You’re in a hurry.
You have to head home by 7pm for a Netflix date at home with your beau but your meeting got delayed. Now, you only have 3 minutes to head to your nearest durian store to get some juicy King of Fruit for movie night.
You know your beau will throw a fit if you arrive any later than 7:05pm.
There is no time to be wasted!
Frantically, you point to the most attractive husk, have the seller pack the flesh for you, and spring home only to find that the flesh is overripen.
What’s worst is that you have paid a hefty sum and went the extra mile to make sure you reach home punctually.
Unfortunately, many of us have probably encountered a similar issue when choosing a durian. However, we have 4 quick tips that we use here in-store to distinguish ripe durians from stale ones. Read on to learn what they are!
1. Check out the Husk
One of the easiest ways to spot tasty durians is by observing their external appearance. Since you can’t open them before paying, you can take a closer look at its husk.
Start with checking out the spikes by sight or light touch. Usually, sharp protrusions indicate freshness, while soggy ones mean staleness.
Next, recognize uneven colours as this implies staleness. However, this can vary among durian species, so it’s best to perform additional reviews and compare the colour of the husk to others in stock
Lastly, there are sometimes apparent markings in a durian. In this case, it’s much easier to decide whether to purchase or not. An example would be cracks or wounds that are signs of something awful going on inside.
2. Smell the Unopened Durian
Durians smell, generally. But the smell could help you tell a stale durian from a ripe one.
Another way to find out whether a durian is tasty or not is by smelling it. As everyone knows, durians have a unique, appealing and pungent aroma. While it’s normal for it to smell that way, you should always go an extract mile and identify any distinction to ensure you get your money’s worth.
Typically, fresh durians produce a sharp and strong aroma. Regardless, good produce is easy to distinguish from bad ones. A key is to remember that rotten durians usually have a weird sour smell.
The unpleasant smell of rotten produce is easy to recognize. One can describe its sour odour as similar to when you mix rotten eggs with vinegar.
3. Take note of the flesh
If the durians have already been cut open, you can have a closer look at the flesh.
Observing a durian on the inside is a much better way to check its freshness. While customers can only open whole durians after payment at most stalls, some sell wrapped or scoped durians, so there are more options.
When checking a common breed of durian, you should be aware of greyish blemishes. Indications like this are hints of prematureness. These markings are often hard to notice, so be sure to inspect them thoroughly.
On the other hand, if you bought a Black Pearl or Mao Shan Wang, examine if there are small spots as this also means the former. Similarly, they’re difficult to see, so be patient during it. Lastly, if the flesh is watery, be cautious, for that’s a sign of staleness.
4. Listen when the Durian Seller Knocks on the Husk
If you can’t do any of the above, there’s still hope. In this last tip, you’re going to decide by sound.
When acquiring durians, there’s a high chance you’ll witness sellers moving their products around. Why? You might ask. Well, aside from sorting, they also do that to check their state.
Vendors usually knock and sometimes toss durians to check their fermentation. Besides, through this, they can also learn which parts of the fruit are ripe and how mature they are. Regardless, you should hear a thumping sound to conclude a durian as fresh.
If you insist on doing it yourself, you can ask permission and knock lightly every fruit in a stand until you find the best one. If you’re unsure, sellers are usually accommodating and will answer your questions promptly.
Here at Kungfu Durian, we ensure all orders are ripe, tasty and fresh whenever we send them out for delivery. Fret not about not getting your money’s worth because we want all customers to enjoy the best durians in the country!