Durians and other fresh fruits (at the markets)

[Maramook]

Could you guys suggest me where I can buy fresh fruits (not in the shops or malls) and durians in particular? Somebody told me I can do this at Chaweng, however the prices turned out to be high there.

Edited November 8, 2013 by Maramook

[Samui Coconut]

High in compared to ?

Try the local markets in either Maenam, Bangrak, Choeng Mon etc., even along the lake road in Chaweng, if all fails, go to Makro or Nathon Market.

[Mole]

In Samui, the Durians ripen 2 times a year. It's around December/January, then it's August/September.

During the season, everybody and their brother-in-laws are selling and you'll see durian selling practically in front of every house and plenty in fruit stalls and markets.

Out of season, you will normally not find anybody selling. There may be the occasional one which for some reason has fallen off the tree. They'll usually put it in front of their house. You won't definitely find any durians in markets.

If you really would like some durians now, I can call a motorbike taxi that I know whose family has a durian grove. If there are any durians, I can tell him to reserve one. But expect to pay a bit more.

Also, there's many varieties of durian, is there a particular one you fancy? The variety which is most grown here is D159 mon thong หมอนทอง. Personally I prefer the D123 ชะนีไข่ chanee khai variety. It has a somewhat stronger smell and more taste than mon thong.

If you did find some durians at this time of the year in chaweng, I recommend you to buy it regardless of price. It's normally impossible to get right now, so any price is a good price.

During season, the usual price is around 30-40 bt/kg.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Mole

[limbos]

Most of the local and durian in general is heavily sprayed.

We get ours most of the time off family who don't spray.

Mon Thong is my fave though!

[Birdman]

Lots of Durians for sale from a pickup, seen yesterday at the Chaweng Lake Mac Donalds Road. Generally, the nearer the market to tourist centers, the more expensive the choice of products.

[Maramook]

Also, there's many varieties of durian, is there a particular one you fancy?

I'm crazy about d101 but I don't if it's available here. In the Philippines - yes.

Or I'd like any sort which is sweet.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Maramook

[Maramook]

If you really would like some durians now, I can call a motorbike taxi that I know whose family has a durian grove. If there are any durians, I can tell him to reserve one. But expect to pay a bit more.

yes, please, just ask him first.

[Mole]

I don't think d101 is widely available in Thailand.

The durians which are available at some trucks at this time are not from Samui. There are slightly different seasons for durian around the country.

But those "import" durians will be expensive. Usually over 100bt/kg.

I just called and he can still find some. It's around 30-40bt/kg.

I think it's D159. (IMO it's rather bland. But it yields a lot of meat and seeds are tiny. I prefer quality than quantity...)

Exactly how many do you want? How big? 3-4 kg?

If you have somebody who can speak Thai, I'll give you his number and you can call and talk to him and make appointment yourself.

If he has other than D159, I actually recommend you to get it, as well as 1 D159, then you can taste yourself which one you prefer.

But other varieties are not really widely available on the island, so if there's any, just get it. However, for other varieties than D159, you should get a bit bigger ones, 3-4 kg, because the seeds will be big and small ones may contain very little flesh around the seeds.

For D159, it's OK to buy even 1-2 kg because seeds are tiny.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Mole

[phetphet]

There are several fruit stalls around the fresh market next to Discovery Pier, Bangrak. Quite a big one opposite the market, next to the Family Mart adjoining Green Bay? Hotel.

[MantisMan]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only Durian eating non-Asian out there.

The Chinese eat with the meat much softer (the way I like it actually) compared to the Thais who like it harder.

I've tried to explain the taste of Durian to Durian haters who've never even bothered to eat it (and it's not bother, really!).

It goes like this:

Think of the smell of Gorgonzola with the rich creamy taste of blueberries in a thick cream.

Anybody have something similar or different when explaining the complexity of "The King of Fruits"?

[AngThong]

I personally don't try to explain durian taste, seems pointless to me. Nothing tastes like durian, and the differences between various durian cultivars are almost as big as between durian and, say, chempedak.

