World’s Smallest Durian

How small do you think the World’s Smallest Durian is? Well, on one of my many trips to Sabah Borneo, I encountered one of the local durians at a small market town called Pekan Nabalu, which is the village just before Mount Kinabalu.

It is here, that I spotted a baby durian, which I felt was the world’s smallest durian. Just take a look at the photo, compared to a standard packet of smokes.

To be honest, I am yet to see something smaller than this, which is of course ripe and ready to eat.

This cute baby durian cost me only RM2.00 when I bought this from one of the local vendors at the Nabalu market. Thinking that the seed would be super small, I was shocked to see the contents after opening it.

The size of the durian content was comparable to any other durian, and the flesh was equally as bid as the others, so this really shocked me.

The million-dollar question, how was the taste?

Honestly, It tasted really unique, unlike the common durians that are found all over Malaysia and around Southeast Asia. The flesh was medium-soft, a little sweet but not too flavorful. Just nice if you ask me.

Various ‘Kampung’ Sabah durians sold at Nabalu

The durians at Pekan Nabalu in Sabah come from the jungles around Kinabalu and the Ranau area, hence it is known as a highland type of durian. Locals call this ‘Durian Kampung’ or village Durians, which is of course seasonal.

For anyone heading up to Mount Kinabalu or Kinabalu National Park, the village is on the left side and hard to miss.

It is called Pekan Nabalu where you can find all types of Sabahan souvenirs, some handmade craft and a lot of local fruits being sold here.

During the durian season in Sabah, which is usually at the end of the year, you will find many different species, including the very unique and famous ‘Dalit‘ or Red Durians.

They are also called Durian Sukang or Durian Tabelak. These are highly sought after as many locals use the red durians to cook.

If you have experienced eating durians before, this is something definitely worth trying as it will let you experience what real or traditional durians taste like.

But for novelty purpose, nothing beats trying the world’s smallest durian, or even taking a selfie holding it.