Durian vs Jackfruit
If you have not traveled to India or Southeast Asia, you may have never seen fresh durian and jackfruit fruits. Both are known for their specific smell and taste. I thought they had their origin in the same place, but I was wrong. I had to find out that, while durian has its origin in Malaysia, Borneo, and Indonesia, jackfruit is native to southern India. For some time, durian has been grown in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia.
Durian is the fruit of a tree with a height of up to 40 m, having the worst reputation. It has 5 cavities in which there is a row of creamy or dark yellow husks. An average durian has 2.5 kg. When it is open, a smell makes you run. It is almost impossible to accurately describe its unique taste and smell. It smells stinky sewage water, to be more explicit, but gentle in expression. Needless to say, how awful we felt in Vietnam, in a taxi that took us to the hotel late at night ?! ... We forgot we had a casserole with a durian in the backpack. We have been lucky not to be in a public transportation system. We risked going down to the first station and start walking. In addition, we could get a fine because, in the means of public transport, in public places and in certain hotels, consumption is prohibited. Now, when the smell tickles your nostrils or not, I have to tell you about consistency and taste: creamy like a pudding or like a sweet chocolate mousse with almonds and garlic. It is a challenge to taste it and a madness to like it. I admit I like it. In Malaysia and Singapore I also searched for ice cream, cakes, chocolate or coffee. I found him, and more than that, he gave me addiction. Despite the unpleasant odor, it is extremely healthy, being rich in iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin C and potassium. When harvested early, it is consumed as a vegetable because it has a strong and bitter consistency. Generally, ripe fruits with strong aromas, consumed after falling on the ground, are preferred.
Durian, known as the King of Fruits, is the official fruit of Singapore. The two buildings on the Esplanade - opera and the theatre were initially thought of as two glass domes, then covered with aluminum poles, to give them the appearance of a durian cut in half.
Jackfruit, the huge golden-green fruit, looks more like an alien coconut or looks like something from the Jurassic period. It is the largest fruit that grows in a tree. It can reach up to 50 kg. It has a strong specific smell, a combination of rotten onions, bananas and pineapple. On top, bubble gum perfume. It's a total chaos in fragrances, but an important source of vitamin C, potassium, calcium and iron. The edible part is stuck in a lot of thin, inedible yarns. A single fruit can feed a large family, both because of its size, but especially because of the different ways in which people have learned to prepare it. It can be consumed when it is ripe - soft, fruity and delicious or uncooked when it is like a potato. Versatile, it can be found in the form of chips, curry, juices, ice cream or cakes. It is delicious! A single tree produces hundreds of fruits. Jackfruit offers other benefits: leaves - animal feed, from the bark you get a dye for fabrics used especially for monks' clothes, the sticky substance produced by trees is used as adhesive, wood, in construction. While millions of households in Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, or Malaysia consume it frequently, India, the mother country, remains reluctant, not giving it importance.
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