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Talk:Durian

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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Durian article.
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Featured article star Durian is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do.
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Maintained The following user(s) are actively contributing to this article and may be able to help with questions about verification and sources:
BorgQueen (talk)
This in no way implies article ownership; all editors are encouraged to contribute.
This article uses British English dialect and spelling. Some terms that are used in it differ from, or are not used in, American English. For more information, see American and British English differences. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.
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Contents

[edit] Smell

Based on a limited sample size of the people I know, I estimate about three quarters of the population could smell its stench and one quarter don't. It is unlikely that such ability is genetically based. Those who could sense its foul smell would not want to get within 50 feet from the fruit. Those who love the fruit are those immune to the stench.

My mom and my siblings describe the smell as identical to feces of cats. My wife and her siblings all agree with the same observation. My kids would pinch their noses when a durian is in the vicinity, I guess young kids are most truthful in expressing their feelings. However, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law (husband of my wife's sister) describe the opposite, they found the fruit very fragrant. In fact, my mother-in-law loves durian so much that she often drives the whole family out of the house. I myself cannot smell the stench of durian though I can smell the stench of cat feces; I definely would not tie the two smells together. I find durian to have a very faint fruity sweet smell though I would not call it a strong fragrance. My mother-in-law tried to get me hooked on the fruit. But I've made a conscious decision not to learn to love the fruit because my wife and kids would hate me for it.

I would like to see someone adding more scientific facts to this phenomenon because my own observation is quite limited.

12.234.73.11 07:57, 19 Sep 2003 (UTC)

I can only provide you with my impression, not the scientific roots. I can smell Durian, however for me the smell isn't awful, it is just one special smell - don't know maybe I am not sensible to the one chemical which gives the foul smell. I like to eat dry Durian (that one has almost no smell anymore), however the fresh one depends a lot on the kind of Durian, the first time I tried it it wasn't much good, the second one in a different season was much better, much more sweet. andy 08:31, 19 Sep 2003 (UTC)
I don't find the stench horrible at all. Its nice to smell, actually. In fact, I don't see why it should be placed under the "stinky foods" category, even. I run away from cho tofu, but not durian. I think its more of the psychological effect than anything else. -- Natalinasmpf 21:32, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
I recently had the opportunity to sample durian, and I didn't think it smelled "bad" at all, just acrid in the same way onions do when you cut them up. This makes a lot of sense if the durian contains sulfurous compounds which oxidize in air, probably some hydrogen sulfide is getting generated which would lead to feces comparisons. I thought the flesh tasted very sweet, almost like pudding, with a bizarre and complex aftertaste. One of my roommates seemed to really hate the smell ("OH GOD, ARE YOU EATING THAT FRUIT AGAIN?!"), while the other roommate described it as "a strange combination of smells". Maybe it has to do with individual sensitivity to certain sulfurous gases? I don't remember durian being covered in my organic chemistry course but maybe someone has done a study somewhere. Jeeves 06:26, 20 May 2005 (UTC)


When in Singapore last I noticed a sign on the buses which had a picture of a large fruit with a red cross through it (similar to the no smoking graphic). At the time I didn't know what it was or why it would be a prohibited passenger - I think now it must have been a Durian - poor outcast fruit! DeniseFitz
I am a Malaysian and I am a sworn lover of the durian. The smell of the durian is very distinct, and nothing like faeces. To the uninitiated, I guess their sense of smell is untrained and therefore could not make the distinction. The durian gained its title as the "king of fruits" not for nothing. I do not know for sure but someone once said that there is a ketone in durians which is responsible for the smell. I absolutely love the smell of the fruit. The fruit is banned from the premises of some establishments because the smell gets stale, especially when mixed with recycled air. Other than that, it is purely for commercial reasons. No business owner in their right frame of mind will want their premises to smell, especially when it is a smell that needs getting used to. KC.Choi 23:04, 13 October 2005 (UTC)


It's certainly an acquired smell/taste. When I was very young, I used to inquire as to why my mother and great aunt were eating garbage. Now, I really like durian and love the smell -- and I enjoy the moister version (I think; it's hard to tell what it means by drier versus moister version), not the less odorous drier version. And oh, certainly, the smell after being left out for an hour is awful... likely because of the high fat content. Janet13 05:56, 1 November 2005 (UTC)
I'll certainly like to see the scientific info regarding the durian smell. I can smell it but it isn't any offensive than any other fruit scent. I'm a particular fan of the fruit either. I guess some people are not sensitive to a certain kind of chemicals. Much like some people can taste certain chemical in brocoli and find it foul. --Kvasir 05:15, 11 February 2006 (UTC)

As much as I am into a wide variety of foods and taste experiences, I can't get past the smell or even flavour of durian (though, having only tried two, that might not be a fair assessment). My wife and I just picked one up at the Real Canadian Superstore and tried to eat it tonight. The texture was certainly custardy, but I couldn't get past the mixture of "powerful onion" flavour and the creamy-sweet taste; add to that the vague hint of stale urine, and it was too much too bear. I felt terrible about it but we had to discard most of the fruit, as I was getting decidedly and seriously nauseated. I suppose I've met my match in durian! Having said that, I don't have trouble imagining that a good many people can grow to like it. --Rhombus 03:10, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

I'm from Sweden, and I was warned about the smell of the durian before sampling it myself. The first few times I came into contact with durian, I did react quite strongly to the smell. Now, I associate it only with the flavour of the fruit, and I consider the smell a stronger and only slightly different - and highly enjoyable - version of the taste. Our sense of smell is strongly influenced by our propensity for association. Try an experiment: Think of someone vomiting and then have a whiff of parmesan cheese and see what your brain does to you. Khim1 06:14, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Life Cycle

How are durian seeds distributed in non-cultivated growth? Is this a plant like maize that can only survive now in cultivation? --Elijah 21:21, 2004 Dec 3 (UTC)

If you've seen a real durian before, you'll know that the fruit is not for the feeble-minded. It is not a fruit accessible to many fruit eating animals. The thorns on the fruit prevent animals from plucking them off the branches early. Durians fall off the branches of the tree when they are sufficiently ripe. They don't fall off when they are raw. (I don't know how true it is but I was told that if a raw durian is plucked from the tree, it will not get ripe). Given the height of the trees, one possibility could be that when the fruit hits the hard ground, it cracks open and the seeds get dispersed upon impact. If this doesn't happen, the already ripe durian will still crack when it gets drier. Animals like monkeys can then get access to the flesh of the fruit. KC.Choi 23:18, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

sorry friend i have to disagree. There are quite a few animals in South east asia that are smart enough to open the durian fruit. I am from Borneo and gre up on a piece of land that had about 8 durian trees on it. The biggest nemesis was the simple squirrel. My father used to shoot squirrels because of this. Once a squirrel opens a hole in the durian its pretty much wasted because it leaves opening to all sorts of insects, worms etc. You are however somewhat correct about how to tell if its ripe. If you are an accustomed durian eater you can smell the bottom bit of the durian and if you know what to 'smell' for then you know if its ripe. For begginers i would suggest getting a long stick and giving the durian on the tree just a slight nudge and if it falls it means its ripe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.49.140.87 (talk) 08:45, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Time for FAC?

Hey, this is actually a pretty neat little article. How about we nominate it for featured article status? Maybe with a little more agricultural information, it would be ready. We've already got the photos, good article structure, and copyedited prose. Jeeves 11:28, 26 May 2005 (UTC)

I think not yet. No references, no picture of the edible part, and lots of one and two-sentence "paragraphs". It needs more work. Mark1 01:58, 27 May 2005 (UTC)
Indeed, a picture of the edible part would be good. I'd take one myself, but we can only get frozen durians around here and they're extremely difficult to open neatly. As for references, I figured most of this stuff came under the "common knowledge" category, but we can probably dig up some stuff on the Singaporean anti-durian laws etc. Something on the chemicals in the durian would be nice, if it exists. Jeeves 02:02, 27 May 2005 (UTC)
I've promoted this article to Good Article status (a level below FA). It may be ready for FA nomination. Keep making it better! ike9898 14:01, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
There are tonnes of pictures of the durian on the web. Just do a google image search. I would second the suggestion of making this into a featured article. There is really no "anti-durian" laws in Singapore, Malaysia or any other country in SEA. The fruit is prohibited from the premises of some establishments more for the common courtesy of those who don't appreciate its smell than anything else. These rules are owned by the establishments and are not laws. KC.Choi 23:20, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Biased Smell evaluation

I think the article's sentence "Some regard this odour as fragrant, while the uninitiated often find it overpowering or offensive." is biased. It suggests that only people who do not know what they are talking about dislike the smell. I have been to Singapore where durian is loved and there are stiff fines for carrying durian on the bus. Durian was also banned at the hotel where I stayed. Many, many people find it stinks. I tried durian. I was initiated. I liked the taste (reminiscent of the jackfruit, nicer texture). However, I only ate a bit because I was so nauseated by the stench. The article should admit that most people find the smell of durian very repulsive. It is just a fact. That does not take away from its good taste.—Preceding unsigned comment added by DoSiDo (talk • contribs) 01:37, September 15, 2006

Ok, I tweaked that sentence a bit. The "Flavour and odour" section goes on about the smell for a while too. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 01:39, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wonderful fruit

Durian is a wonderful fruit. Let's not go round with its smell. I would rather go for its taste. I am very fond of eating durian especially those branded one. I am quite lucky to be in a place where durian is famous and well received. I wish to share with those who are distant away from Penang but finding a mean to preserve it and make the life of a good durian lasts longer has yet to come to my mind. So to get those branded durian to a distant place by ship is still a dream to come true. Those in distant land could only enjoy durians from Thailand for the time being. Even in Singapore, they eat most of the Thai durians and they have to travel up here to have a taste of the super good durians!!! Penang is having its during season right now, it will soon be over. Don't worry next time I will keep you informed.

I've seen a picture of a durian with red flesh... what is different about it?

Made from babies
Indeed the durian is a wonderful fruit. There are so many varieties today and they come in some fancy names like "Red Lobster" (the red flesh version). I particularly love the bitter-sweet variety. Malaysian and Indonesian durians are the best. They are richer in taste and aroma compared with the Thai version. They are also less fleshy. The Thai durians tend to be bigger and have larger thorns. The flesh is sweeter but lacks character and aroma. The durian is also used in making many types of cakes, desserts and ice-creams. With a few exceptions, the fruit is really not that difficult to open. Over the years of observing how my mom opens up the fruit, I'm quite an expert in doing it myself. All I need is a big knife and a piece of cloth. All you need to do then is to turn the fruit upside down and pry it open. KC.Choi 23:34, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

I agree,Durian, is a beautiful fruit when you actually taste it's juicy,succulent flesh,it is really commonly sold around Tai Po markets in Hong Kong but is usually banned or kept away,from amusement parks and hotels as they are feared to drive away tourists, who may be repulsed by the smell. Wongdai 09:14, 5 April 2007

[edit] evolution

I would be interested to know which animals this fruit has evolved to feed. In fact I have the same curiosity with virtually every fruit - but the durian is particularly interesting. The very purpose of fruits is to be delicious, and to be eaten - but who are they trying to appeal to. I find it interesting.

My guess would be that the durian was selectivly bred by humans for our own tastes and consumption. After having just eaten a freshly thawed one, I would have to say it was not meant for me.

Thawed?? Barbarian! Mark1 00:27, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

Aha! According to at least one biologist (E. J. H. Corner), the durian may in fact be the proto-fruit - the earliest of all fruit. A veritable living fossil. See here : [1] According to Mr Corner, the original durian may have evolved to feed dinosaurs!

More likely Orang-utans, elephants and bears - the Durian isn't a 'living fossil' but a member of a plant family (Malvaceae) that has diversified greatly in more modern prehistory MPF 09:43, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

fruits don't evolve to feed things, animals evolve to feed on them! 58.6.92.69 (talk) 11:07, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Taste/Smell Heading

Would it make the article flow better if there was a new section for Taste and Smell? It seems like most of the paragraphs at the beginning of the article have something to do with those senses. It could be the first section after the introduction.--Thesparrows 04:08, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] weapon

Should include some info about the durian used as a weapon in some tribes.

Do people use it as a weapon? (although it does make a good weapon) The only thing that's remotely related is I remember in a Jackie Chan movie where Jackie threw a durian fruit to a bad guy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.126.75.181 (talk) 03:38, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Needs to be More Specific

I've tried Durian, and at first, the taste was strong; eventually, I grew to like it! I'm confused as to why so many complain about it's smell. Maybe it's because I'm immune to it (like the person who stated above)? However, I do notice that it stinks terribly with it's shell on; and not so terribly once you remove the shell (although there is still a trace of the scent). It's really not that bad of a smell; maybe I am immune in a way that I only smell some? Most people don't really speak of the taste of the fruit; I mean, once the shell is off, you really shouldn't complain or be afraid anymore, since most of the smell is gone! Give it a chance; the smell is gone for crying out loud (which wasn't THAT bad to begin with)! Heck, I'd say the taste turned me off more than the scent in the beginning.

