from? The smell comes from sulfur-containing compounds, which is similar to the French cheese called "Epoisses" which smells like a landfill in the morning.