Malaysian vs Thailand Durian
they come seedless or not?
Many Malaysian/Singapore friends have commented that describing it as "pulp" durian is misleading. Perhaps it's why Thai durians are much more popular as they come seedless because people feel ripped off.
Perhaps the Malaysian producers could learn from their Thai counterparts. Like many, I have stopped buying packaged Malaysian durians.
Hi T,
Thanks for your reaching out with your email. I enjoy a good chat with passionate durian enthusiasts <3
Do you know the difference between Malaysian vs Thai durians? (And Australian-grown durians, too?)
Do you know why Malaysian durian isn't sold in a "seedless pulp" form? Mainly because it is ripe (or "overripe" by the definition of the Thais), soft and mushy. The Malaysian durian pulp will become mush with finger indentations once the seed is taken out and handled. Then the durian should be called paste! It will no longer hold the pulp shape. =) Meanwhile, Thai durians are not yet fully ripe, are crunchy, quite firm and hold their pulp shape. You can dig and cut out the seed easily, and no one will be the wiser.
Have you tasted Thai and Malaysian durians side by side? I would recommend trying it, and study the difference. Don't need to buy from us. Do it as an experiment with your friends =)
Putting aside cost and marketing information, the Malaysian and Thai durian fruits individually are vastly different. I've attached photos of Thai & Vietnamese seedless durian being sold at local grocers, where on the packaging it does not say "seedless pulp". It only says "Frozen Durian Seedless". Are these the brands you're referring to? We do not sell these.
The Malaysian and Australian durians that we purchase for our customers (we are not a shop, we're a concierge service) are either whole with husk, or are pulp with seeds unless specified as seedless. All Malaysian imported whole fruit durians are frozen for Australian Biosecurity regulations. Anyone telling you it is FRESH is lying and has defrosted their durians then claim it to be "fresh". I have a video on my Facebook showing anyone how to identify Fresh vs Frozen durians by the seed. Only ONE of our Malaysian durian fruit products on our website is seedless - and that is the durian paste which is best used for cooking or baking.
The word "pulp" is the botanical description of the durian anatomy. The pulp is also known as the aril or flesh of the durian which is the edible part of the fruit, which happens to include seeds. By botanical definition, I don't believe anyone is misleading anyone by using the word "pulp". In fact, even the durian seed is edible when cooked/boiled.
What do your friends recommend they be called? "Seeded Pulp"? Do your friends associate the word pulp to papier-mâché "pulp", perhaps?
I am Malaysian born, raised and bred, only having lived in Australia the last 13 years. I don't proclaim myself an expert on durian on the basis of my nationality. I have made an effort to learn from people, from farmers, from scientific papers, and from running my business. I also do plenty of research like the trained journalist that I am.
My business aims to do justice to this luxurious fruit by ensuring people are not cheated by local grocers who sell any durian as "Musang King" when they are not. I don't reckon anyone should proclaim themselves experts just because they are Malaysian/Singaporean - especially when they do not understand the core difference between Malaysian and Thai durian. How do you compare Australian salmon to Norwegian salmon? Or Fuji apples from China vs Australian Fuji apples?
I run my business with as much integrity and transparency as I can. I help educate my social media followers to make the right choices. Even if they don't buy from me. A funny example is I've seen on Malaysian Facebook Groups where they will buy $20/kg "Musang King" durian from Cabramatta who cheat buyers by selling them D101 or Vietnamese durian (the grocer himself told me this, and I've seen the lady do in front of me). These Malaysians then excitedly claim on Facebook that they are getting cheap Malaysian Musang King. I record videos and share links on TTFC Durian Lovers FB group to educate durian lovers on how to identify Musang King in the shops correctly.
Ironically some Malaysians don't know how to identify Malaysian Musang King durians. I can take you on a trip to Cabramatta, and point out to you which ones are Musang King, which ones are Thai durians and frozen. Or do a blind challenge and get me to ID durians with no tags =) I've learnt how to ID Musang King from an American girl with a website called, Year of the Durian.
I hope this info helps you out. I can empathise with your frustration and disappointment.
Thanks for reaching out. If you wish to learn more, feel free to reach out. If I can't answer it, I will ask someone who knows better than I do =)
Cheers,
Zona Tan-Sheppard
