The above map shows the location of the best durian farms in Penang. It is always wise to give them a call before going. Find out beforehand how is the season, what type of durian is available, the pricing, and so on, before you go. If you drop in unannounced, the farms might not be able to provide you any durians if they have already allocated their stock of the day to planned visits from other people.
Penang is famous throughout Malaysia for durians. The most famous of Penang durians are those coming from the hills on the western side of Penang Island, from Gertak Sanggul to the south, through Balik Pulau, to Pantai Aceh and Teluk Bahang to the north. Collectively, these country durians are called Balik Pulau Durians. The terrain, drainage and rainfall around this part of Penang Island makes it ideal for producing the finest quality durians.
Identifying Good Penang Durians
All the good durians in Penang are "branded" by name. Durian planters name their trees, caring for them like family heirloom. They can tell you exactly how the durian is going to taste like, and how it will appear. Appearance-wise, many people like durians with dark yellow to golden-colored flesh, although the taste is often unrelated to the appearance. The best durian trees were planted about thirty to thirty five years ago. Although younger trees may bear the same name as their parents, they cannot match the older trees in terms of quality. When visiting durian farms, it is therefore necessary to go to farms with plenty of well-maintained older trees.
Durian trees require a lot of care to produce good durians. Rot and termite-attack can affect the health of durian trees and affect both the quantity produced as well as quality. Most durian plantations set up netting to prevent the durians from hitting the ground, as the impact will damage the flesh within.
Penang people appreciate durians that are soft and flavorful. The flesh has to be uniformly soft - if any part of the flesh is harder than the rest, the durian is considered poor quality. Generally, thick-flesh durians with a small seed are preferred over thin-flesh durians. A thin membrane encases the fresh. The flesh should separate from the seed without sticking to it. The taste should range from sweet to bittersweet.
Durian connoisseur can identify the name of the durian by taste. The "aroma" of fresh durians - which many foreigner visitors might find to be obnoxiously unpleasant - is what the locals crave for. The aroma of the durian is strongest around the stem part of the fruit, and weakest at the tail end.
The flesh at the top part of the durian is the finest quality
The full-body aroma can only be appreciated at the durian farms themselves, by consuming durians that have freshly dropped from the tree the night before. The longer it is kept, the less fresh it gets. For that reason, supermarket durians and plastic-wrapped, refrigerated durians cannot measure up.
Where durians are concerned, size doesn't matter. The best tasting durians can come from the smallest to the biggest of fruits. Having said that, however, through my personal experience, the better durians range from the small to the medium sized.
Durians are never plucked. They must drop from the tree naturally. Climatic factors affect the quality of durians, even from the best trees. The most flavorful durians are those that drop from the tree during a dry spell - the aroma and taste will be strongest. Too much rain during the budding and ripening seasons will have an adverse effect, the former causing blossoms to drop while the latter diluting the taste. Continuous rainy days over a period would adversely affect the quality of the durian. Durians that fall during a thunderstorm or heavy downpour are not of the best quality.
It is not sufficient simply to consume the durians, it is also required that we know what durian we are consuming. Click here for a listing of Penang durians. People who know their durian will be able to name them (my own favorites include the Xiao Hong and the Yah Kang). To stuff yourself with durians without knowing what you are eating is like gobbling chocolate with your eyes shut. That, to me, is a waste of good durians.
AsiaExplorers Durian Feast
The AsiaExplorers Durian Feast is one of the most famous in the country. Held since 2004, it draws participation from all over Malaysia - people from Australia and further away even plan their visit to Malaysia to coincide with the Durian Feast. The advantage of enjoying durians during a durian feast cannot be compared to simply visiting a farm. You not also get to enjoy a wider selection of durians, you are also taught how to recognise and select good durians. To ensure that all the participants get to try as many durians as possible, I limit the number of participants per session. You need to book as soon as announcement comes out. As these durian feasts are arranged weeks in advance, I cannot guarantee whether the feast will fall during a dry or rainy spell. There is a few feasts organized in each season, because the different durians drop during the different parts of the season - some at the beginning, some at the middle, and some at the tail end of the season. By participating in more than one durian feast, you will have the opportunity of tasting a wider variety of durians. Find out about the 2008 AsiaExplorers Durian Feast right here.
Organizing Your Own Durian Feast
If you are considering organizing your own durian feasts, you should do so between May and July, depending on the durian season of the year. Find out from the durian farm when is their best season - different farm has a different date according to their trees. Although it may be out of your control, avoid planning a visit if there has been many days of rain.
About the Author
Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, a Council Member of the Penang Heritage Trust. The information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct. We are not responsible for its usage. Text in this website is made available under terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. To contact us, write to:
