Durians: The King of Fruit

Where: Singapore, Geylang
Specialty: Pungent fruit!

What I love about Singapore is that you can run out anytime at night and be able to fulfill your food cravings. I was taken to eat durians one evening. It's really not so bad, but like stinky cheese or tofu, I suppose some people handle it much better than others.

A display full of durian:




Here's how you eat it, with plastic gloves. This way you won't smell of durian for the next day or two ...


The durian we got was especially good. Strangely each section tasted slightly different. For the faint hearted, you can start with durian puffs which can be purchased at some bakeries. They are like cream puffs but filled with durian cream. It's also key to get a good durian because a bad one can ruin your first experience!

Really it's just a fruit, what's there to be afraid of :)

Dragon Fruit from Russo's

The strange pinkish exterior of this fruit never fails to draw attention. I've seen it recently at Russo's (near the bananas) and every time I pick one up someone is bound to ask me what it is.


Photo from wikipedia.

I tried this fruit recently on a trip to Asia. Dragon fruit is very popular in the region and I've heard it can help reduce high blood pressure (don't know how reliable this claim is haha). The fruit is easy to cut and has lots of seeds which are edible, like a kiwi fruit. The taste though is milder and sweeter toward the center of the fruit. According to Wikipedia it is rich in vitamin C and low in calories. A good choice for those "I'm feeling fat" summer days?



PS: Don't eat the skin, pretty as it is!

PPS: Dragon fruit is also known as pitaya or strawberry pear.