That said, I like mine soft and sweet and my favourite is a perfectly ripe Khadum Thong, closely followed by Kan (Gan) Yao. When properly ripe, these two are as sweet as really good mangoes but with strong spiciness on top (not chili-like, more curry-like). I've had the odd decent Chanee but never tasted a Mong Thong I liked, including some organic local ones. Sampled about a dozen cultivars in Malaysia including Red Prawn, all of them with a much stronger durian flavour and less sweetness compared to Thai durians - not a huge fan, though there was a D2?? variety with a really nutty, thick flavour and texture that I did like.

I loved the Aug/Sept season here on Phangan, had some mindboggling local "durian ban" varieties (I think 'ban' means local or whatever, non-commercial varieties). Looking forward to the Dec/Jan season! I saw a few that looked like Mong Thongs in Nathon yesterday, didn't inspect closely since I don't like Mong Thong.

There's a number of Western durian-lovers, I know an American guy who eats pretty much durian only, hence travels across SE Asia to wherever they are in season. Last year I met Lindsay and Rob from the U.S. who took a year off to follow the "durian trail" across Asia and the Pacific (from Sri Lanka to Australia and pretty much everything in between, including the Philippines and Indonesia). They wrote a couple of e-books and run a blog on all things durian.

http://www.yearofthedurian.com/p/first-durian-start-here.html

Edited November 9, 2013 by AngThong

[Mole]

I'm actually a native Thai.

Personally I have never found durians to smell bad like what's described by westerners. It has it's unique pungent smell which is the durian smell and I don't find it repulsive nor smelling rotten or old socks at all.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Mole

[AngThong]

I'm actually a native Thai.

Personally I have never found durians to smell bad like what's described by westerners. It has it's unique pungent smell which is the durian smell and I don't find it repulsive nor smelling rotten or old socks at all.

Me neither, although I was 30 when I encountered my first durian. The bad ones (say, run-of-the-mill Mong Thong) smell mildly boring, while a good Kan Yao or Khadum Thong has a scent like pure heaven, especially a cinnamon-flavoured Khadum. I can easily come up with half a dozen normal food items that have a way more offensive smell (like fish). All subjective, of course.

[Mole]

I think it's up to an individual to decide what he'd like to eat or not. Some people may be so repulsed by the smell of durian that there's just no way for them to even taste it.

For example, there's no way in hell I'd ever going to even taste hakarl, lutefisk or certain cheeses. Also, pla-la is not to my taste (or smell) either.

[notmyself]

Somewhere between rancid custard and a malignant sebaceous cyst.

[Torrens54]

I love it. Have been eating it for years but now my Doctor has "killed it off for me" she says it is playing hell with my cholesterol.

[evadgib]

They're being sold on the lake road behind McRipoff this afternoon for those that are interested.

[Maramook]

I don't think d101 is widely available in Thailand.

The durians which are available at some trucks at this time are not from Samui. There are slightly different seasons for durian around the country.

But those "import" durians will be expensive. Usually over 100bt/kg.

I just called and he can still find some. It's around 30-40bt/kg.

I think it's D159. (IMO it's rather bland. But it yields a lot of meat and seeds are tiny. I prefer quality than quantity...)

Exactly how many do you want? How big? 3-4 kg?

If you have somebody who can speak Thai, I'll give you his number and you can call and talk to him and make appointment yourself.

If he has other than D159, I actually recommend you to get it, as well as 1 D159, then you can taste yourself which one you prefer.

But other varieties are not really widely available on the island, so if there's any, just get it. However, for other varieties than D159, you should get a bit bigger ones, 3-4 kg, because the seeds will be big and small ones may contain very little flesh around the seeds.

For D159, it's OK to buy even 1-2 kg because seeds are tiny.

I'd like to buy them constantly like a few times per week. Not big ones, about 1-2 kilo for peace. 30-40 baht is good deal!

There is a thai woman here but she can't speak English.

no d101? well, any sort is ok as long as it's sweet like d101.

So what do I do next?

[Mole]

If you'd like to buy on regular basis, you can pm me for his phone number.

He'll be able to find some for you when you want and even bring it to you. They're all local Samui durians.

But you'll have to find somebody able to speak Thai to talk to him.

