The King of Fruits is in season now and Durian connoisseurs in Singapore 🇸🇬 are crowding the stalls and shops all over the island nation hunting for the heavenly smelling fruit. For most of them, they are there for the Mao Shan Wang (MSW) or 猫山王, also known as the Musang King. Its original clone identity is D197 but having a catchy name tag to it make it far more attractive, not that it isn’t already so. Why call it Mao Shan Wang which literally translates to Cat Mountain King? Well, the mountain where the MSW durians originated is home to many civet cats or Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus).
My brother brought over three boxes of Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durians which is currently retailing at S$12 per kilogram (thorny shells included) due to the bountiful harvest. Why are people so passionate over it? Nothing triumphs like the Mao Shan Wang because they are the creamiest, richest, most buttery and bittersweet durians compared to all other durian varieties. MSW balances just the right profile of bitterness and sweetness. Even the seeds are small and flat which mean more flesh to seed ration.
Topmost image from here.