Proclaimed the king of all tropical fruits,durian is the favourite of all Malaysians,well.., almost all Malaysians.
It has sharp thorny spikes covering its thick outer skin,hence the name duri-an because the Malay word "duri" means "thorn or spike".Another example of naming a fruit after its appearance.

Its distinctive strong aroma has an addictive hold on those who love it,but will repel those who are not accustomed to it. But only ripen fruits will have this aroma and this is a sure method to differential between a ripen durian and one which is not.
Hold a durian in your palms,then move one palm between the durian and your nose,with the protection of your fingers,press the durian as close to your nose as possible and sniff.If the durian has the distinc aroma,then it is the ripen one.
Opening the durian is a thorny business.Use a thick cloth or some old newspaper to protect your hand,hold down the durian on the floor,cut off the tip at the bottom of the fruit.At the freshly cut part can be seen clear lines indicating the internal partitions of the fruit.
Following the directions indicated by the thin lines,cut along outer skin of the durian,use a sharpened stick to pierce at the bottom of the fruit and ply it open.The yellowish,soft,fragant seeds will be exposed,making your saliva drip. If a durian can not be opened easily even following the given steps then the fruit is not yet ripen.