Penang Food Adventures - Best Malaysian Fruit!

The months of May-July is always the season for some of the best fruits in Penang. The fruits in mention here is the durian, mangosteen, langsat and rambutan. Mace and Pin took us on a drive to Balik Pulau and on the way we stopped for a helping of durian since 3 out of 4 of us in the car were craving for the delicious fruit. Guess who the 1 person who wasn't? :) My dear husband of course. Unfortunately majority wins so he had to go along for the adventure.

We chose a lovely durian of the Ganja variety. Now for those who have had this variety before you would know that its extremely potent. We were warned by the vendor that after having the durian we are to not drink water for at least 10 minutes. If not, you would feel dizzy or a little light headed. Definitely not ideal for driving through the winding steep roads of Balik Pulau.

But boy was it a treat! Here is a picture of the man cutting up the durian for us. Opening the spiky fruit requires skill and strength in the wrists. This man was clearly very experienced with it.

The stall also sold mangosteens. I love mangosteens. In fact, sometimes I think I love mangosteens more than I love durians. Lovely sweet white flesh encased in a fibrous dark purple casing.

This is a picture of langsat. Also a fruit with soft white translucent flesh yet completely different in taste to the mangosteen. I cannot describe the flavours of these fruits. You have to try it to know it. So if you haven't before, the next time you catch sight of these on sale at a roadside vendor, make sure you stop to give it a try.

There were plenty of other durian varieties on sale at the stall. The durians at Balik Pulau are often cited as being the best in Malaysia. The stall is located at the Balik Pulau lookout called 'Anjung Indah'. It has a nice scenic view of the sea from the top of the hill and is a nice, relaxing stop to make. For better directions to this place, go here.

This was our yummy Ganja. I had only two pieces of the fruit and was very satisfied. One good durian is definitely better than having 10 average ones.

Now, can someone please import Penang durians to Australia? The Thai ones available here are incomparable in taste and texture.

cheryl