King Of The Fruits by flowsnow

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King Of The Fruits

Malaysia

The durian is the fruit of trees of the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits,"the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and a formidable thorn-covered husk. Its name comes from the Malay word duri (thorn) together with Malay suffix that is -an (for building a noun in Malay), meaning "thorny fruit." It taste bitter sweet. I suppose being me, I could describe it like life being what it taste like - bitter sweet in journey. But the after breath smell is awesome and I think will kill that fly! LOL. Check out these shots also :

Nikon D80 ,Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC MACRO
1/1000s f/2.8 at 20.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

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Guest		31-Dec-2007 06:47
One of my favorite fruit and smell very strong.I love it.

Hodero		16-Oct-2007 15:19
I imagine you used a telelens for this shot ;-) The smell is not that of roses isn't it? cheerio....

Guest		01-Jul-2007 23:27
Nice photo with detail information. I remmebered, my parents ran a small durian orchard behind my house when I was small. When the season came, I collected the durians every morning and opened a few for my breakfast. That is the most wonderful time to eat durian; early in the morning before eating anything else. With a bottle of plain water I can finish 4 - 5 durians. People always amaze how can I eat that much. Not only for breakfast, but I can eat durian for my lunch and even dinner. Crazy!

laine82		26-Jun-2007 22:25
It was explained to us in Thailand as tastes like heaven, smells like hell...and yes it was banned entry into the hotel there too :>))

Carol Rollins		26-Jun-2007 13:21
Not only is this a great shot, but your information is also wonderful. Thank you for sharing your photo journey with the rest of us.

edwina beaumont		25-Jun-2007 18:38
I think i can smell it here

Sheila		24-Jun-2007 04:40
Terrific shot of this fruit. It was banned from our hotel in Malaysia.

Tom Munson		24-Jun-2007 02:17
Terrific image. I think I tried this in Thailand. V

Terri Steele		23-Jun-2007 13:36
Great photo and I learn something new ;)

Dr. Michael G. Mathews		20-Jun-2007 11:47
Great shot and lovely colors! Looks delicious even if it may be bittersweet :-)

Victoria		20-Jun-2007 10:56
AmAZING macro, this is absolutely beautiful ,cheers

akleja		20-Jun-2007 07:55
Cool pictures! Nice work!

Liz Bickel		20-Jun-2007 06:29
I learned something new from your shots today. I also quickly noticed the fly in the first shot. You portray to us exactly what you see in real life. Very well done.

Debbie Blackburn Beierle		20-Jun-2007 05:29
Great shot. I've heard of this fruit but don't think I have the nerve to try it!! :) v

Dan Ng		20-Jun-2007 04:40
Nice shot, Tricia! I see these in Chinatown, but there's little odor because either they are coated with a wax or kept very cold. I hear there are signs at some Singapore hotels prohibiting you from bringing them inside! V.

clark langley		20-Jun-2007 03:54
nice shot my friend

Guest		20-Jun-2007 02:59
smells like hell, taste like heaven :)

Guest		20-Jun-2007 02:09
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these! LOL regarding the smell will kill the fly.

Guest		19-Jun-2007 23:23
You're such a prolific photographer with a great ability to tell your story, V

CM Kwan		19-Jun-2007 22:47
Lovely fruit and great picture. Wonderful DOP and colours! V

Eric Carrère		19-Jun-2007 20:49
Nice close up ;o) V.

Zaid Kurdi		19-Jun-2007 20:13
Very interesting shot Flowsnow.......with wonderful details.......V.

QUERIDO		19-Jun-2007 19:49
Excellent shot,vote

marie-jose wolff		19-Jun-2007 19:14
looks a bit like an oyster! excellent close-up! V.

Lee G		19-Jun-2007 18:12
Great close up and nice explanation Tricia. !

Fong Lam		19-Jun-2007 17:25
Mmm...smack, smack!! I love durians...just had one for dessert after dinner ~V~

caveman_lee		19-Jun-2007 17:01
Nice shot, but not my cup of tea !

Paco López		19-Jun-2007 16:08
Very good closeup!!! It looks very good. VOTE!!

Bryan Murahashi		19-Jun-2007 15:49
Fascinating fruit. Must be worth the pains to reach its sweet fruit. V

flowsnow		19-Jun-2007 15:47
Pat, You need to wait for it to ripen to split it. :D It takes a lot of skill to open a Durian without being pricked. Normally just a chopper (the bigger knives with flat metal base) or even a screw driver for assistance. You find the spot (got to be correct too!) dive in the tools and there should be a split if chopped properly and just split it open. And heaven falls upon your hands...or should I say `hell'. It's thorny, so you might want to use some cloth to hold on to it unless you can stand pain! Referring to Ken's comment. I was told that you could also use the water to wash your hands to get rid of the smell. Pungent till you even have the after smell in both the hands and breath. Worse scenario chew on a Wrigley gum after eating the fruit before you kiss your love one good night to prevent rejection.

Guest		19-Jun-2007 15:37
You made it looked as good as its taste. But I like the chinese version of filling it in fried pastry....mmmmmm...

Guest		19-Jun-2007 15:07
How interesting! And beautifully photographed! V

Ken McColl		19-Jun-2007 13:48
Great shot of this 'strangest of fruits' Like smelly custard..but not unappealing. They say if you eat too much your skin becomes very hot...however, rinse the shell with water, then drink the water ..and it cures it..so they say. They say its good for pregnant women too...so they say :-) KMc

Patricia Lay-Dorsey		19-Jun-2007 13:47
However do you open it!?! It looks VERY well-protected with its thorny exterior. I so appreciate your showing us something indigenous to your area, something that many of us have never even heard of, much less seen. And it looks so delcious in your photo!

Katie Chew		19-Jun-2007 13:35
Nice shot

flowsnow		19-Jun-2007 13:29
Some has asked how does it taste like. For me it taste bitter sweet. I suppose being me, I could describe it like life being what it taste like - bitter sweet in journey. Overall the aroma is very strong especially for those who are not used to it, it can be `offending' like the smell of stinking socks! (that was what someone told me!), but honestly if you can overcome the smell, it's heavenly in taste. We do make all sort of cakes, pies with it and even eat it as a meal too! When it's in season, we pay through our nose to consume it. Believe me it's expensive and not cheap as it looks. The fly is just an added flavour to this shot.

Guest		19-Jun-2007 13:16
wowww yummy, my favorite! good shot Tricia~V~ this is what we called smell like hell, taste like heaven :)

Robyco		19-Jun-2007 12:41
Nice to see, the fly also likes it.... How is the taste ?

Guest		19-Jun-2007 12:41
I have found the aroma too overwhelming to try to taste it. But I understand it is very good.

regi olbrechts		19-Jun-2007 11:57
Looks tasty!

Andrew Vincent		19-Jun-2007 11:30
Looks like an oyster.... is it pleasant? nice shot - vote!

Vince		19-Jun-2007 11:29
I have been eating durians and seeing them all around but have never known their origin until now. Nice shot Tricia. Vote.

Cindi Smith		19-Jun-2007 11:25
Very intresting fruit but I'll pass since the fly decided to land! Wonderful shots!

Raymond		19-Jun-2007 11:17
Oooops ! Now I get it, a durian... what does it taste like ? Do you make pies out of it ? Looks quite a job to peel it ! Love the colors, great shot Tricia

Raymond		19-Jun-2007 11:14
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