LIFE is sweet when you are young. As you get older, you gain more experience and life gets a little bittersweet.
Bao Sheng Durian Farm owner Chang Teik Seng said such scenario also occurred in a durian tree.
“When the tree is young, it bears durians that are sweet. However, as the tree gets older, it will produce durians that have unique tastes such as rummy and bittersweet.
“Here in Bao Sheng, we don’t just sell you durians. We want you to know more about the fruit and try the different tastes available,” Chang said in an interview.
Chang stressed the importance of old trees.
“The age of the tree affects the flavour of the fruit. The older the tree, the better the fruit.
“That is a popular belief, and it is true.
“We do not pluck durians from the trees. We wait for the fruits to fall off naturally so the flavour is fully developed and matured.
“What many people don’t know is the unique flavour when the fruit is eaten within 30 minutes after it falls off from the tree.
“We accidentally discovered the ‘numb’ flavour back in 1999, when my wife and I were picking durian at dawn.
“The smell was so strong, and the durian flesh gave a tingling ‘numb’ sensation to our tongue,” he said.
Chang said durian lovers should take some time to discover the fruit.
“Don’t just eat it. Know the variants, flavours, and the ‘chronology’ of eating it.
“There are two types of durian – the dry and the wet types.
“Dry type durian has a sweet first bite but leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste on your tongue.
“Meanwhile, wet type durian has a stronger and more complex taste compared to the dry ones.
“Hence, one would enjoy durian more if he eats the dry type durian first, and then followed by the wet type durian,” Chang said.
He added that the eating chronology would be different if it involved durians from old trees.
On the Penang2030 vision, Chang said he was supportive of the state’s vision ‘A Family-focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’.
“One of the Penang2030 key initiatives is to modernise and diversify sustainable agriculture.
“We welcome the state’s intention to collaborate with farmers and agro-preneurs to produce higher value products. It is true that food sustainability can be improved through high-yield agricultural practices and through harnessing technology,” Chang said.
He also set up a website to promote his products which include accommodation.
For more details about Bao Sheng Durian Farm, visit https://durian.com.my/eat/ or call 012-411 0600.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix and video by Law Suun Ting