Author: Ramenball

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How high can you stack durian husks? Win prizes!

Are you ready to create a new world record for Malaysia? If so, here’s what you need to do and potentially win some attractive prizes plus bragging rights for being the best among the best in stacking empty durian husks.

This record-setting feat will be conducted at the PD Ostrich Show Farm on Sunday 9 July 2023 during the first-ever International Durian Day. The event will start at 10.30am with qualifying rounds and the final will be held at 2.30pm.

To be considered for this record-setting feat, you first need to ensure you follow these rules:

  1. You can have a maximum of three (3) empty durian husks as the triangular base. Each husk must be a minimum of 15cm (>6 inches) in length and weigh more than 200g. The width of each husk must be no more than half its length. Each husk must be no larger than a third the size of the original durian. All husks used in this challenge must be within 10% variance of each other for both length and weight.
  2. Each of the next levels can have as many husks as can be supported when stacked.
  3. No thorns can be embedded into adjacent empty durian husks, these can only be stacked on each other with no tether or support in any form. This restriction covers any notches, glue-like substances, stapling, external wiring, etc judged to be NOT part of an unblemished or unprocessed durian husk.
  4. Record each step of the empty durian husk stacking and post the video to your Facebook & Instagram pages, setting them public. Then share this video post to https://www.facebook.com/CyberRT.Malaysia/ with hashtags #InternationalDurianDayJuly 9, #IDD9 & #durianstackingrecord.
  5. Judging will be based on 3 criteria: (1) stack height, (2) number of husks stacked & (3) number of likes & shares combined.
  6. There will be two (2) records to be charted – for tallest stack and most durian husks stacked respectively. Further measurements will be conducted during the live event to comply with rules set by independent record-verifying authorities.
  7. Only those who have complied with all these rules will be considered to be part of the 9 July 2023 record-setting event. Look out for private messages sent to your Facebook account from 15 June 2023 onwards.
  8. Prizes for participants and winners will be announced at the PD Ostrich Show Farm event on 9 July 2023.
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Durian pizza a delicate balance of a dessert

PORT DICKSON, 6 Feb 2023:

How many more ways can there be to enjoy the ‘King of Fruits’?

The Royal Durian PD cafe has come up with several more, with the most prominent being a 9-inch pizza that truly enhances the flavour of the ‘Musang King’ durian that it highlights.

The thick crust base is unsalted to provide a neutral foundation for the main durian cheesy flavour. This crust is also slightly chewy, rather than flaky or powdery, to better complement the custard texture of the fruit.

Fresh durian pulp is an amazing replacement for the typical tomato paste, presenting a solid core for the tastebuds, with a light smattering of mozzarella cheese to bond the whole pastry together.

Topping off the pizza and adding a nice visual contrast are half-cut grapes, making it easy to delineate the eight slices that are resultant once fully baked.

The pizza can be enjoyed piping hot with the durian-cheese combination melting in the mouth with an explosive burst of flavour, or let cool into a fudge-like texture to prolong the tantalising sensation within the mouth.

This unique pizza isn’t the only highlight at this cafe, located a stone’s throw away from the PD Ostrich Show Farm along the touristy Teluk Kemang beachfront of Port Dickson.

Serving a variety of reasonably-priced local dishes within an open-shed spread or inside an air-conditioned bus, another durian dessert to savour would be the caramel-nut concoction.

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Eating durian can cause you to fail breathalyser test

An unnamed man was pulled over by police in Rudong County in the eastern Jiangsu province of China on 17 April 2019 for suspected drunk driving. Upon being pulled over, the man protested his innocence by claiming that he had just eaten durian.

Durian, also known as the king of fruits, can be widely found in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. Durian is infamous among  westerners for its strong smell but according to Malaysians, once you get hold of the taste, it’s hard to resist more and more of it.

The fruit has become a craze in China leading to an import deal with Malaysia a couple of years back.

The man who was pulled over, although he’s provided a skeptical excuse, was nonetheless adamant about his claim. This led to the officer, Yu Pengxiang, to proceed with a blood test to see if there was any connection between durian and breathalyser test.

To his surprise, the unnamed driver’s blood test proved his innocence, despite having tested over China’s strict 0.02% (20 mg per 100ml) blood alcohol limit (for comparison, in the US, for over-21s it’s 0.08%) on the breathalyser.

This of course left the officer puzzled and intrigued, which then led him carry out the test himself – fortunately, on camera – to see if eating durian fruit really does raise your blood alcohol level. As expected, he tested positive with a reading of 0.36!.

So, what’s going on? Does eating durian cause you to be drunk?

No. As it turns out, there are a lot of things that we regularly consume that can lead to the false positive reading on a breathalyser test.

