TEXT: WONG AH YOKE ILLUSTRATIONS: CEL GULAPA SUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS: SALLY LAM

Black Gold

This is a name coined for more premium Mao Shan Wang, with its characteristic thick and creamy �esh and balance of sweet and bitter �avours. There are greyish seams running down the �esh.

Lipan

This elongated durian has pale yellow creamy �esh with a sweet �avour.

Capri

Its �esh is very pale or almost white in colour. The taste is very bitter and the texture soft and a bit wet.

D13

The �esh is deep yellow and tastes mildly sweet and

not bitter. The seeds are usually

rather big.

Black Pearl or Tai Yuan

Oval with thin thorns, with pale greyish-yellow

�esh and small, pearl-like seeds. It is creamy with a slight bitterness and milky

aftertaste.

Green Bamboo or Tekka

Elongated husk with thin thorns and brownish-yellow �esh. It goes from bitter to sweet and ends with a bitter aftertaste. There is also a metallic undertone.

Golden Phoenix

Round with light green to greyish

thorns, with a cluster of small ones at the

bottom. Its pale yellow �esh has a

�oral fragrance and bittersweet taste.

Mao Shan Wang

Light green with thick and short thorns, distinguished by a star-shaped pattern at the bottom with a bald patch. Its buttery yellow �esh is creamy and �breless, with a bittersweet ending.

King of Kings

This is a top-grade Mao Shan Wang

that comes from old trees in Malaysia,

supposedly from the Gua Musang area where the varietal

originated from. The yellow �esh is creamy

with a sweet-bitter taste and the seeds

are small.Tupai King

The yellow pulp of the roundish fruit is buttery and syrupy, with an alcoholic note.

Kunpo

The pulp of the oblong-shaped fruit is orange and has a dry

texture, with a mild and sweet �avour.

XO (Johor)

This has pale yellow �esh that is creamy

and bitter. It is not to be confused with

Pahang XO, which is a premium grade of D24.

TSW

The name stands for Tai Shang Wang, which is a Chinese term for a king’s living father. It is another premium version of Mao Shan Wang that is similar to King of Kings. Apparently, the name is coined by Singapore sellers to denote a higher grade.

Black Thorn

Elongated yellowish husk with blackish thorn tips. Its burnt-orange �esh is thick and smooth, with a �oral sweetness.

Tawa

Oblong with large thorns, with a characteristic depression at the bottom. Its milky yellow �esh is �breless and bittersweet. The wetter ones are more bitter.

Durian lovers are in for a treat as the annual main durian season has kicked o� and will last till early September.

Here is a guide on the varietals sold in Singapore

Black Pearl or Tai Yuan

Oval with thin thorns, with pale greyish-yellow

�esh and small, pearl-like seeds. It is creamy with a slight bitterness and milky

aftertaste.

Red Prawn or Ang Hae

Elongated with short and thick thorns. The �esh is custardy and smooth, with a good

balance of sweetness and bitterness.

D24 or Sultan

Popular in the 1990s before Mao Shan Wang

came along, this has pale yellow �esh with a

sweet and bitter �avour.

Durian lovers are in for a treat as the annual main durian season has kicked o� and will last till early September.

Here is a guide on the varietals sold in Singapore

DURIAN

Lipan

This elongated durian has pale yellow creamy �esh with a sweet �avour.

trees in Malaysia, supposedly from the

Gua Musang area where the varietal

originated from. The yellow �esh is creamy

Mao Shan Wang

the bottom with a bald

�esh is creamy and �breless, with a

decoded