a people divided

We begin with the durian (Durio Zibethinus), a fruit which divides people on a love/hate basis. To not put too fine a point on it, the thing stinks. Not only that, but people try to make it taste even worse by doing "nice things" to it. People in Indonesia make 'tempoya' by fermenting the fruit; it can be minced with salt, onions and vinegar (sounds really good) to make 'boder'; the seeds can be roasted in hot ashes, or mixed with sugar to make a sweetmeat.

scourge of durian farmers

Durian has other enemies (apart from me)...........
To the left, we can observe the menace that is the Giant Malay squirrel, scourge of durian farmers throughout the world. Scientists claim that this creature can reach up to 80cm in height, but this fact is so far unconfirmed.

Durians with squirrel holes are generally ripe and quite tasty, as the squirrel who has been at it would gladly testify. However, these durians are considered 'second paw' (second hand) and being minus a few seeds should be purchased only after a generous discount.

Durian are dangerous

Durian are often eaten with a rambutan 'chaser'. At this point in time, we can't say too much about rambutan, as they may be a forthcoming Fruit Fact subject. We can tell you that they are very nice, unlike the foul smelling "custard in a sewer" durian. Many of our Asian friends would kill us if they heard us cuss their King of Fruits, considered a delicacy throughout South East Asia. Mr Daniel Greenhouse is also a fan, and you can partake in his durian fetish here.

Durian are dangerous - they are very heavy and horny, much like Radio One's Chris Moyles. Recently, Markona Juraimi, a Malaysian grandmother, was attacked by a rogue 5kg fruit that fell out of a tree and onto her head. Markona thankfully suffered minor skull injuries, and praised Allah that it was just a durian and not a giant squirrel, who have been known to steal shiny objects, handbags and even family hatchbacks in the past.

Thanks to Jim Darley for the info gleaned from his tropical fruit site.