The astonishment that people often get when eating durians is the moment when the husk is pulled open to reveal it’s fleshy fruitlets inside.

The brilliant gold of musang king for example, the striking orange-red of khun poh ang bak, or the passionate red of tenom beauty can often create vivid images that makes you go WAHHH…

This is especially so for people who are witnessing the real thing for the very first time. They then go to sleep at night dreaming of kittens and butterflies.

But different durians can project very different characteristics that visually shock people.

Ganja for instance has it’s exceptionally long stem, Monthong for it’s gigantic size, and even D14 for it’s obnoxiously huge thorns.

Saying that, the biggest feature of durians that create that moment of awe is when they reveal their fruitlets to the beholder.

D18 is one such durian. But rather than inspiring cheers for it’s vibrant colour, it does so with a display of it’s gargantuan fleshy pulps.

At this point, it should be mentioned that in the world of durians, D18 can refer to 2 types of cultivars.

One being the serene sunset, and the second being big bun. To avoid confusion, the second is often referred to Penang’s D18 instead of just D18. With the former referring to sunset.

You can likely guess now that in Penang, when people mention D18, it refers to Penang D18, also known as big bun.

From this point on, when D18 is mentioned, I am referring to big bun.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that D18 has it’s roots from Thailand as many of the Thai durians are huge in size. And it’s probably the origin of how the D18 moniker was attached to this durian just like the number 15 is linked to chanee.

Other than the term big bun, D18 is also nicknamed ye zi mei (叶子媚) which is a reference to the Hong Kong movie star Amy Yip who became a household name in the 1980s and 1990s. She was famous for her (ahem… ahem…) voluptuously sexy image.

You’d know why when you see it. I mean the durian.

D18 is also sometimes referred to as lim guan eng (林冠英) who is somewhat of a celebrity political figure unafraid of taking on the big guns in the political arena.

But instead of identifying this durian to Mr Lim for his big buns (which I have never seen before), it is a matter of speech to express his big balls (which I have also never seen before) due to the size of the seeds found in D18.

It might be of interest to you that there are other durians that have names of celebrity and public figures.

For examples, lin feng jiao and dato nina.

Features of Penang D18 durian

D18 is a large durian that maybe many would consider extralarge instead. It can easily go up to 5kg and I won’t be surprised to see one at 10kg like I once did with Monthong.

It’s husk has a colour trending towards a faded greenish brown… getting close to grey.

The first unique feature you’d observe with this durian is that it has an odd looking short fat stem that gets wider at the top abscission area. Sort of like the knob-like handle of an old-school drawer of an antique cabinet.

The shape of the husk can be quite irregular due to it’s sheer size coupled with the bulging lobes. You can sometimes even find it in a heart shape.

Like most big durians, D18 also spots huge thorns. And because of the bulging lobes, it can often take on a very intimidating look like Khun poh.

At the bottom where the seams come together, it is usually protruding and pointed. So it won’t be able to stand on it’s own.

Many people can be confused by the exterior, thinking that it is susu. They are not the same… and be wary of sellers trying to sell you D18 as susu.

Opening this durian will not be as effortless as D13, but it will not be as big a challenge as tekka either. Yet because of the big size of D18, do practice caution to avoid injuring yourself with the knife or any other opening tool in your hands.

Big fruits are obviously harder to handle.

As you open the durian, you will be amazed at how fat the fruitlets look. They really look like big buns. No kidding.

Considering the mega size of D18 and the size of the fruitlets, it must be one of the higher yielding durians around.

The average adult will not be able to finish one D18 unless you get a really small one with missing lobes.

The colour of the flesh is typically light lemon yellow. With old tree fruits sometimes in a darker tone.

The plump looking pulps can trick people to think that it’s not ripe. But this is how it is and you can verify it by pressing down on it’s flesh. By which time you’d realise that it is soft and creamy underneath the smooth skin.

The texture is dry yet creamy and sticky with minimal fiber.

From a taste perspective, this is a sweet durian but also come with a noticeable bitter taste. Don’t expect an alcoholic aftertaste as well.

The seeds can be easily and cleanly extracted. So if you are collecting flesh for durian puree, D18 would be a good pick.

D18 durian harvest season

D18 is a late season durian.

But it generally starts entering the market at the early part of this phase, seldom staying around for the finale part usually reserved for D15 and ganja.

Big bun is a durian that does not have a large supply. It’s not exactly short on supply either. But if you use a measuring stick, it should fall in the low supply half of the stick.

Even farmers who cultivate them might choose not to sell them and keep the harvest for their family, friends and relatives.

Instead of selling such a visually appealing durian at a low price, it would be more useful to gift people and impress them with generosity.

So if you want to have some of the big buns of D18, your best bet is to visit a durian farm and hope that the owner has some kept behind the shed. He might just offer them to you for free as you have quickly become a friend.