Malaysia is blessed with a large variety of fruits. Most of us enjoy eating these fruits. They range from very sweet ones that make our teeth hurt to very sour ones that make our teeth numb. Whatever our preference we can always find some that we like.
Some fruits are seasonal while some are perennial. The famous durian, which is have known as the ‘king of fruits’, is a sessional one. This fruit appears in abundance around the month of May and again around December every year. The popularity of this fruit is undisputed. Many people from all walks of life can be seen surrounding the vendors when the durian is in season.
The average size of durian is about that of a soccer ball. Its outer skin is hard and spiny. We have to be careful not to be pricked by the many sharp spines. Inside the durian is a different story altogether. A good durian contains seeds coated with sweet yellow flesh. The flesh also emits a powerful smell that needs getting used to. Most locals love the taste and smell. However, visitors to our country usually find the smell unbearable.
Other seasonal fruits are the rambutan, langsat, duku, rambai, mangosteen, and others. All of them have their unique taste and are consumed in large quantities when they are in season. Personally! like the rambutan and langsat most.
Off season we have the perennial fruits like the banana, guava, mango, pineapple, papaya, melons etc. In every fruit stall can be found these fruits. The pineapple and papaya are especially favorite with us. One vendor told me that he spends most of his time preparing pineapple and papaya slices for his customers. He even showed me his wrinkled hands due to too much exposure to the juices from the fruits. I suggested that he wear gloves and he seems to have taken to it.
There are other fruits like the mata kucing that are not so popular. Also, there are poisonous fruits that no one touches.
All in all, I would say that we are very fortunate to live in a and that has so much succulent fruits that we can enjoy to our hearts’ delight.