Despite The Name Bak Eu Durian Does Not Taste Like Pork Lard
You don’t need to be a durian old-timer to quickly realise that the names tagged to durians can sometimes be very odd indeed. And sometimes even outlandish to say the least.
Some of those include centipede, 3 joss sticks, teteh, etc.
And when you come across one that is named as pork lard, your natural instincts would be that it must either taste like lard or look like it.
Thankfully the latter is the correct one.
Pork lard durian, or more commonly known locally in Penang as bak eu in Hokkien, is quite a spiky paradox.
Bak eu can be spelt in many different ways. Including bah you, bak yu, bah yu, etc. But they all refer to the same variety.
We hear about it all the time (maybe due to the comical name), see sellers advertising it all the time, and think that it should be an easy durian to find. But ironically, it don’t appear in stalls very often.
Moreover, it was only recently when a Penang local showed me the different variations of it that I realise that this durian can take on many forms just like tok kong. But the difference is that different variations of tok kong can taste differently. But the variations of bak eu mostly taste the same.
Feature of bak eu durian
Before I got truly acquainted with Mr Porky, I had always known this durian as one that is rounded with a pointy bottom. With bold spikes like capri. Which might explain why it is often passed off as capri.
And when I was shown the whole catalogue of bah you in real life, I learned that it can also be rounded with small thorns like red prawn, and also arrowhead shaped like a pristine tupai 226.
My favourite among them is the elongated pointy version of bak eu. It just looks sexier than the others.
While it is a generally small sized durian, it can be a tough nut to crack.
The aril is white like capri and also pack a strong bitter taste too. But it lacks the complexity of flavour that the former embodies.
In fact, the taste profile reminds me very much of black pearl. Both of which spots an elongated husk shape, with white aril, and can be as bitter as Chinese herbal tea.
The texture of the flesh is super soft. Like the insides of a designer egg tart. But not as watery as khun poh. More like green skin with a little less aroma.
Bak eu harvest season
The harvest season of pork lard durian is typically between the early season and main season.
But as stated above, this durian is bemusingly difficult to procure.
Maybe locals like to reserve all the durians before it even starts to drop from the tree. Maybe the supply is really too low to cater to the demand for a durian with such an attention-seeking name. Or maybe farmers are keeping them all for their own inner circles.
Anyway, you don’t have to lose sleep over missing out on it as the taste experience is generally just soft and bitter.
There is always black pearl to serve as an able substitute.