Would You Drop Your Durian?! | 3 Facts About Durian Harvesting

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It is durian season again and the smell of the durian is once again upon us.

We made a trip to our favourite durian seller, Ah Loon, at 227 Katong to check in and we left with some interesting facts. So to help with your durian talk whilst you wait for your favourite Mao Shan wang to be delivered (227 Katong durian delivers!), here are 3 facts about durian harvesting you may not know about.

Durian Harvesting Customs

From our chat with Ah Loon, Malaysian durians and Thai durians are harvested in different ways to produce different flavour profiles. An average durian takes about 100-120 days to ripen, depending on the species and weather conditions during that season.

Most Malaysian durian farmers will wait for the durian to fully ripen before harvesting them. This allows the durian to have full bodied and stronger flavours. Thai durian farmers, however, will usually harvest the durians just before they fully ripen (Ah Loon mentions around day 97). This gives the durians fuller meat texture, but not so robust flavours.

Durian Netting

As the Malaysian farmers prefer to harvest the durians when they ripen, the durians will naturally fall from the tree. To prevent them from hitting the ground, and to not get damaged, large nettings are placed in between the trees to catch the durians when they fall.

There are mainly two purposes for the netting, to ensure the durian is not damaged while falling from the tree and to increase the shelf life of the durians as they travel from Malaysia to other parts of the world.

Durian Hitting

Did you notice that some durian sellers will hit the durian on the floor when fresh batches of durians arrive? The durians are not being punished but are actually being ripened. When a fresh batch of durian supply comes from the plantation, they are ripe but not at the optimal quality for eating. Hitting the durians on the floor simulates a durian hitting the floor, just as nature intended.

According to a New Straits Times article where they interviewed a durian farmer, the hitting of the durian “activate(s) the fruit’s lactobacillus bacteria, which could speed up the ripening process”. After the hitting, the durian will do its magic and will reach its maximum ripeness in about 4-6 hours. So be sure to ask if your durian sellers have hit the durian to release that durian magic.

Will all that said, the durian season is a time for friends to gather and share stories over the “King Of Fruit”. But knowing where to buy authentic durians is also important to ensure you get your money’s worth. Ah Loon has been at the helm of 227 Katong Durian for 13 years, making sure all durians coming in are fresh and high-quality, ensuring durian lovers the best experience when eating his durians. Make a trip down to 227 Katong Durian this season to experience the warmth from Ah Loon and his durians. Don’t say we never share! XD