Durian, Durian, Durian!

abundant supply!

open up!

so yummy!

The province of Davao is known throughout the world as the capital city of durian. Visiting Davao is always a treat. It never ceases to amaze every visitors coming because of the fruits it served. People here are so delight because of the unending supply of the durian fruit staring from the month of June up to the present. You can see everywhere and anywhere in the streets people who are selling durian fruits which are so affordable. This year is the most blessed year because of the abundant supply of the fruit that ranges from P15-30 per kilo depending on the variety. Have you tried tasting it? Well, they say “Once you have tasted durian, you will never leave Davao” That seems to be true to people like me who find joy in eating the pale yellow flesh with creamy custard like texture and very sweet taste that comes from the hard thorny rind. Others even said that “It smells like hell but tastes like heaven”, which is true because it is even banned in hotels and public transportation like airplanes because of its foul smell but to tell you once you tasted it you will crave for more.

If you don’t like to eat the fresh, people in Davao created various recipes with its main ingredient is the durian flesh. They are already available in the market like durian candy, durian pie, durian ice cream, and durian cappuccino. There is a secret way to wash away the smell of your hands after eating durian. You wash your hands with the durian seed to get rid of the smell.

Varieties of Durian

One of the two common varieties found at different fruit stands in the city is Arancillo, which is also considered as one of the oldest varieties in Davao City. Arancillo, named after former BPI-PhilFruits director Vicente Arancillo, is considered as the best variety because of its delectable taste.

Found first in Catalunan Grande, Arancillo durian has a 30 percent edible portion but its drawback is its ripe fruits can easily be spoiled during continuous downpour.

The other common durian fruit found in fruit stands is Puyat. Unlike Arancillo, Puyat has a stable character that does not easily get rotten and still tastes luscious even during rainy season, the chief of BPI-PhilFruits Fruit Crop Section says. Its fruit may weigh as much as seven kilos and its tree can bear as many as 100 fruits.

Among the durian trees with high resistance to sickness are Chanee, Monthong, Lacson 1 and 2, and Karnyaw which all originated from Thailand.

Chanee, Loquias said, is the first variety to have spread among durian farmers, and which preceded the Arancillo. Its first fruits, he said, may taste like sweet potato but its sweet taste can be savored in its second and third fruiting.

Monthong, another durian variety, can also be found at BPI-PhilFruits field though only a few farmers are planting it. Loquias said Monthong once became popular but when it bore fruits, they conducted comparative analysis and found that the variety farmers claimed as Monthong was actually Soriano and Obusa durian which have not been recommended by BPI-PhilFruits for failing to meet the criteria set by the research center.

The Soriano durian, which originated from Kapalong, Davao del Norte, looks nice from the outside but when it matures, the bottom part of the fruit tends to rot until it opens up, inviting fruit flies.

Loquias said the Soriano durian tree at BPI-PhilFruits has been there for the past seven years but its fruit quality hasn't improved despite the care and fertilization they have given to the tree.


Mamer durian, known among Dabawenyos as native durian, is considered as the best native variety in Calinan. Named after Mamerto Fernandez, Mamer durian with a 25 percent edible portion is common in Barangays Serib and Dumalang in Calinan.

Another Calinan durian which is also registered as a variety with NSIC is Alcon Fancy. But this variety, with thicker flesh and edible portion reaching to 40 percent, rarely turns up in fruit stands as durian lovers usually buy them directly from farms that produce them like Alcon farms in Tugbok.

The other registered durian varieties are Atabrine (native) and Duyaya (Durian and Biyaya) which was named after farmer-scientist Severino Belviz of Calinan.

The other types of durian not yet in the market but are recommended by BPI-PhilFruits are Malaysian D101, Malaysian D24 and M-Dur 88 which are found sporadically in the Davao region.

Many for those who are first time to test or smell this fruit really don't like it but as when you used to taste it you really like this fruit. They said it smells like hell but taste like heaven. Once you taste it you will love and long for it.