World Most Expensive ...Durian!

 

Recently, I have been seeing food news about the World Most Expensive Fresh Water Fish call Wild Empurau (Indo Mahseer), costing customers anything in the range of SGD300-400 per kg.



















Then sometime back, we have heard about the World Most Expensive Coffee, Kopi Luwak or the Asian Palm Civet-Cat-Pooed Coffee. Ranging from SGD300-SGD600 per kg.



This record was broken by the dung coffee from the world largest land Mammal, the Asian Elephant, Thai Elephant to be exact.

The specialty brew of Thai Arabica cost USD700-1100 per kg. This came about when a Canadian Coffee Expert Blake Dinkin discovered that the Elephant has a natural Roaster which can break down the protein enzyme of the Arabica, making it bitter-less and smooth. This coffee is currently available only at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort, Maldives and recently in Abu Dhabi at USD50 per cup.

The process of how the picker ascertain whether the coffee berries is good enough, is when they pop one into their mouth to sample. It takes about 10,000 beans to produce 1kg of roasted Black Ivory Coffee. Given this the picker must be fully appreciative of the Elephant's diet. :)




Not to be beaten, the Civet cat fought back and found themselves an UpMart place to sell their Pooed-Coffee. Founder Charles Henry Harrod would be kicking in the grave if he knew this is happening to Harrods Branding, that now their are selling Packaged Pooed Coffee.

The most expensive range comes from Harrods's Terra Nera ‘Kopi Luwak’ in a 24-carat- Gold Plated sachet, available from price range starting from USD 225 to USD10,910.



But the World Most Expensive Food item is still the undisputed White Alba Truffles at USD330,000 for 3.3 pounds, own by HK Billionaire Stanley Ho. Incidentally the Truffles was discovered when female pigs dig the earth underneath the Oak Trees in Piedmont, Italy, looking for scent of the male pig’s sex pheromones.



Now after telling you so much about Fish, Coffee and Truffles, it is time to share with you the World Most Expensive Durian is .... not your Musang King or Black Thorn or any other cultivars.

The Durian Urban Legend has it that long long time ago, Durians were the favorite Fruit for the Kingdom of Animals: the primates, the big cats, Rhinoceros, Tapirs, wild boar, pigs, snakes, scorpions, squirrels, and of course the Elephants.

Frugivorus animals are reported to love Durians. According to the Thai maxim:
“First, the elephant shakes the tree to bring down the fruit. After the elephant noses open the fruit with its tusks, the tiger fights him for the fruit. Rhinoceros, wild pig, tapir, deer, monkey, ant, and beetle follow the tiger. Humans must be very quick to get the Durian”.

Everyone loves the durians. Each has their own ways of eating the Durians.

Squirrels loevs to eat the furit while it is hanging on the branch. Dun believe?




Orangutans use tools such as sticks to help knock durians from the trees. They make leaf gloves to protect themselves when consuming prickly foods. Once open, the Orangutans will discard the skin, eat the flesh, and spit out the seeds, acting as major seed dispersers for this fruit.

While a Tapir would spat out the durian seeds after eating the flesh, thereafter helping to propagate the seeds throughout the jungle.

It has been said that Tigers would press open the durians with their weight and paws top down and lick off the flesh of the Durians totally clean and amazingly place the seeds near into the husk.
Not sure why though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7_ceRnLZE&feature=player_embedded

Tiger video - Panthera tigris - su08b - ARKive

Nothing beats the largest fellow in the Jungle: Elephants

They swallow the whole durian into their stomach! Seriously, how is that possible?

It is said that the Elephant, would roll the wild durians with leaves until it is like a cotton ball then eating it whole. And that's not the end of it, they pooed out the whole fruit too.

Although many reports mentioned that because the Elephant is an inefficient digester of food, therefore the durian was expelled.