[edit] To do list

I see some previous commenters are interested in getting this article to FAC status. For that, there are some works to be done:

  1. The lead section is way too long. It needs to be concise as per WP:LEAD. (This has been fixed, more or less. --BorgQueen 11:02, 25 February 2006 (UTC))
  2. No references yet. References are mandatory for even good article status. Footnotes would better be added along.
  3. Its ecological relationship with animals appears to be important and needs to be mentioned.
  4. I have seen quite a few references to this fruit in Southeast Asian films / TV series and those info could be organized under "In popular culture" section.
  5. It would be desirable to have some more precise info on its chemical property. If "not all of which have been identified", then we could list the identified ones, at least.
  6. Its more detailed culinary uses. We can't include recipes here, but we can do in Wikicookbook and make a link here to the cookbook.
  7. History section. For starters, what is the earliest known reference on this fruit/plant? Addenum: first reference in English is Parke (1588) Mendoza's History of China (OED), but there's likely to be considerably older refs in Chinese etc literature - MPF 13:11, 25 February 2006 (UTC)
  8. There has to be consistency whether it is written in British spelling or American spelling. It shouldn't be a mixture of two. Addenum: as a southeast Asian genus, it should be written in Commonwealth English - MPF 10:36, 25 February 2006 (UTC)
  9. Excessive internal links are rather distracting than helpful.

Care to join the work team? :-) --BorgQueen 19:06, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

I'd say sourcing the existing information is probably priority #1. Almost every paragraph of this article needs at least one or two footnotes pointing to good sources for the information; that's doubly hard to track down right now, since the "Wikipedia effect" is strong here, and a lot of web search results are mirrors of the page. Half the stuff in here right now is probably on the say-so of some guy's goofy durian website. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 04:34, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Also:

  1. Full species list for the genus (requires someone with library access to e.g. Flora Malesiana)
  2. Better description of the genus, including the individual ranges of and distinctions between different species (ditto)
  3. Which other species have edible fruit
  4. (Possibly) a split-out of the botanical details to a separate page Durio (currently a redirect), with this page then dealing only with the fruit and its uses
Looking at the Morton ref, the notes there suggest that this would be a good idea; I'll do so tomorrow - MPF 23:08, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Additional note: The link "Southeast Asia" refers to a politically defined region, not a biogeographical one, so should not be used for describing the distribution of the plant, which need not coincide with the political region - MPF 11:45, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

The new ref I just added (Brown) seems to have a very complete species listing, past and present, in chapter 2. In fact, the book seems to contain an overwhelming amount of info about Durio.
Excellent find - just the sort of thing I was hoping for, but was assuming could only be found by visiting a large library! - MPF 01:30, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

The "Selection" and "Opening" sections are the major unreferenced areas at this point. I'm also concerned that they might contain a good amount of original research; it's hard to tell. For what its worth, they were both added in this February 18, 2004 edit by an Anon (the IP's first Wikipedia edit, in fact). —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:46, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] OR?

I've taken this out: "Anecdotal evidence suggests that washing hands with water poured from the shell originally encasing the flesh and seeds help to vanquish the lingering smell of durian from one's hands." - This needs a source for verification. --BorgQueen 14:41, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

There is no question that it is a very popular belief among Malaysians that washing your hands with water that has touched the shell of a Durian keeps the smell from your hand. It should be placed back into the article. Whether this is true or not it is a very widely believed. If you absolutely must have a source for it I will look for one. Ryan Albrey (talk) 10:10, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] World trade

This page looks like it has some decent trade figures. Anybody found anything better? —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 01:24, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Arg, maybe not so good once I get down to trying to write something based on it. "Malaysia is the largest exporter of fresh durian, with 34,904 MTs exported in 2001... In 2001, Thailand exported 116,674 MTs of fresh durian..." Great. Malaysia's the largest exporter but Thailand exported more than three times as much.... sigh. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2006 (UTC)
OK, found a different source. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:54, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Fermented durian

I have taken this out: "What is agreed however, is that when the flesh starts to ferment and becomes alcoholic, the fruit should not be eaten." Because: Tempoyak refers to fermented durian, usually made from lower quality durian that is unsuitable for direct consumption.[13] Tempoyak can be eaten either cooked or uncooked, is normally eaten with rice, and can also be used for making curry. Clarification will be appreciated. --BorgQueen 21:21, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

The material you took out sounds like something somebody wrote based on personal experience and/or beliefs. Good to see it gone. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Kradum Thong

The code number for Kradum Thong remains mystery. Please do inform us if anyone happens to know. --BorgQueen 17:11, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikiquote

The literary quotes in "In pupular culture" section have been moved to wikiquotes. I hope there won't be any misunderstanding. --BorgQueen 17:59, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

Good call. Those were out-of-control. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 18:07, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Hmmm...

