Royal Fruit

The King of Fruit 

Twenty years ago I had no idea there was a hierarachy among fruit. Now I know different - there is a king and a queen, and for all I know an entire court of lesser subjects. In Singapore we have even given our newest art centre the royal treatment by making it in the image of the King himself. It is fondly known as the twin durians, although I've heard a couple of ignorant tourists asking for the Big Pineapple (which actually does exist, in Queensland I believe).

Why is the smelliest fruit on earth called the King? Quite simply because the experience of the taste is absolutely divine - to aficionados anyway. And I do count myself as one. Selecting the choicest fruit is quite an art that involves a close visual inspection, a shake to listen for any telltale hollowness, and lastly and most importantly a deep inhalation of the fragrance (some would rudely say odour) exuding from the spiny outer covering. I do not pretend to be able to tell a bad one from a good one, or for that matter a 'bitter' fruit from a 'sweet' one (they all taste delicious to me). But if anyone asks me to partake, I don't need a second invitation!



The Queen of Fruit 

And as for the Queen, she is more universally accepted. The sweet segments of the fruit are the perfect complement to the slightly sticky flesh of the durian. And it is said that you must have one after the other to achieve a balance. Of course, what! This is, after all, the age of equality.