These are items that contain trace alcohol amounts, including hot cross buns and white bread (thanks to the fermenting yeast), pecans, macadamias, ripe fruit, protein bars, mouth wash, and cough syrup.

In this case, the methyl group from the compound ethyl (2S)-2-methylbutanoate, is the likely culprit that landed this man in hot water.

However, don’t be hopeful that you could use this excuse anytime soon because this would only make blood test part of the screening process.

– HelloDoktor via Cyber-RT

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Virgin taste of ‘Musang King’ durian in Malaysia (video)

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 July 2022:

On a posting to Malaysia since mid-2021 at the British High Commission in Malaysia, second secretary James Taylor had one item to be ticked off his bucket list – learning to taste for the first time ever and possible learn to enjoy the infamous Malaysian durian.

Having arrived last year while strict restrictions still applied to contain the Covid-19 virus spread, it was only with the latest durian season that he found the opportunity to sample this ‘King of Fruits’.

Attending a durian buffet extravaganza at the Pavilion Bukit Jalil mall here, James agreed to have his virgin tasting to be recorded for posterity – and to better tantalise his palate, he was offered the most sumptuous ‘Musang King’ variety.

The video recording below clearly shows his initial reaction, but James was equally game to partake further durians later on at Malaysia’s first International Durian & Cultural Fest 2022 – a two-day event organised by Duricious Sdn Bhd (better known by its Dking branding).

Also read: DKing launches durian buffet as tourism lure

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Malaysia offers durian-themed tour packages

GEORGE TOWN, 15 July 2022 (Bernama):

Tourism Malaysia aims to sell 500 to 600 Durian Farm Tour Packages from July 1 to Aug 31, said its director-general Datuk Zainuddin Abdul Wahab.

He said the tour packages are available in the northern states and the ministry has targeted returns of over RM100,000 for tour operators participating in the programme.

“Among the packages on offer are the 2 Days 1 Night Package starting from RM290 per person and the 3 Days 2 Nights Package starting from RM388 per person with a minimum booking of four people each package.

“To boost sales, Tourism Malaysia is also offering a 10% discount to buyers,” he told reporters after officiating at the 2022 Durian Tour Package campaign here today.

He said the programme was aimed at reviving marketing and promotion of domestic tourism apart from helping durian orchard operators and it was also seen to be able to contribute to the local economy.

Zainuddin said to make the campaign a success, Tourism Malaysia had collaborated with five tour operators in developing the tour packages that combined elements of ecotourism, agro-tourism, archeotourism and extreme adventure.

He said the five operators are Kurma Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd, Adventure360 Tours Sdn Bhd, Time Free Vacation Sdn Bhd, M.Maha-Izah Transport and Tours Sdn Bhd and Asia Gateway Tours.

More information on the tour packages can be obtained through the Tourism Malaysia website at www.malaysia.travel.

Zainuddin said the ministry hoped that more tour operators from other parts of the country would also offer such packages.

– courtesy of Tourism Malaysia

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DKing launches durian buffet as tourism lure

PETALING JAYA, 12 July 2022:

Local fruits retailer Durious Sdn Bhd, better known by its branding as DKing, is aiming to tap the exotic appeal of durians to lure both domestic and international tourists to sample this avowed King of the Fruits.

It is conducting the first ever International Durian & Cultural Fest 2022 at Pavilion Bukit Jalil this weekend, when it is prepared to host around 3,000 aficionados over two days – July 16 and 17.

DKing founder Leron Yee said the RM88 all-you-can-eat durian buffet will be conducted on an hourly basis with a cap of 300 participants for each session. “We will offer at least three different varieties of quality durians, but for that price, we have to admit not being able to offer the ‘Musang King’ variety though.”

Even so, he described the buffet as a steal, noting durian prices have been on an uptrend recently. “For this event, we’re also expecting many international travellers, especially from East Asia. That’s why we’re grateful for Tourism Malaysia’s support in promoting this event.”

Tourism Malaysia senior deputy director Rosnah Mustafah confirmed the support, noting that the national agency has seen strong interest from Hong Kong – where the local durian pricing is so high that it is cheaper to eat the fruit fresh in Malaysia, even after factoring in travel costs.

“We have successfully promoted tour packages around durian feasts, where tourists from Hong Kong spend several days in Malaysia and also enjoy many other attractions our country has to offer.”

Yee said this weekend’s event is also aimed at wooing tourists from further abroad, noting that Australia has become the second largest durian export destination for Malaysia.

“While Thailand and Indonesia also have durians to offer, many consumers say Malaysian durians are the best tasting. We’re conducting this event to let consumers enjoy local durians plus other fruits we have plenty of in Malaysia, and hope to have it as an annual celebration.”

