Bentong Gold Is Like The Celeb Kid Of A Famous Durian
Some people think that the registration date of a durian indicates the date that a durian tree was first created. So they think that the first musang king tree was grown in 1993. But the actual origin takes us back over 2 centuries ago.
A lot of consumers also don’t know that the durians they consume mostly originate from cloned trees. They think that the trees were grown with seeds like how we grow tomatoes.
Well… there’s nothing wrong with that. I used to think that too.
But the reality is that the durian trees that are lined up in the farms today are saplings grafted with the desired cultivar.
And if you are lucky, some of the durians you’ve eaten have come from larger tree branches grafted onto very old tree stumps. It’s not unheard of to have a durian tree branch like black thorn grafted onto a 50 year old kampung tree stump.
Using old tree stumps enable a durian to grow fruits faster and the chances of survival is also higher since the grafted branches have a strong foundation to feed it with nutrients. This is why tupai kings from sources outside the original farm in Penang have entered the market in recent years.
Many of the newer named durians these days actually come from grafted clones that grew different than what the orchard owners expected. The fruits turned out well and are given a name.
Saying that, some famous durians have a track record of having their seeds grow into blockbuster durian trees in their own right. A couple of great examples are D15 and khun poh.
A newly popular kampung durian has been creating a buzz in Bentong Pahang in recent seasons.
And yes it grew from a seed.
What was the mother tree remains a mystery. But you’d probably be able to make an educated guess after seeing it.
This durian I’m talking about is Bentong Gold.
Nope it’s not black gold, fool’s gold or marigold. It’s bentong gold.
BG but not BG. Same abbreviation as black gold but not black gold.
The word “Bentong” alone is one that arouses veneration in the durian world. Because it is one of the durian hotspots in Pahang.The very geographic area where musang king has such a huge presence.
So to call a durian bentong gold is like declaring it as the gold standard in bentong.
Like damak king, bentong gold is categorized as a premium kampung durian. And promptly secured the first prize in a kampung durian competition organized by MARDI.
I’m pretty sure it will be registered with the agency one day.
Features of bentong gold durian
This durian is typically small sized no bigger than 2 kilos. Approaching 2kg will actually be higher range of it’s potential weight.
It has a slightly raised neck like musang king (D197) but not as raised as the latter.
The sparse thorn arrangement and shade of green reminds you of musang king. Even the pyramidal thorns are also eerily similar to it, but longer, and maybe with a little of S17 thrown into the mix.
So it won’t be surprising if you see one from a distance and think that it’s musang king. Especially when it is stacked on top of one another in the fashion of a typical durian wall.
Because as you get closer, you’d start to see that the overall shape of this durian is a little more rounded than the typical oval shape of D197. Musang king can also be rounded but we generally know it as oval.
And just to put the smaller matter of a doppelganger to rest, you will see the that the bottom of the bentong gold looks nothing like D197.
There’s an indented navel in the style of… would you believe it…. black thorn.
So when you look at it on display, it can look like musang king. And when you lift it up to investigate the bottom, it looks like black thorn. For years, farmers have been experimenting between these 2 cultivars. Does it taste like a blend of the two? We’re coming to that in a bit.
Let me bring another power durian into the picture. Because even though the navel resembles that of black thorn. The thorns surrounding the navel projects outwards like a less aggressive version of tawa.
The stem is solid thick and straight reminding one of D168.
This is an easy durian to open, just slash and twist in one motion, and the husk will split open with little resistance.
It is now when you will witness the fruitlets with flesh covered with a skin membrane that looks like musang king’s, but the colour looks like a young black thorn.
This is probably the closest we can get so far to seeing a baby borned to parents whose names are musang king and black thorn.
Smaller durians with 1 seed in a pod can carry the appearance reminding one of sunset.
The texture is smooth creamy and dry. Durian flavour is strong. And it’s more sweet than it is bitter.
The size and shape of the seed is 50/50 between… you’ve guessed it. Black thorn and musang king. Some are rounded and average sized. And some are flat.
Bentong gold harvest season
This is a midseason harvest. Do take note that in terms of season, the Pahang season is the one being referred to for obvious reasons.
The supply is crazy low. In addition, mature trees are capable pr producing up to 8 fruits give or take.
And even though farmers are planting them, there doesn’t seem to be any indication of a growth trajectory that would make this a mass market durian.
The hope is that when this durian gets officially registered, other plantations would start planting them as well. And even so, it takes some time for these trees to produce commercial grade durians.