It seems I've reached my limit. I don't see any further improvement I could do, for now. Any suggestions or help will be appreciated... --BorgQueen 07:24, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Try googling for "durian caloric content". We could get some nutritional data like that in there, plus you'll find some hysteria about people dying from eating too much that would fit well in the Dangers section. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 16:23, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The lead picture

The fruit in the lead image doesn't look like Durio zibethinus, judging from its reddish colour. It may be Durio graveolens, but there's no way to be sure about it. I've checked its source page but the page seems to have been removed. Please let me know if anyone surely knows its species. --BorgQueen 21:44, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

It must of been from this page in google's cache, which at least claims it's zibethinus. Of course, it's a lousy, blurry photo, anyway, so if someone wanted to create a replacement, that would be good. Another picture conspicuously missing is an image of a tree. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 21:52, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] IPA

Ok I've been trying to add IPA for durian but I just can't make head and tail out of it. If anyone familiar with IPA is willing to help, much appreciated. --BorgQueen 23:51, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

I asked User:IBook of the Revolution; that's his thing, sometimes. I'll bug him in person about it too. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 23:57, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
Thank you. You deserve another serving of Turkish Delight :-) --BorgQueen 00:01, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Inedible species

I've taken out the list of inedible species of Durian. Since this article mainly concerns with edible fruit of Durio, it appears this list is rather out of place. --BorgQueen 09:10, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

===Inedible species of Durian===

  • Durio acutifolius (Mast.) Kosterm.: mainly distributed in Borneo (Kalimantan, Sabah).
  • Durio affinis Becc.: mainly distributed in Borneo (West Kalimantan, Sabah)
  • Durio beccarianus Kosterm. & Soegeng.: mainly distributed in West Kalimantan
  • Durio bukitrayaensis Kosterm.
  • Durio burmanicus Soegeng.
  • Durio carinatus Mast.: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo
  • Durio crassipes Kosterm.: mainly distributed in Sabah
  • Durio excelsus (Korth.) Bakh.: mainly distributed in Kalimantan
  • Durio griffithii (Mast.) Bakh.: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
  • Durio kinabaluensis Kosterm & Soegeng: mainly distributed in Sabah
  • Durio lanceolatus Mast.: mainly distributed in Borneo
  • Durio lissocarpus Mast.: mainly distributed in Borneo
  • Durio macrolepis Kosterm.: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia
  • Durio macrophyllus Ridley: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia
  • Durio malaccensis Planch.: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra
  • Durio mansoni (Gamble) Bakh.: mainly distributed in Myanmar
  • Durio oblongus Mast.: mainly distributed in Sarawak
  • Durio pinangianus Ridley: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia (Perak, Penang)
  • Durio purpureus Kosterm. & Soegeng.: mainly distributed in West Kalimantan
  • Durio singaporensis Ridley: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia
  • Durio wyatt-Smithii Kosterm.: mainly distributed in Peninsular Malaysia (Trengganu)

Source: [2]

Okay I just added this list to the article anyway, but I am wondering if the term durian applies to *any* fruit of the Durio trees, whether edible or inedible, or to only edible ones. --BorgQueen 20:17, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Popular culture section

I've trimmed down the section... I hope my removal wouldn't offend anyone. I think entries should be restricted to those that can contribute to the article topic, by helping readers understand how durian is perceived and influnce people's lives. Trivial details like Jacky Chan's using durian as a weapon wouldn't help much. Since I am partly responsible for the abundance of non-notable inclusions, I've removed a couple of my own additions in the literature subsection as well. --BorgQueen 12:37, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Okay I've done a major rewriting for the section - I think the current format is better than the long unconnected list we had. --BorgQueen 17:03, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bold texts

I wonder — am I the only one thinking the bold texts in the species section are annoying? They are common names of various durian species, but perhaps quote marks will be more appropriate than having them as bold. Any insight will be appreciated. Yes, from you, Bunch... --BorgQueen 23:15, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

Who, me? After staring at it a long time, I'd say undecorated text would be best -- that's what we do for the common names in the "Cultivars" section, and it reads all right. Speaking of, shouldn't the cultivars section have moved along with the species section? Having this giant list lead off the article might be considered a structural problem in general, though... —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 23:46, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Images

Here are some you might like to use:

If you upload any, don't forget to add them to commons:Durio zibethinus :) --pfctdayelise (translate?) 14:52, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

