What Is It About The Unique Thorns Of D14 Durian That Tells It Apart
Even though each durian cultivar has unique attributes on it’s thorns that are consistent most of the time, there can sometimes still be outliers are don’t follow the norm.
For example, durian IOI and red prawn can usually be identified from their thorns on the rind. But every now and then you can be left scratching your head at how their spikes can take up forms that you cannot identify them with.
There are actually a lot about durian thorns that can be meticulously described. Some of these include terms like hooked, concaved, convex, pyramidal, etc.
If you have just started on your journey into the world of durians, thorns might just be green spiky things that look the same on all durians.
But the subtle differences between different types of durians can be as obvious as daylight to the esteemed connoisseur.
However, you don’t need a keen eye to identify D14.
It has one of the biggest thorns in terms of thorn size to durian size ratio. Making it look like an overweight sea urchin that got splashed with green paint.
More on the thorns of D14 later.
D14 is actually not an official registration number for this durian. It’s not like what D200 means for black thorn or D197 for musang king.
It’s more like D11 and D17. A name with D#.
This is a durian with it’s origin story traced back to Teluk Bahang in Penang.
I fully appreciate plantation owners who play this important role to preserve the heritage of durians which already had their heydays decades ago.
But these days, it is only maintained by farmers who choose to keep them instead of giving into the commercial temptation of cutting them off and using the stumps to graft fan favourites such musang king and black thorn.
This is partly because D14 has a good reputation as a strong tree. Thus using it’s stump for grafting and cloning other cultivars has a lower chance of failure.
Features of D14 durian
The standout feature of the externals of D14 is it’s huge bulky and blocky thorns.
The size of the thorns measures against the size the durian can have an incredibly high ratio.
Imagine one of those mooses with enormous antlers that they can bare lift on their heads. This is the impression you might get.
I won’t write-off the possibility that in the event of a war, D14 could be used to stop military trucks in their tracks.
Unless a durian seller is stocking up on unconventional Thai durians or a weirdo of a kampung durian, when you see such big thorns on a durian at a durian stall in Singapore or Malaysia, the odds are that it’s D14.
With that said, this does not mean that people put it on display just to gain attention.
Even though it’s not exactly one with mass appeal, D14 has earned it’s place to be among the most popular of durians for it’s great value in terms of the kick you get versus the price you pay…
The size of D14 is actually very regular looking.
It’s does not have a commanding presence of size like Mon Thong. And it don’t have that cute baby size like golden phoenix.
Despite it’s imposing thorns and rather thick husk, D14 is a pretty easy durian to open. As if it welcomes you to open it.
When you open this durian, you will see fruitlets of flesh in typical yellow. The look of the puffy-pillow pulps sitting comfortably in their pods can remind you of the look of black thorn.
Get ready for your world to turn upside down when you succumb to your desires and take that naughty first bite.
When I tried D14 for the very first time, I was so unprepared for the astonishment I would experience that I choked.
I coughed a couple of times for a moment not that my sense of smell for durians finally turned inside out. But because the amount of flesh I greedily gobbled into my mouth stunned me as if someone pushed my head into the river bank impromptu.
Only this time, delirium ensued.
This is the feeling of sumptuous luxury. If you love nacho cheese for example, picture yourself having a mouthful of it instead of just a dip, or a mouthful of Alaskan king crab with no shell instead of just a claw.
To say the meat on this one is thick is an understatement.
I would go as far as to say that even a grown adult can feel full by eating just one fruitlet of this monster.
And I thought I’d seen everything after having D15. Here is D14 to throw the textbook of my whole universe of durian knowledge into chaos. I was indeed humbled.
As if making you dizzy from the massive amount of meat is not enough, D14 proceeds to land the knock out blow with it’s regular sized seeds hidden within . You’d be wondering how on earth it managed to pack so much meat in there.
When I first started eating durians and knew very little, I didn’t think that a durian of D14’s nature would be possible. I’ll admit that I was living in a box.
I’m glad I’ve lived long enough to experience this. Because from the time of my first ever durian that I ate with awareness to my first D14, it’s probably around 20 years in between.
D14 can literally take your breath away.
But I do feel a little guilty for not having to earn the right to have D14. This should be a like a medal of honour the police presents to citizens who have helped thwart criminals on the rampage.
This flesh to ratio pretty much sets the benchmark for durians in Malaysia and Singapore.
Seeing it and eating it, I was reminded of a puffer fish inflating itself like a balloon. This visualisation might give you an idea of what the fruitlets in this durian looks like.
But it’s not just about the high yield.
Devouring this, you’d notice a deep aroma slowly getting into position, then it explodes once the stage is set.
The taste is sweet with a little bitterness. And the texture is very sticky. And this is not the whole story.
With a big bite, the sheer amount of flesh on it means that all 8000 taste buds on your tongue would not be able to escape the durian invasion.
There’s not much you can do at this point but to surrender to the durian and invite the next wave.
While other cultivars might taste less potent the more seeds you consume, the taste and flavour of D14 tends to intensify as you gobble up more. But you won’t be able to find your intensity limit as you’d most probably be full by the time you get to the second lobe of flesh.
The flesh also separates from the seed beautifully.
To be frank, a lot of times D14 can taste like just an average durian. But what you are going for by ordering again and again is to increase the chances of you hitting the jackpot.
When you find one in top form, you’ll be amazed how such a premium tasting fruit can be so affordable. You will want to look for those smaller ones around 1 kilo so all that the flavour for all that flesh is packed and concentrated into lesser fruitlets.
It’s a durian that I will always get at least once whenever the opportunity arise while in Penang.
Outside of Penang, many sellers would identify this durian as D28. But sellers inside Penang would usually insist that D14 and D28 are different breeds.
D14 durian harvest season
D14 is a mid season durian that is typically found in stalls from June to July.
Because of the competition with other cultivars that are in season during this period, it is understandable that most consumers would go for the more popular varieties such as XO, black gold or green skin 15.
Which is why sellers very often have them in stock but don’t give them shelf space. This makes business sense to them as regular patrons who would buy D14 probably don’t need any convincing or browsing around. Customers would either reserve them or just ask for them.
So if you want to give D14 a try and do not see them, just ask and you might be presented with them like a rabbit out of a hat.
From a farmer’s perspective, D14 is a good durian tree to cultivate. It is resilient, stable, and can usually be counted on to produce a predictable harvest.
This is a cultivar that will be around for a long time. But it’s not going to hit the supply heights of the bigger names.