Lorong Lew Lian durian tastes like 'potato', says woman who actually ate it before

Durians are growing in abundance on durian trees in Lorong Lew Lian in Serangoon this season.

So far, 30 durians have fallen to the ground over the past two weeks, residents told Lianhe Zaobao.

The ripened spiky tropical fruit has brought many people from the estate and beyond to the foot of Block 5 Lorong Lew Lian to catch a glimpse of what nature has to offer, given that such durian trees are rare and visually "striking".

Some of the 13 mature durian trees in the estate are four to five storeys high.

The durian trees were planted in 1995.

About 10 passers-by stopped to observe the durians, and some senior citizens at the void deck next to a tree appeared to be waiting for durians to fall, based on what Zaobao observed.

Tastes like potato: Resident

A woman, who has lived in the area for 12 years, said she previously picked up and tasted a fallen durian in June 2017.

She had been curious about the taste of wild durian and immediately took it home to try.

She said: "Yes, I picked up one time, but the durian is like really not nice. Eh, potato taste. It's not sweet at all, just like very dry."

Another woman living nearby said: "I'd only ever noticed the durian trees in bloom before, but this year the fruit seems particularly plentiful."

She added that this was "quite novel".

Senior citizens

Even though they are not supposed to pick the durians, it appeared people are still doing it.

A resident in her 50s told Zaobao that the people waiting for durians to fall were mostly senior citizens.

She said they would usually go to the ground floor of the block in the early morning or after dinner and chat as they waited.

"Picking durians also depends on luck," she said, adding that those who go out early and come back late are more likely to get durians that have fallen in the middle of the night.

"Some will cut off the fruits hanging on the lower branches in order to eat the durians," she said.

She added: "These durians haven't fallen naturally yet, which means they are not ripe, and the taste and texture will be less than ideal."

Zaobao reported that a resident who has lived in the area for 25 years was excited and took pictures of the durian trees from various angles.

She said: "Every time I see the branches laden with fruit, I feel very happy, as if I have returned to the time when I played under the durian trees in the kampung village when I was a child."

Senior citizens travel to Lorong Lew Lian

A 58-year-old man living in Sengkang, who visited the site after reading Zaobao's earlier report, grew up in a kampung and had not seen durian trees bearing fruit for a long time.

He said: "Many young people have never seen durian trees, let alone branches laden with fruit. The government should consider preserving these trees; I believe they can play an educational role."

A 71-year-old retiree from Bukit Batok also went to see the durian trees after learning about them from Zaobao's report.

He said he would not try to pick the durians as that is illegal and could result in a fine.

"Lorong Lew Lian" name derived from Hokkien word for durian

Responding to Zaobao's queries, the town council said the name "Lorong Lew Lian" comes from the Hokkien word for "durian".

The area had once been a durian plantation and had a history dating back to the kampung period over 70 years ago, the town council said.

It added that the existing durian trees were previously planted during a tree-planting event in November 1995, as well as during the 2015 celebration of Singapore's 50th year of independence.

According to Zaobao, the town council had previously stated that the trees would be closely monitored during fruit-ripening season for safety reasons and the durians would be removed in advance if necessary to reduce the risk of them falling.

Responding to another of Zaobao's queries in June, the town council said then that it had decided not to remove the durians since many enjoyed the unique sight.

It said it was still evaluating various options and would decide on the most appropriate course of action.

Those who pick or collect fruit in public parks without permission may be fined up to S$5,000.

Those who do so in nature reserves or national parks may be fined up to S$50,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.