In Penang, Malaysia the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the south-west corner of Penang Island. Balik Pulau is a 30 minute drive over the main range and has a lot of durian estates.
The following is a selection of branded durians which was photographed during the 2007 AsiaExplorers Durian Feasts.
'Number Eleven' is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.
The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet and has some 'body' to it as the seed is small.
This durian, D600 originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. It is a bit hard.
D700 flesh is darker then D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.
Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet and dark yellow in color. It also has a nice aroma.
This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.
The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a 'Hor Lor' pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.
Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau and has a round shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.
Xiao Hung, whose name means 'Little Red One', originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness and it is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, the flesh is thick.
Yah Kang's flesh is whitsh, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name 'yah kang' means centipede and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.
Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.
D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.
This durian gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.
The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the
bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very
sweet and tasty.
Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means 'green skin'. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.
Ang Jin as the name suggests has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.
