Handy Pocket Guide to Tropical Fruits. Wendy Hutton

durian is surrounded by folklore. It is reputed to be an aphrodisiac (there's a Malay saying that when the durians are down, the sarongs are up). It is also claimed to be dangerous to drink alcohol when consuming durians. The Chinese believe the durian is very "heaty" to the body (but this doesn't stop them consuming vast numbers of them just like everyone else!).

      The famous 19th-century naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, described the durian thus: "It is like a buttery custard flavoured with almonds, intermingled with wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion sauce, brown sherry, and other incongruities.... It is neither acid, nor sweet, nor juicy, yet one feels the want of none of these qualities for it is perfect as it is."

      Durians should be eaten within hours of their falling or being harvested, and fruits which have split open should be avoided as the flesh deteriorates quickly when exposed to the air. Roadside stalls spring up near durian orchards or in special markets in towns during the season. Most durian lovers cannot wait to take the fruit home and ask the vendor to open it (usually with the aid of a pair of gloves and a strong knife) so they can devour it immediately.

      Today's durians are almost all hybrids and each has its special characteristics. Durian is best consumed fresh, although inferior quality or over-ripe fruit is also cooked to make sweetmeats such as dodol or made into jam.

      Pineapple

      Ananas comosus

      Botanical Family: Bromeliaceae

      Thai name: Sappa-rot

      Malay name: Nanas

      Indonesian name: Nanas

      Filipino name: piña

      The pineapple, native to South America, is cultivated throughout tropical Asia. The name comes from the Spanish word for pine cone (piña), which the fruit vaguely resembles with its scaly skin. Ripe pineapples have a juicy sweet flesh with just a hint of acidity to make them even more refreshing. Pineapple is not only good raw or cooked in savoury dishes, it also makes good pickles, chutney and jam, as well as delicious juice.

      Several types of pineapple are found in the region. Some are grown only for ornamental use, their decorative leaves making them a popular pot plant. Small varieties that tend to be somewhat acid, or unripe fruits, are used as a vegetable or in sour fruit salads—and also made into pineapple curry. Freshly peeled and sliced ripe pineapple is found everywhere in the region. If buying a whole fruit, check that it is ripe by smelling to see if it is fragrant and try to tear one of the leaves sprouting from the top. If it comes away easily, the fruit is ready to eat.

      Papaya

      Carica papaya

      Botanical Family: Caricaceae

      Thai name: Ma-la-kaw

      Malay name: Betik

      Indonesian name: Papaya

      Filipino name: Papaya