 I choose to believe otherwise. More so it is their way of cleansing their digestive tract. The prickly fruit actually helps to pick out those stuff that has been in the stomach and brings it out together. like sometimes the cats n dogs would go to a plan by the roadside and ingest to expel the indigestible foods. likewise, the durians are used in this manner,

By chance, the Orang Asli (natives of the Jungle) saw his and pick it up. Having seen the durian is in tact, thus opening it up and enjoy the goodness.

Now, it may be true that the Elephant's gigantic stomach does break down the protein enzymes to rid of the bitterness in coffee. But what about Durians?

Well according to a report in 2010, a group of aphrodisiac driven timber tycoons in Johor, this type of Elephant Dung Durians are the real natural Viagra. And it is so difficult to obtain one, the price of the durian is set at SGD400 a piece, making it the most expensive Durian. The Orang Asli would track and follow the elephant after it has eaten the durian, for up to 4 hours, they will wait patiently for it to be out process.  Then collect and sell to these hard core durian lovers.

Prioir to this report, Elephant Dung Durians are not new, these are common in the areas of Sumatra Peninsula, Borneo, Thailand and even Vietnam, way back in the 70s. back then the durians were sold for SGD25 a piece, which was also known as Elephant Ganja.
 

Here is the Elephant Dung Durian. Wonder how good it taste.


Shall we go for any expedition to look for the Elephant Dung Durian?

Have a nice day,
PS.

Tikam Durians

I was walking through the Pasar Malam aimlessly and somehow I  stopped at the Durian Stall. There were several displayed at the stall but none caught my eyes.

The Durian Uncle was trying his very best to make me buy the Styrofoam box packed with "Mao Shan Wang", although it was a super wet D13 screaming at me. Next he eagerly tries to sell me D13 as Ang Hei. God knows why.

I decided to walk away when I caught a glimpse of a pile of small durians. Immediately the thoughts of random choosing of durians, flashes across the mind. Hack.

I ask the Uncle: "How much for these?" pointing to the pile of Small Durians.

 

He happily replied " 4 for S$10". I was about to walk and he says again :"Okay Okay 5 for S$10 and no more, like that how to earn?"

 

I silently take a quick look to assess whether the durians are do-able. Then i retorted politely: " Uncle, these durians are from Yishun Forest, still need to charge money meh?".

 

The Uncle was shocked by that statement and quickly changed topic asking me to buy his other fruits in quick succession. I knew it, this fellow just now says all this are Segamat durians, but actually, I think it is some Durian Hunters who sold him the durians.

 

I quickly took 5 and started taking Photos of it. Then his Partner came and asked why am i taking Photos. I happily replied that it reminded me of my childhood when my father brought me along to buy durians. In my heart, I was thinking, they must be thinking I am from NEA checking on them.

 

 

  I looked forward to my mini-Kampong Durian Degustation in anticipation, so much so that i did not eat much for dinner. 

 

 

 

 The D24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Tawa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The XO 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Delectable Experience in opening up the durians was a Dejavu to me. The flavors that hit my taste buds were so full of character! It was one moment a Plain Jane, and next moment a Cassius Clay. Punching me with all the alcoholic contents. I was lucky to get the Xo, D24 and a bit of Tawa from the little 5s as I would call them. The other two i had is a tad bland. however that is what i love most of a Tikam Durian, you can never anticipate what's next! 

 

Job done, game over!

 



 The durians did not disappoint at all!

 

Parting Shot

Looking at the picture of tissues would have told you what an Orgasmic Experience I had earlier on, the only time when u can rave in the waves of sensations with each aril. My mouth and tongue has not been working so hard for a long long time.

Nevertheless, the efforts to finished up that 50plus Arils in 2 hours were well worth it.





How Prickly am I

This is my first attempt at blogging.

As it is, I do not know how to go about in writing my first post.

How about starting with why I wanted to write a blog, despite me being terrified about writing and the use of poor language.

 My first encounter with Durians precedes my arrival to this world. It is as real a claim as you would have see a durian falling on someone's head.

My dad n mum were stuffing up on this stuff that makes half the world goes Yucks!
It was said to be have good properties that is beneficial for pregnancy, well I ain't complaining :).