I believe what we have there is a very nice picture (with a usable license)... of a jackfruit. Compare the first image with Image:Jackfruit1.JPG. —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 17:13, 12 April 2006 (UTC)
D'oh! Oh well, I tried! pfctdayelise (translate?) 17:33, 24 April 2006 (UTC)
The second and third pics certainly look like durian plants. Khim1 06:25, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Nutrition

We don't seem to have anything on the nutritional content of the durian. In my experience it's hugely fattening, but we'd need a slightly more credible source. HenryFlower 11:42, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Maybe you should look for a public domain resource. There are many free resources about articles such as Durian. Just try making a search in google or any other search engine, cheers Minun (talk) 12:20, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
here is a resource I trust. It would be alright to copy, because it can't be copyrighted as the imformation applies to all Durians, cheers again Minun (talk) 12:22, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
There, thats the information added :), I hope my editing helps Minun (talk) 12:27, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Thanks for that. I've cleaned up the formatting a little, and specified the source and serving. HenryFlower 12:54, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Thanks, im trying to make the article as good as possible since its the current focused article at WikiProject Featured articles. Cheers again Minun (talk) 12:56, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
I've edited it a little bit to use a reference instead of an external link, hope that helps. :) Minun (talk) 14:49, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Focused article

This article is now one of the focused articles of WikiProject Featured articles, an attempt to promote articles to featured status. Please help improve this article, so its good enough to reach featured status, and discuss any problems you need help with on this page. If you would like to join the project, you can do that by adding your name to the participants list. Minun (talk) 12:18, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] SMS Fruit?

Are durians the name of those fruits in Super Mario Sunshine that Mario could kick like a soccer ball? They look very simillar. dogman15 00:54, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

yes youre right

[edit] mythological origin

A long, long time ago, I read a book of myths that explained the origin of the durian fruit like this:

Once there was a kind but ugly princess who was well loved by her people. She died after an illness, and was mourned by everyone. Sometime after her death, a tree grew over her grave, filled with spiky, stinky fruit that made everybody stay away in disgust.
Later on, a famine struck the land. In desperation, one person braved the smell of the fruit, tried it, and found that it was nourishing. In this way, the princess was able to take care of her people even after her death.

Since I had read this book so long ago, I no longer remember the title or even the country involved. If I had to guess, I would guess Malaysia or the Philippines. I don't want to insert it into the main article without some sort of confirmation of my memory.

Has anybody heard of a tale along these lines?--Tachikoma 20:00, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm a Malaysian, and I've never heard of it. Borisblue 05:43, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Capital Latin binomial in image caption

Regarding [3], if the text in italics is the name of the colour plate, this should be made clear. Otherwise, I think standard formatting should be used. - Samsara (talk • contribs) 15:45, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] References

We've got to redo the references. Inline {{cite web}}? They're really really in a mess, and I'm worried it doesn't fulfill GA anymore. - SpLoT (*T* C+u+g+v) 10:05, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

That problem seems to have been fixed now. Anything else? --BorgQueen 10:12, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cultural influence edit

How is the mention of durians in Mario Sunshine any less relevant from a cultural standpoint than the longish text on durian-flavoured condoms? The weird yellow spiky fruits in the game may be the only contact many westerners ever get with the fruit, and they probably won't even find out about it. Why not mention it in this article? Khim1 16:18, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Way back when, I think I was the first person to put a bit of information about Super Mario Sunshine into this article. When it was removed, I decided I agreed: knowing that they were in the videogame does very little to increase what you know about this fruit. The durian-flavoured condoms material is also questionable. Perhaps a little less so, since it discusses a use the flavor of the fruit has been put to in the real world -- that's a big difference from it being some pixels in a videogame, to me. Put it this way: do you think cherry and pretzel should mention that they show up as items in Pac-Man? Where does that sort of thing end? —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 16:24, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
This is of course entirely subjective and I'm not going to press the point. The thing I reacted to about this little tidbit when I first noticed it in the Wikipedia article was this: This is a game that reached a very wide audience all over the world, and it casually features a fruit that many or most non-asians have never heard about, and it does have some characteristics in the game that sets it apart from the other fruits (i.e. you can't lift it up and will get hurt if you try). No deep cultural philosophy, this, but I just thought that it was mildly entertaining. Of course, I am one of those who didn't have a clue what those things were when I played the game, and I didn't realize it until I read about it on Wikipedia. That is my rationale for wanting it left in the article. The durian flavoured condoms are a fun detail, too, but in my opinion this is better. Khim1 17:41, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
On that note, in Super Mario Sunshine, Yoshi turns purple when he eats a durian. --Candy-Panda 07:03, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
That's cute. --BorgQueen 07:09, 10 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] EquatorialSky edits

User:EquatorialSky has made several questionable edits, claiming:

  1. The Herman Vetterling quote is racist since it comments "on the savage nature of the Malays", but Vetterling made it clear that Malays running amok is because of the erotic properties of the durian fruit, not because of their inherent racial quality. That is not racist.
  2. and cited his own interview, which is an original research. That is not allowed on Wikipedia. Please see WP:OR.

