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シンガポール人はドリアンが好き
「果物の王様」と称される熱帯果物ドリアン。外皮から突き出ているとげと強烈なにおいのため、外国人からは敬遠されがちですが、乳白色の果肉が持つ甘くクリーミーな味わいは、昔から多くのシンガポール人を魅了し続けています。
A thorny Issue
Love it or hate it. That is how most people feel on their first encounter with the durian, hailed as the "King of Fruits." A spiky, soccer-ball-sized fruit loved by most Singaporeans for its sweet, custard-yellow flesh, durians are distinctive in their taste, texture and shape. However, what makes the fruit truly unique is its powerful, pungent smell so overpowering that generations of Singaporeans have struggled to find a single description that fits. It has been described as "fermented cheese," "rotting fish" or even "unwashed socks." And yet, Singaporeans simply cannot get enough of it, while most foreigners, especially Westerners, avoid them like the plague. There is a popular saying that durians have the smell of hell and the taste of heaven.
In Singapore, durians are readily available all year round because they are imported from neighboring countries. The best are imported from Malaysia and Thailand, although a few durian trees can still be found in the remote areas of Singapore's modern, concrete-and-steel jungle.
Mr. Tan Kim Hock, a durian seller, said, "The 'branded' durians (from Malaysia) are like designer durians, which let the buyers know where the durians are from and what type of durian trees have borne these fruits. Therefore, the quality and the taste of the durians are guaranteed."
The favorites of many Singaporeans are Segamat durians, which are usually sweet and bitter with either light-yellow, strong-yellow or off-white flesh; D2 durians which have a soft, light-orange flesh and a sweet, slightly bitter taste; Super D24 durians with soft, yellow flesh and a bitter taste; and the creme de la creme, Sultan Ice Cream durians, which have a small seed hidden inside their thick, creamy and bitter flesh. In Mr. Tan's fruits shop, D24 durians were sold at three for Singapore 20 dollers (¥1,360).
Mr. Tan demonstrated how to choose the best durian. He said, "I will usually hit the durians with the blade of a knife to determine whether they are ripe or not. If the sound is hollow, the durian is not ripe because ripe ones give out a low sound. To choose a good durian simply by smelling it is unreliable, as smell varies among the different varieties.
But a true durian connoisseur, Mr. Alfred Tan, says he can tell the difference. According to him, the smell of the perfect durian "with a thick, creamy, treacle-like, bittersweet-tasting flesh" has "a faint aroma of bittersweet, butterscotch and almonds with a bouquet of wild honey and a hint of smoked oak."
Many Singaporeans have taken to durians as fish to water. Many believe that consuming durians can heat the body like sake does in winter. I do not have any scientific explanation to support this, but true to this belief, my body does feel warm after I have eaten durians. There is also a myth that one should not take any alcohol together with durians as it will lead to a stroke or heart attack. Another more far-fetched assumption is that durians can improve one's virility, but the basis of this is more sales propaganda than fact.
My Singaporean friend Sharlene Lim, a postgraduate in London, reminisces, "What I really like about durians in particular is the anticipation about what happens after the durian husk is opened up. Will the durians be sweet or bitter, and how many will there be? I particularly like the sweet ones with the thick, yellow, tender flesh. In London, whenever I pass by shops in Chinatown that sell durians, I always remember the good old times back in Singapore."
Regrettably, foreigners seldom seem to bear any fondness for durians. Savoring durians is an acquired taste. I recommend sweet durians instead of bitter ones for beginners. But hold your breath first!
Shukan ST: Sept. 20, 2002
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- encounter
- 出合い
- hailed as 〜
- 〜としてもてはやされる
- spiky
- とげのある
- custard-yellow
- カスタードのような黄色の
- flesh
- 果肉
- distinctive
- 特徴的な
- texture
- 舌触り
- pungent smell
- 刺激臭
- overpowering
- 強烈な
- have struggled to find a single description that fits
- ぴったりの表現を探すのに苦労してきた
- fermented
- 発酵した
- rotting
- 腐った
- And yet
- それでも
- cannot get enough of it
- いくら食べても食べ足りない
- avoid 〜 like the plague
- 必死で〜を避ける
- saying
- 言い習わし
- are readily available all year round
- 年中簡単に手に入る
- neighboring countries
- 隣国
- remote
- へんぴな
- branded
- 商標の付いた
- have borne
- 実を結んだ
- are guaranteed
- 保証付きだ
- Segamat
- マレーシアのセガマット産
- creme de la creme
- 最上級品
- seed
- 種
- blade
- 刃
- determine
- 決める
- ripe
- 熟した
- hollow
- 鈍く響く
- unreliable
- 当てにならない
- 〜 connoisseur
- 〜通
- treacle-like
- 糖蜜のような
- faint
- ほのかな
- aroma
- 香り
- bouquet
- 香り
- a hint of 〜
- かすかな〜
- have taken to 〜 as fish to water
- 魚が水に親しむように〜に親しんでいる
- true to this belief
- 確かに
- myth
- 神話
- stroke
- 卒中
- heart attack
- 心臓発作
- far-fetched
- ありそうもない
- assumption
- 仮説
- virility
- 精力
- sales propaganda
- 販売のための宣伝
- postgraduate
- 大学院生
- reminisces
- 思い出す
- anticipation
- 期待
- husk
- 皮
- Regrettably
- 残念ながら
- seldom seem to bear any fondness for 〜
- 〜をめったに好まないようだ
- Savoring
- 味わう
- acquired taste
- 習い覚えて好きになるもの
- recommend
- 勧める
- hold your breath
- 息を止める