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Mardi pushing for more mass farming of new durian hybrids

KUALA KANGSAR, 10 July 2020:

The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) is encouraging durian farmers to cultivate the MDUR 78, MDUR 79 and MDUR 88 hybrid durians which have high marketing potential.

These three hybrids were developed by Mardi researchers.

Horticultural Research Center director Dr Johari Sarip said the three clone varieties are a cross between D24 and D10 variants. They are favoured by local durian enthusiasts – especially the MDUR 88, which has an attractive golden-yellow coloured flesh that is slightly sticky with a sweet and creamy flavour.

“We have been working together with the Department of Agriculture to enable farmers to cultivate high quality and viable high durian variants that are on par with the Musang King.

“We are also providing consulting services to farmers and encourage them to plant more than two clones of durian to avoid diseases,” he said at Duriotourism Park in Mardi Kuala Kangsar here, recently.

Dr Johari said Mardi was founded in 1959 and since the early 1970s, has been actively conducting research to develop cross-breeds from D24 and D10 which have a higher resistance to durian diseases such as root borer invertebrates.

“We have produced over 10,000 new hybrid prototypes and have bred three very promising new clones, namely the MDUR 78 (D188) and MDUR 79 (D189) in 1990 as well as MDUR 88 (D190) in 1992.”

He said Mardi is planning to expand its cultivation area for the new clones to produce more yields and compete internationally.

In addition, he said the institute will intensify its research and development (R&D) aspects, including on the proper fertilisation of durian clones, climate change and irrigation to ensure yields with high quality.

“Studies on durians are important because we need high-quality durians to penetrate the local and export markets as the durian export trends to Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom have increased by up to RM92 million a year.”

On the Mardi Duriotourism Park Kuala Kangsar, Dr Johari said the 21ha property has over 20 durian clones – including durian hutan (forest durian) and over 1,000 durian trees.

Meanwhile, Duriotourism manager Abu Zarim Ujang said they offer online selling services for fruits from the park during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) period.

He said the fruits offered consist of various varieties of durian clones as well as mangosteens, while the package price starts from as low as RM30 to RM200 depending on its weight.

Abu Zarim said visitors can tour the park on a tram while being briefed by the staff on durian cultivation as well as enjoy the king of fruits.

The Duriotourism Kuala Kangsar is open from 9am to 6pm daily while the entrance fees are RM50 for adults, RM18 (children) and RM35 (senior citizens) for Malaysian citizens, while the fees for non-citizens are RM70 (adults), RM50 (children) and RM40 for senior citizens.

– Bernama via Cyber-RT

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Are durians actually healthy?

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 June 2022:

As the King of Fruits, the durian is also known to cause a great divide among Malaysians because of its taste, smell and high fat content.

But contrary to popular belief, Grab Malaysia said in a statement: “Our favourite thorny fruit is packed with health benefits you may not have known – here’s some of them to help break the stigma!”

Sinful yet surprisingly nutritious

Although some of us love to overindulge come durian season, durians can feel “jelak” to most if we have too much of it (or anything for that matter) – one of the reasons the durian has gained a reputation for being unhealthy.

But really, they are filled with nutrients too! For example, durian contains a high amount of healthy fats, just like avocados, that helps our bodies absorb vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, and K. Like everything else though, it should still be taken in moderation.

High blood pressure? You might need more durian

Other than being full of healthy fats, durians are also an excellent source of potassium. Potassium-rich foods are important in managing high blood pressure, which is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease.

Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which further helps to lower blood pressure. Take care of your heart with a healthy dose of Malaysia’s favourite spiky fruit!

Feeling pain in your joints? Have a durian or two

Durian contains more Vitamin C than many other tropical fruits. This is especially important because Vitamin C is the “hero of heroes” when it comes to vitamins.

A deficiency of Vitamic C can lead to joint pain and an adequate intake has been connected with a reduced risk of cancer-related pain. More reasons to end durian distancing and have a ken-durian with your family.

Need help with that bowel movement?

Besides containing plenty of fibre to help with you-know-what, durians are rich in natural sugars that ferment after being exposed to gut bacteria during digestion. This acts as a prebiotic, feeding the many tiny bacteria in your gut, supporting digestive functions and colon health.

Durian facts:

  • The original Musang King durian tree is believed to be from the district of Gua Musang in Kelantan (hence its name… Musang King)
  • D24 durians are also known as “Sultan” durians as they were traditionally reserved for royalty due to its limited availability back in the day.
  • Red Prawn durians were named after the flesh’s curved shape and light pink hue, reminiscent of a cooked red prawn.
  • The most expensive local durian variety is not the Musang King, but the Black Thorn. Its price is known to exceed RM100/kg compared to Musang King’s RM70/kg.