BorgQueen 09:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Reply by User:EquatorialSky: I think the Herman Vetterling quote is either a deliberate racial slur, or even if not intended to, would tend to give rise to the furtherance of racial prejudices. The offending sentence reads:

These erotomaniacs remind us of the Durian-eating Malays, who, because of the erotic properties of this fruit, become savage against anybody or anything that stands in their way of obtaining it.

The specific objections are:

  1. It cannot be taken seriously and is not worthy of an article in Wikipedia, especially a featured article. It is obviously a gross exaggeration to say that persons of a certain race would become "savage" against others to obtain the fruit, meaning a lack of self-control leading to violence.
  2. It is hearsay anyway and therefore unreliable, since the author does not have original knowledge of the matter but refers to "these erotomaniacs remind us of..." as the source of the purported information.
  3. It is demeaning to a race to say that its members become "savage" against those who stand in their way of the fruit. The word "savage" has clear implications of being uncivilised and uncultured. Its use is all the more objectionable because the context is that of the uncontrolled desire to obtain a fruit for its erotic properties, and the use of violence to do so, i.e. a race of sexual maniacs.

Wikipedia is no place for the propogation of racial slurs and prejudices, by for example, whites against Asians. This is a clear example of it. Please allow it to be removed or raise the matter up to the higher editors for resolution since you have re-instated it. I am not a Malay, by the way.

In any event, what serious or significant contribution to knowledge would this sentence bring? Tks.

EquatorialSky 09:52, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Ok, that was persuasive enough. The quote has been removed. Any further objections? --BorgQueen 10:11, 25 July 2007 (UTC)
Ok, tks. Let this discussion stand and remain for the record in case the offending quote is re-introduced in future by other users -- EquatorialSky 12:30, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Availability and prices of durians.

The following addition to the section on "Availability" which was written by myself was removed by BorgQueen for the stated reason that "The Singapore market price is uncited, not found in the reference quoted":

Prices of durians are relatively high as compared with other fruits. For example, in Singapore, the strong demand for high quality cultivars such as the D24, Sultan, and Mao Shan Wang has resulted in typical retail prices of between S$8 to S$15 (US$5 to US$10) per kilogram of whole fruit. With an average weight of about 1.5 kilograms, a durian fruit would therefore set the consumer back by about S$12 to S$22 (US$8 to US$15). The edible portion of the fruit, known as the aril (usually referred to as the "flesh" or or "pulp") only accounts for about 15-30% of the mass of the entire fruit. [1] Many consumers in Singapore are nevertheless quite willing to spend up to around S$75 (US$50) in a single purchase of about half a dozen of the favoured fruit to be shared by family members.

First, the quoted reference (Michael Brown's article) is in relation to the sentence on the proportion of the edible aril to the fruit, not the market price.

As for citations on the market price, it is intended that the following newspaper article will be cited: http://www.stomp.com.sg/stfoodiesclub/taste/03/index.html This appeared in the Straits Times (Sunday) in its 6 August 2006 edition. This is the only broad-sheet general English daily in Singapore. The weblink is a reproduction of the article in the newspaper's online portal "Stomp".

As can be gleaned from the article, the market prices of high quality cultivars are indeed around S$8 to S$15 per kilogram as contended by myself, see the following sentence in the newspaper article: "Prices for mau shan wang, the flavour of the moment that has dethroned D24, range between $12 and $15 per kg, compared to $8 to $10 previously."

I hope that clears the objection, and intend to restore the removal. Any objections to this?