As far as I can recall, I took to Durian like a fish to water, when it was introduced to me at a relatively young age.

Every since then, things has never been the same.

Of all the things, I am supposed to remember as a young boy, I only remembers the smell of this wonderful fruit. Somehow, the word Durian really lingers in my mind, taste, smell or touch.

So much so that when it was in season, I could literally smell a durian a mile away! (actually it was only round the bend, but being a small kid, everything seems relative faraway).

The other thing that fascinates me just as much, only a fraction lesser, was the reading of the Pugilistic's comics like the Little Gangster and Dragon Tiger Gate.

I was always looking forward to the school holidays, this meant that I would have access to best of both world for me :).

Durians and comics came hand in hand the moment I landed in Masai, a small rustic town in JB, my mum's hometown. My mum's 2nd brother, my uncle, has a property up on the hills.

Back in the 70s then, it was sparsely populated, and lots of vegetations. What the eyes could see was rows and rows of Rubber Trees, it was so much fun venturing into it to play hide and seek.

Yes, hide we did and there was also something there we don't intend to find. We here refers to my bunch of cousins.

It was at back corner of my uncle's house that forged my destiny of this spiky fruit. You noticed I use spiky, not prickly, this is because I have not been pricked by it, yet!

During one of the December Holidays, i was flowering some plants at the backyard, personal contributions. That was a norm for Sugarcanes to be sweeter!

Well, I was doing my rounds and darkness came fast.

Happily as I was flowering, some thing whoosh into a bush nearby.

It was a heart stopping, or for the matter, water pipe stopping moment!

What's that sound? I look around precariously, while not trying to be too 'garang' to turn my head too fast, to scan for the source of sound.

Another whoosh! Woo hoo, off I ran!

A couple more sounds made me danced around like a man walking on hot coals, it was raining Durians!

Oh my goodness, green shells were falling from the nightsky!

Much as I carefully tries to steer clear of the artillery attacks, I clumsily kicked one on the way to the kitchen.

Yup, u guessed it! I was wearing the Japanese Flipflops. My toes showed their polka dots reds immediately.

I was like ouch Ouch OUch OUCH!!!!

That Prickly encounter was the first of the kind but not the last of it!

Though the pain was instantly felt, but it goes away just as fast, till i hit the showers.

I bet the night forest were filled with screams that made Scary Movies looks B Grade.

After the pain came the urge. The thoughts of falling shells was too tempting. I found a metal basin and a Guni sack from the store room, and decide to head for the battlefield.

With stealth like movement, I was able to retrieve the enemy's ammunitions.
It's time to dissect what had been belting at me. It was the first time I have seen and handled a wild durian. It wasn't as big or nicely shaped as those that my dad bought. But it was mine :) My precious.

As a kid, I had been quite mischievous. I had no idea how to open the durians. So i tried to do what i think a durian seller does. And while i was trying to whiff the durian like an expert. I clumsily pressed the spikes to the nose. Polka dots Red Nose!

Luck was shining brightly that night for me, i guess i must have thrown my tooth in the correct direction.

I found one of the Prickly that has a small opening!
And immediately i wiggle my little pinky to pry, poke or whatever means of extracting the flesh... Pinky, not what you think, you know who you are.

Riiiiinnnngggg, the alarm clock woke me up.


I vaguely remembers what happens last night.

Later i was told by my cousin that I was konked out cold in the backyard with a metal basin besides me and a guni sack.

Haha... What an encounter... But definitely the sensation of wanting the fruit lingers in my mind so much that I must have braved the artillery head on!

Was it a dream or did i really overcome that barrage of shell artillery?

Whatever it was, i found two small Prickly keep aside for me... :)

Passion has driven me to writing this blog. And I wish for you to join me in this journey to explore and understand more about this wonderful fruit together.

Till then ...


PS (Prickly Sensations)

Look out for my next post on "I have a Dream that all seeds are made Equal ..."