Secrets in attacking Durian

By GERLIE M. UY

For those who "love" Durian, they can eat this "King of Fruits" straight from the peelings or straight from the freezer and it does not matter. But for those who "hate" Durian, I can only ask why and grin at the same time, as one competitor's down. All I can say to the haters: they have to come near the Durian rather than go away in order to immerse themselves with the smell of the fruit.

According to one local expert, one has to wash his hands in the peelings and eat the fruit using his bare hand. I must guarantee, once you are there on the table, you won't go away. And you will find yourself saying, it has no "Durian" smell anymore.

Here are some information I have gathered which might help. According to the Durian experts, if one is a first-time Durian attacker, he has to be introduced to TD4 variety and I must say it is sweet, creamy and a bit crunchy in some portions. For those who wants some minty and a bit of bitterness, MN variety is recommended. This is creamy too but I don't prefer this one. TD1 and TD2 (bright yellow color) are all right for me, they are not sharply sweet and fibrous.

In Brgy. Araal, La Carlota City, they had an eat-all-you-can durian fruit in the past barangay fiesta and this recent fiesta held on August 26, they had durian ice cream which Ii can only wish to taste! The harvest season here is from August to November and one can buy the durian at the ECJ farms in Pontevedra.

Plump, creamy, a bit crunchy... Durian 

A pose before concentrating on the "attack."

Gone in sixty seconds???

Important facts on this Fruit.

Durian nutritional value.

Health benefits of Durian fruit

• Durian, like other tropical fruits such as Banana, avocado, and jackfruit, is rich in energy, minerals and vitamins. 100 g fresh fruit provides 147 calories.
• The fruit is made of soft, easily digestible flesh made of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. Though it contains a relatively high amount of fats among fruits, it is free from saturated fats and cholesterol.
• Durian is rich in dietary fiber, which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon.
• The durian fruit is a good source of antioxidant vitamin-C (about 33% of RDA). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• The fruit is an excellent source of health benefiting B-complex groups of vitamins; a rare feature among fruits, such as niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential for the body as it requires them from external sources to replenish.
• Further, it also contains a good amount of minerals like manganese, copper, iron and magnesium. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation.
• Fresh durian fruit is a very rich source of potassium. Potassium is an important electrolyte of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
• Additionally, it also contains high levels of essential amino acid, tryptophan (also known as "nature's sleeping pill") which in the body metabolizes into serotonin and melatonin; these neuro-chemicals have important functions like sleep induction and in the treatment of epilepsy.

More benefits of Durian, here.
More benefits. 10 vitamins and minerals. here.