TEXT: WONG AH YOKE ILLUSTRATIONS: CEL GULAPA SUNDAY TIMES GRAPHICS: SALLY LAM Black Gold This is a name coined for more premium Mao Shan Wang, with its characteristic thick and creamy flesh and balance of sweet and bitter flavours. There are greyish seams running down the flesh. Lipan This elongated durian has pale yellow creamy flesh with a sweet flavour. Capri Its flesh is very pale or almost white in colour. The taste is very bitter and the texture soft and a bit wet. D13 The flesh is deep yellow and tastes mildly sweet and not bitter. The seeds are usually rather big. Black Pearl or Tai Yuan Oval with thin thorns, with pale greyish-yellow flesh and small, pearl-like seeds. It is creamy with a slight bitterness and milky aftertaste. Green Bamboo or Tekka Elongated husk with thin thorns and brownish-yellow flesh. It goes from bitter to sweet and ends with a bitter aftertaste. There is also a metallic undertone. Golden Phoenix Round with light green to greyish thorns, with a cluster of small ones at the bottom. Its pale yellow flesh has a floral fragrance and bittersweet taste. Mao Shan Wang Light green with thick and short thorns, distinguished by a star-shaped pattern at the bottom with a bald patch. Its buttery yellow flesh is creamy and fibreless, with a bittersweet ending. King of Kings This is a top-grade Mao Shan Wang that comes from old trees in Malaysia, supposedly from the Gua Musang area where the varietal originated from. The yellow flesh is creamy with a sweet-bitter taste and the seeds are small. Tupai King The yellow pulp of the roundish fruit is buttery and syrupy, with an alcoholic note. Kunpo The pulp of the oblong-shaped fruit is orange and has a dry texture, with a mild and sweet flavour. XO (Johor) This has pale yellow flesh that is creamy and bitter. It is not to be confused with Pahang XO, which is a premium grade of D24. TSW The name stands for Tai Shang Wang, which is a Chinese term for a king’s living father. It is another premium version of Mao Shan Wang that is similar to King of Kings. Apparently, the name is coined by Singapore sellers to denote a higher grade. Black Thorn Elongated yellowish husk with blackish thorn tips. Its burnt-orange flesh is thick and smooth, with a floral sweetness. Tawa Oblong with large thorns, with a characteristic depression at the bottom. Its milky yellow flesh is fibreless and bittersweet. The wetter ones are more bitter. Durian lovers are in for a treat as the annual main durian season has kicked off and will last till early September. Here is a guide on the varietals sold in Singapore Red Prawn or Ang Hae Elongated with short and thick thorns. The flesh is custardy and smooth, with a good balance of sweetness and bitterness. D24 or Sultan Popular in the 1990s before Mao Shan Wang came along, this has pale yellow flesh with a sweet and bitter flavour. decoded