Musang King, also known as Mao Shan Wang () or D197, is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

(cultivated variety) of durian (''

Durio zibethinus ''Durio zibethinus'' is the most common tree species in the genus '' Durio'' that are known as durian and have edible fruit also known as durian. As with most other durian species, the edible flesh emits a distinctive odour that is strong and pe ...

''). Prized for its unusual combination of bitter and sweet flavors, Musang King is the most popular variety of durian in both

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and commands a price premium over other varieties. It is also increasingly popular in China, where it has been dubbed the "

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, wikt:Ἑρμῆς, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelle ...

of durian".

History

Musang King was originally known as Raja Kunyit, meaning "Turmeric King", a reference to the fruit's

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

-colored deep yellow flesh. In the 1980s, a man named Tan Lai Fook from

Raub, Pahang Raub () is a town in Raub District, Pahang, Malaysia. Raub is one of the oldest towns in Pahang. History Raub was explored and founded in the 18th century. It is historically a gold mining settlement, and the gold mining industry is now under ...

stumbled upon a Raja Kunyit durian tree in Gua Musang,

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

. He brought a branch of the tree back to Raub for grafting, and this new breed attracted other cultivators. The cultivar was named after Gua Musang, its place of origin. The Chinese name, literally "Cat Mountain King", may be either a phonetic rendering of ''musang'' or a reference to its Malay meaning, the cat-like

Asian palm civet The Asian palm civet (''Paradoxurus hermaphroditus''), also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad rang ...

. In 2017, Musang King became the first variety of durian to have its genome sequenced. The sequencing showed

upregulation In the biological context of organisms' production of gene products, downregulation is the process by which a cell decreases the quantity of a cellular component, such as RNA or protein, in response to an external stimulus. The complementary proc ...

of pathways related to sulfur,

lipid oxidation Lipid peroxidation is the chain of reactions of oxidative degradation of lipids. It is the process in which free radicals "steal" electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in cell damage. This process proceeds by a free radical chain ...

and ethylene when compared to both other fruits and other durian cultivars like Mon Thong, which correlates with the pungency and stronger perceived taste and smell of the cultivar.

Characteristics

Musang King is known for its buttery, thick, bright yellow flesh and robust flavor, with a hint of bitterness. The husk is dusky green and has a distinctive star shape at the bottom. The thorns are pyramidal and not densely packed.

Gallery

File:D197 - Durian.jpg, A whole Musang King durian File:Singapurreise (133222369).jpeg, Musang King durians for sale in Singapore

References

{{Reflist Durian cultivars Singaporean cuisine Malaysian cuisine