Friday, July 3, 2009

myths and misconceptions

with regard to durians





myth number 1: the fruit is loaded with cholesterol

not only not true but also not correct. only animals and animal products have cholesterol; a durian is a fruit, so it is cholesterol free.

the good points about the durian fruit are:

no saturated fat
no cholesterol
very low in sodium
no sugar
high in dietary fibre
high in thiamin (vitamin b1)
high in vitamin b6
very high in vitamin c

(source: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2088/2)

myth number 2: mixing durian and alcohol is lethal.

we have been told that eating durian and drinking alcohol like beer or whisky at the same time can cause death. there have been a few reports of people dying after eating too much durians but there is no scientific evidence to prove that the combination of the two is lethal. some who have dared to try it have lived to tell of upset stomach and of feeling fragile.

the belief can be traced back at least to the 18th century when rumphius stated that one should not drink alcohol after eating durians as it will cause indigestion and bad breath. in 1929, j. d. gimlette wrote in his malay poisons and charm cures that the durian fruit must not be eaten with brandy. in 1981, j. r. croft wrote in his bombacaceae: in handbooks of the flora of papua new guinea that "a feeling of morbidity" often follows the consumption of alcohol too soon after eating durian. several medical investigations on the validity of this belief have been conducted with varying conclusions. (source: wikipedia)

myth number 3: durians have eyes and they will not fall on your head





there are still people naive enough to believe this. i will definitely feel much safer wearing a crash helmet if i ever go durian picking/hunting. if it is indeed true, then there is no need for the sign "beware of falling durians". the fruit normally falls at night but some may also drop after a storm.

myth number 4: durians have aphrodisiac qualities.

some people believe that eating the durian can enhance your sex drive. the indonesians have this saying: durian jatuh, sarong naik (the durian falls and the sarong comes up) which seems to support this belief. as for me, i do not experience any 'gear shift' even after consuming a lot of durian; the libido remains status quo.




myth number 5: you can get rid of the smell by drinking water from the shell

quite a number of people i know have attested to the effectiveness of this method. after consuming the fruit, they pour water into an empty shell and drink it. some also believe that if you add a bit of salt to the water, it will reduce the 'heatiness' which comes after consuming lots of the fruit.

myth number 6: to counter the 'heatiness', eat mangosteens



another popular belief, especially among the chinese, is that you should eat some mangosteens - which are supposed to be 'cooling' as opposed to durians which are considered 'heaty'- after eating lots of durian.

myth number 7: durians with squirrel-made holes are ripe and tasty

i did not know that squirrels have the same taste buds as humans. i have seen unripe durians with holes made by squirrels at the durian loop, near the murnane reservoir.

myth number 8: you can tell a good durian by its thorns and shape

according to some so-called experts, you should pick those with short, firm and sharp thorns. you are advised to reject those with blunt and 'bendy' thorns. i have not really come across durians with blunt thorns. irregular shaped ones are preferred to those that are round.




maybe you have heard of other myths or other strange ideas about the durian. share with us.

23 comments:

stanley said...

I always have the impression that durians contain high cholesterol. Now that the myth has been shattered, I will now indulge in durian feasting during this durian season.

yg said...

stanley, better eat in moderation. should have mentioned that some nutritionists classify durians as high-glycemic or high-fat and so we should not eat too much of it.

Icemoon said...

> myth number 4: durians have aphrodisiac qualities

This can be verified empirically. I'm thinking of the durian stall at Geylang.

Uncle Phil said...

Have you heard about Durian Gajah, which the durian has been swallowed and passed through the digestive track of an elephant? The end result is said to be a priced product...:0

yg said...

phil, durian gajah is not myth 9? it is like the weasel coffee of vietnam and the kopi musang of indonesia.

yg said...

icemoon, it works for you? which durian stall in geylang/sims ave?

Icemoon said...

No, I mean at least I never tried. Let's consult Victor on this.

Lam Chun See said...

I think this is one time Victor would gladly say he is all talk and no action.

When I was very young, I heard this story about a distant relative who died after liquor and durian.

Victor said...

Hey, hey. What "all talk and no action"? I am game. Let's have a durian feast in Geylang. Let me specify that we are eating a new strain of durian called the Dutch durian... 'cos everyone pays their own share, ya? Haha.

After that, you can verify for yourself whether the "durian jatuh, sarong naik" myth is true or not.

Uncle Phil said...

Hi Victor,
Are you guys are having a game of Russian roulette with durian and alcohol in Geylang? Or something else..hehe.I'm too far to join the game.. cry cry.

yg said...

phil, victor is game to show his 'sarong naik' because he has a spare bird.

peter said...

have u guys try jamu (black root juice type) + 1 egg + stout boiled together?

My fliend tried and he lost his voice BUT I dare say his burong can fly like F15 although size of airbus 380

Nah said...

The Hokkien version of the Indonesian saying "durian jatuh, sarong nail" goes like this :
Lew lian chit eh choot;
Mua toh loot
which literally means once durians are out, the sarongs drop.
Who do you think is the better performer? The one with the raised sarong or the one without the sarong?

Betty said...

The Hokkien version is clean with no other connotations. It means that the Malay men would pawn their sarongs to buy durians. Such was their love for durians.

peter tan said...

Thanks to the fruit, we all can HORMAT SEJAHTA but more importantly "ease spring".

yg said...

peter, you meant to say 'hormat senjata', right?

doris said...

to get rid of smell, let tap water run over thorny skin and wash hands underneath.

yg said...

doris, no soap needed?

doris said...

did you try? no need soap lah.

yg said...

yes, it's quite effective. thks.

Anonymous said...

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/durian_ars.html

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*

Fresh Arils Dried Arils
Calories 144
Moisture 58.0-62.9 g 18.0 g
Protein 2.5-2.8 g
Fat 3.1-3.9 g 3.0-6.0 g
Sugars (approx.) 12.0 g 37.0-43.0 g
Starch (approx.) 12.0 g 8.0-13.0 g
Total Carbohydrates 30.4-34.1 g
Fiber 1.7 g
Ash 1.1-1.2 g 3.0 g
Calcium 7.6-9.0 mg
Phosphorus 37.8-44.0 mg
Iron 0.73-1.0 mg
Carotene 0.018 mg
(as Vitamin A) 20-30 I.U.
Thiamine 0.24-0.352 mg
Riboflavin 0.20 mg
Niacin 0.683-0.70 mg
Ascorbic Acid 23.9-25.0 mg
Vitamin E "high"


*Analyses made in Malaya, Honduras and elsewhere.

hai
Your quoted analyses didnt analyse for sugars !

Be careful, is not a myth!
check more websites.
thanks

Anonymous said...

Actually, the Chinese think that you eat RAMBUTAN and NOT mangosteen.

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