Ballyhoo: Durian Trail

Thursday, May 11, 2023

Durian Trail

This year I plan to explore "the Durian Trail" in Central and Southern Thailand, and Malaysia. June - Sept is peak time, especially for Malaysian durians, which I've never sampled! When it comes to the King of Fruits, Thailand and Malaysia have a very big rivalry. Thailand has the most varieties (over 200!) and exports the most in the world. Malaysia has one variety (out of 60 plus), Musanking, which many think is the best you can find. Thailand's top variety, Monthong, which means "Golden Pillow," is right there with it. These countries are neighbors, and have ideal weather and soil for growing durian. You need intense heat and high humidity, for sure.

Here are the eight Thai durians Mark Wiens tried. If you see an X by one, we sampled it last year.

Puang Manee Jiw พวงมณีจิ๋ว
Puang Manee พวงมณี
Monthong หมอนทอง X
Kradum กระดุม
Chanee ชะนี X
Kob Chai Nam กบชายน้ำ
Nok Yib นกหยิบ X
Kanyao ก้านยาว X

And here are two more Thai varieties we tried:

Longlap - lae X
Benjapan ? X

More Thai durian varieties I will consider trying:

Kampan Thong

E-Lip

Thongyip - tastes like a Portuguese-Thai fusion dessert made with eggs

Nuantongchan - burnt caramel, rosy sweetness

Monthong|Pala-U - S-shape, rich, buttery, bitter

Nokyib - little fibrous, very nutty and fruity, milk chocolate earthiness

Durian Baan - Southern Thailand

Khiao Tam Leung - smooth and thick, caramel toffee, butterscotchy, salty and menthol-numbing

Below are photos of the durian we tried last summer. We went to Or Tor Kor Market. They had a fabulous selection. Definitely will be returning there this year. We also went to the amazing mall, Iconsiam, and found varieties I had not tried before. Bangkok's huge malls often have yearly fruit festivals, and when it's durian season, be on the lookout. But even if there's no fruit festival, malls are great places to buy high quality durian. The best Monthong (Golden Pillow) I tried last year was purchased at Central Pinklao mall. It was at a kiosk (inside the mall), nearby Tops Supermarket. Kade's brother bought it for me, on several occasions. It was so, so good.