The durian scene is very different from when I was a kid. Durians used to be just durians. We never used to have special names attached to them. Then around the late 2000's, D24 appeared on the scene which started the age of the durian cultivars. The D24 Sultan dominated the scene for a few years before the throne was usurped by the Musang King who currently reigns supreme!
Singapore Next Generation Durian Culture: 99 Old Trees, Durian Story, Spike Empire, Bao Jiak
We are in the middle of a durian revolution spearheaded by next generation durianpreneurs that are redefining the durian culture in Singapore! When I started writing about durians in 2012, most durian sellers were known by "Ah" something. So, we met durian uncles like Ah Loon, Ah Seng and Ah Kok. In the last few years however, we are seeing a new wave of durianpreneurs who go by modern English names!
Fans of bitter sweet durians would be starstruck by the dark greyish green seams of the “Black Gold” durian. This is the stuff durian aficionados dream about. Durian devotees will instinctively know that those black seams are a sign of a mature durian tree capable of producing deep, bitter, complex flavours with a musky, seductive […]
The Durian Tree: Honesty is the Best Durian Policy
I started writing about durians back in 2008. At the time, I was motivated by the quest for durian knowledge precipitated by the emergence of so many different durian cultivars which was unheard of when I was a kid. Everyone knew of Mao Shan Wang and D24 but there was scant information about these cultivars and […]
Durian season is upon us again! This year, there is a bumper crop, so we are really going to have a FEAST! I have been doing durian makan sessions since 2008 and every year, we always try to do something for charity. This year, I am very happy to announce that we will be inviting […]
Tickets for Operation Durian Mobilization 2014 are now on sale! This year’s mobilization will be a Mao Shan Wang feast! So gather the family and friends, bring your picnic gear and come and “Jia Liu Lian!” (Eat Durian) Tickets are priced at $38 and are available at: http://www.kindness.sg/durianmob/. This year’s beneficiary will be The Straits […]
Leong Tee Durians: The Durian Cultural Revolution!
When people buy durians, they want two things. One is good durians and two is paying an honest price for it. This is what everybody wants. But as you and I know, it isn’t always easy to fulfill both criteria. I guess that is why most people would stick to a particular durian seller when […]
We are calling this year’s durian degustation, “Durian Mobilization” because we are doing things just a little different. We are going to have a durian picnic! We will meet at Telok Ayer CC, I will bring the durians and you will bring your own picnic accessories like newspapers, mats, stools, chairs, tables etc. This idea […]
I got an excited SMS from my durian guru that Ah Seng has been stocking some very good Tawa this season. I had only a very brief encounter with this durian last time, so I had to make a special trip to Ah Seng to find out what the fuss was all about. According to […]
March is the short season for some of the lesser known cultivars. So it is good news for durian connoisseurs looking to walk the road less traveled! Generally, these durians will remind you of the kampung durians of the old days. They come from certain plantations in Malaysia and generally they have not been cultivated […]
Pulau Ubin is a magical place. Well, let me qualify that. It is a magical place if you are Singaporean but if you live in Malaysia, it probably looks like just another one of their small little kampung towns and you wouldn’t even give a hoot about on your social media app. When I was […]
