Liew Lian, and more liew lian

While looking for something on the net, I came across this website www.durianpalace.com, and have extracted from there

Rare Durians of Borneo!
 
Shunyam Nirav has this to say about the durians:

All Thai durians and most Malaysian durians are varieties and clones of only one species, Durio zibethinus, the common domestic durian, which has been bred and selected for centuries in southeast Asia for various desirable qualities. However, D. zibethinus has many other lesser-known siblings in its plant family — approximately twenty-seven Durio species exist, of which about seven produce edible fruit. And these edible seven all are native to durian's original native home on the planet — its "center of diversity"— on the island of Borneo. Many still grow wild in the rainforests of Sabah, Brunei, Sarawak and Kalimantan ... but only rarely anywhere else.

We visited many produce markets and roadside vendors in small villages, towns, and cities, as well as agricultural research orchards and forest reserves, in quest of these rare and beautiful "other" wild durian species. We eventually did find fruits of five of these species, and they were a total delight! with surprising differences in form, appearance, color, fragrance, and flavour from common domestic durian (D. zibethinus). The complex rich unique flavor of durian known and loved by millions of people is in fact not the only durian flavor — these other species have completely different flavors equally or even more exotic and incredible than common durian!

                            —Shunyam Nirav



Durio oxleyanus


*small green beautiful fruits with very long sharp spines, smooth creamy flesh with an excellent unique durian flavor that includes undertones of banana and grape










Durio graveolens

*small yellowish-rind fruits with sharp spines, flesh ranges from yellow to bright red; pudding-like flesh has a very distinctive, different, alien but enjoyable flavor resembling burnt almonds blended with carrot juice! 











Durio kutajensis

*small fruits with yellow rind and soft flexible small spines, flesh is bright orange, dry and almost chewy, 
with a complex agreeable flavor like a combination of orange, celery, and basil, with a hint of garlic





Durio oblongus

*very ornamental with yellow rind and bright red seed skins; the aril has a pleasant plum flavor but as it is only a very thin skin around the seed, this species is not considered edible


 




Durio testudinarium




photo by Markku Hakkinen, Kotka, Finland



*The rare and famous durian species that bears its fruit low on the trunk, in the manner of jackfruit. Only small seedy fruits were happening in January so I did not get to taste one, but reportedly they are very strong-flavored and enjoyable only to the most enthusiastic durian-lovers.
 


*three rare Durio species together

from left to right: 
D. kutajensis - D. graveolens - D. oxleyanus 
(Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, 10 January 2003)



Something from Lat about durians. http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~durian/lat/index.htm