EquatorialSky 12:40, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the source. I restored the parts with proper citations. But I think the sentence "The durian is a seasonal fruit, whose season coincides with that of the mangosteen. It is therefore unlike some other non-seasonal tropical fruits such as the papaya which are available throughout the year." The durian is unlike the non-seasonal fruits in what sense? Its price or just the availability in general? It will need to be more specific. --BorgQueen 14:13, 25 July 2007 (UTC)


Ok. On the question regarding the difference between the durian and rambutan, I thought it was quite clear from the run of the 3 sentences that the difference drawn is between availability throughout the year (non-seasonal) and availability only sometime in the year (seasonal). The 3 sentences are as follows:

The durian is a seasonal fruit, whose season coincides with that of the mangosteen. It is therefore unlike some other non-seasonal tropical fruits such as the papaya which are available throughout the year. In Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, for example, the season for durians is typically from June to August.

To make it even clearer, how about something as follows:

''The durian is a seasonal fruit, unlike some other non-seasonal tropical fruits such as the papaya which are available throughout the year. In Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, for example, the season for durians is typically from June to August. [1] Its season coincides with that of another non-seasonal fruit, the mangosteen, with which it is often offered for sale together.

As for a reference to the co-incidence of seasons of the two fruits, I propose the following: http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_172_2004-12-13.html ...where there is a sentence which reads: As the mangosteen and durian season coincide in Singapore, they are served as the perfect accompaniments.

EquatorialSky 23:55, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Fixed. The mangosteen being an accompaniment to durian is already mentioned in the citation #43, so I don't think we need to repeat it. By the way, I removed the sentence "in tropical Southeast Asia" from the cultivation section, since it is too broad and includes Thailand. --BorgQueen 00:00, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Customs - that durians have eyes, and beliefs

(1) BorgQueen on 09:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC) (above) had removed the following addition which I had made to the section on Durian customs:

"Indeed, a customary belief amongst many durian plantation owners in Malaysia and Singapore is that either the durian fruit or the tree itself has something akin to eyes by which it sees. It thereby deliberately avoids dropping rippened fruits when there are man and animals below so as not to cause injury.[2]"

The stated reason for the removal is that I had cited my own interview with plantation owners, and is therefore an original research which is not allowed on Wikipedia: WP:OR

Well, this is not research but personal knowledge of a matter, and I am not a researcher. Be that as it may, I agree to remove the reference to my interviews with the plantation owners. Instead, I propose using the following reference: http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_1.cfm?alpha=D&startno=27&endno=51 where it says:

"A common saying is 'a durian has eyes and can see where it is falling'. This is because (so the saying goes) the fruit never fall during daylight hours when people may be hurt by their size, vicious spines and the velocity gathered as they hurtle to earth, but rather in the wee hours when honest citizens certainly would not be prowling under durian trees."

I have heard this belief being told quite a few times before, and it is a very interesting point to add about the customary beliefs held by some in Southeast Asia on the durian, esp since it is a unique fruit in having very sharp and potentially dangerous thorns.

Can the removed sentences be restored?

If other users can find additional references, I would be glad to hear of it here, tks.

To off-set this belief, I also suggest adding the following extract written by Alfred Russel Wallace in The Malay Archipelago (1869) on the dangers of falling durians:

"The Durian is, however, sometimes dangerous. When the fruit begins to ripen it falls daily and almost hourly, and accidents not unfrequently happen to persons walking or working under the trees. When a Durian strikes a man in its fall, it produces a dreadful wound, the strong spines tearing open the flesh, while the blow itself is very heavy; but from this very circumstance death rarely ensues, the copious effusion of blood preventing the inflammation which might otherwise take place. A Dyak chief informed me that he had been struck down by a Durian falling on his head, which he thought would certainly have caused his death, yet he recovered in a very short time."

(found at: http://www.papuaweb.org/dlib/bk/wallace/indo-malay.html )


(2) Next, I propose that this section be entilted "Customs and beliefs" as made by me in an earlier edit, rather than just "Customs". The word "customs" only refers to the conduct of persons (a verb, e.g. etiquette), whereas "belief" has a wider ambit to mean what people think of and believe in rather than just do.

EquatorialSky on 03:30 and 03:45, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Fixed. --BorgQueen 08:07, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fruit or tree?

Is this an article on the fruit or the organism as a whole? It seems like it's about the fruit itself. In which case, there should be a separate, organismal article on the actual plant. Shrumster 05:28, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Most of the fruit articles discuss both. Badagnani 03:23, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photo of flower

This photo of a durian flower would be great to add to the article. Badagnani 03:23, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

What a beautiful picture with... a wrong license. We cannot use the non-commercial use only pictures. Thanks for your attempt anyway. --BorgQueen 10:32, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tears

Gypsy Tears? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.138.247.2 (talk) 06:38, 6 February 2008 (UTC)


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