“ Its taste can only be described as … indescribable, something you
will either love or despise … your breath will smell as if you’ ve been French-kissing your dead grandmother.”
FOOD & CUISINE sugar through its manganese content.
Durian also has a high content of dietary fiber which absorbs water and helps speed up the processing of bulk intakes thus protecting our colon.
Since Durian is also rich in Vitamin C containing about 80 % with every cup, it is a good source of collagen and is high in antioxidants which enhances the appearance of our skin.
Urban Legend About Durian
As I have enumerated Durian’ s tremendous benefits for our body, anything consumed in excess is too much and Durian is no exception. It is rich in sugar and when eaten over-ripe or eaten with another sugary food, it is said to ferment in our stomach producing an unpleasant effect of bloating. Pregnant women and those with high blood pressure are advised not to eat this highly nutritious fruit.
As for what has become an urban legend, Durian is highly warned not to be eaten and instantly be followed by drinking liquors particularly in South East Asian countries like Indonesia and Thailand. Though there is still no definite scientific evidence that will prove to affirm or denounce this belief, eating durian and drinking whiskey is said to cause death – a Thai-Chinese tradition in relation to the“ hotness” and“ coldness” of food. It is said that both durian and whiskey possess“ hot” properties and should not be taken together. Others say that the air pressure and chemical reaction which gives off the heat, would be immense when taken together. Although this has caused quite a stir, many still claim that they have consumed one after the other
Durian Shake
and are still alive.
As to the claims of pairing durian and wines, many would attest that they have actually drunk wine while eating Durian and never felt any side effects. A renowned blogger Dr. Michael Lim of the Travelling Gourmet has actually tasted Durian and Veuve Clicquot Rose Reserve 1997 wine to prove that the combination is not deadly. He firmly states that“ the secret to the durian / alcohol match is to have a durian that is just at the ripe point where the flavor is sweet, but the odor hasn’ t started to become too strong.” Further, he mentioned that durian goes well with ports, sherries, white and sparkling wines and never with beer.
Durian, More Ways Than One
During my recent visit to Davao City, I had one mission, to taste durian. Don’ t get me wrong, I had a few occasions where I have encountered this fruit but its only limited to tasting durian candies a couple of years back and my favorite – Durian Chips from Thailand. My mission was to smell and actually taste its fresh pulp. To get an unbiased judgment, I restrained myself from reading any information that may be available. Although I did follow my editorin-chief’ s advise- to slowly introduce myself to eating durian. During my first meal at the most livable city in Asia, I dined at Coco South Bistro located at the compound of Victoria Plaza at the stretch of J. P. Laurel Avenue and found a pleasant surprise in the menu, Frozen Smoothies. The rich milk shake combined with the creamy fresh pulp of durian was mind-blowing. The aroma was
“ Its taste can only be described as … indescribable, something you
will either love or despise … your breath will smell as if you’ ve been French-kissing your dead grandmother.”
— Anthony Bourdai, Author of Kitchen Confidential
Durian Candies
definitely appealing to my senses. And for only Php85, I felt like a kid at heart enjoying a tall glass of my new found favorite, temptingly called Sensuous Durian.
As I went around various dining destinations and food kiosks, durian beverages from juices, shakes and smoothies abound. It seemed it was just an ordinary drink for many Davaeños who may find my euphoric behavior to these durian products out of the norm. My first night, I bought a few kinds of durian-based sweets from candies of two kinds, yema and pastillas. The candied durian has a very mild aroma, just a hint of a true durian, with a bit of sweetness while another resembled a soapy smell masquerading as
7107 ISLAND TRAVEL 85