[Mole]

There's a fruit stall between IT Complex and Beach Republic near Lamai which has some durians.

They only have D159 mon thong and it's 100b/kg.

It's from Samui.

1 month from now the price will be around 40bt/kg.

[Maramook]

I found other place in Mae Num, it's cheaper.

[MantisMan]

My first taste of this Ambrosia was in Hong Kong with my wife's in-laws (she is HK Chinese).

Mother in law states that Durian should only be eaten once a week (or even less than that).

Same goes with eggs. Ancient Chinese wisdom, so to speak.

Any truth to that?

I have a feeling that they are fattening.

[AngThong]

My first taste of this Ambrosia was in Hong Kong with my wife's in-laws (she is HK Chinese).

Mother in law states that Durian should only be eaten once a week (or even less than that).

Same goes with eggs. Ancient Chinese wisdom, so to speak.

Any truth to that?

I have a feeling that they are fattening.

Possibly as an addition to a "standard diet"... However I know a fruitarian who eats mostly durians and he's very slim (as are all fruitarians I know of). I also lose weight when durian is in season (= I eat little else).

[saweden]

Before this thread I had no idea what a durian is. Now I'm dying to try one and been all over Google and Wikipedia bout it

Any tips for a beginner? Wait until season starts right?

Edited November 28, 2013 by saweden

[AngThong]

Before this thread I had no idea what a durian is. Now I'm dying to try one and been all over Google and Wikipedia bout it Any tips for a beginner? Wait until season starts right?

There's some around already, but a few weeks from now there should be lots; better quality and lower prices.

Two pieces of advice:

1. Go with someone who knows their durian and can pick a good one for you

2. Don't give up if you don't like the first one (or the first few)

I'm personally a huge durian fan and I dislike maybe 7-8 out of 10 durians sold in Thailand. Most of them are of the Mong Thong variety which Thais love and I don't like at all, some will be poor samples of Chanee, Khadum Thong, Gan Yao or other varieties I prefer. My nose is pretty good and I rarely go home with a bad durian these days.

If you feel like popping over to Phangan in Dec/Jan and haven't tried any, I could pick you a good one once the local supply is in :-) Otherwise I'm sure there are durian connoisseurs on Samui. #2 is important because durians are so different - you may end up having ones you don't like to begin with and then discovering the most incredible treat ever on your 3rd or 4th try

Edited November 28, 2013 by AngThong

[samuijimmy]

I have not required a taste for Durian...

But the pickers go out on a limb and small rope, to pick em....

This is down on the SW corner of Samui, where there are many acres of orchards!

Then someone slows down the fall...

then the small guy carries of to the pickup!!!

Edited November 29, 2013 by samuijimmy

[AngThong]

Nice pics but silly Thais. They will drop when ripe! I can't for the life of me understand why they prefer to eat them unripe. It's not because they would rot either, Malaysians pick them ripe...

[Mole]

That's because they have to be picked unripe like that in order to ship to BKK for sale for example.

[samuijimmy]

That's because they have to be picked unripe like that in order to ship to BKK for sale for example.

yes that would be a smelly ride, .... being behind a Durian truck all the way to BKK or anywhere for thst matter.... (The "Min" mobile! )

Most fruit, would be picked before completely ripe and needs transporting , that's also why they are working on improving the back roads into the centre of Samui, so it is not crushed coming down the bumpy roads !!! ..

[AngThong]

That's because they have to be picked unripe like that in order to ship to BKK for sale for example.

I think that's at best part of the truth. Seems to me they are picked very early simply because Thais prefer their durians crunchy and unripe. In Malaysia, they pick and sell them ripe, so clearly that can be done. Malaysians really love durians so in order to prevent theft from orchards, they tie a string around the stem of the fruit and then attach the string to a branch so the fruit won't fall all the way to the ground once ripe. Unfortunately for me, Malaysians don't seem to like sweet durians much so they don't grow many sweet varieties (it seems).

Luckily durians do ripen somewhat post harvest, hence I can still find ripe durians for sale here. I'd love to sample tree-ripened sweet durians though... Really liked one or two Malaysian varieties but the rest have been too sour for my tastebuds.