There is no doubt that the Mao Shan Wang or Musang King is the most popular and also most prized of all durians now. (The Mao Shan Wang is named after its place of origin, which is Gua Musang town in Kelantan, Malaysia.)
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The texture of thick Mao Shan Wang flesh is rich and creamy like a toasted marshmallow. On the palate, Mao Shan Wang flesh tastes slightly bitter with sweet notes. On the nose, its aroma is sweet and mildly pungent without being overpowering.
- The Mao Shan Wang seed is flat and quite small.
- Mao Shan Wang thorns are like small pyramids with flat angular sides unlike some other durians with conical thorns.
- The thorns converge at the base of the stem forming a ring around it.
- The Mao Shan Wang is oval shaped like an egg or sometimes even a pear but never round like a bowling ball.
- There is a characteristic 5-arm “starfish” at the base of the Mao Shan Wang. The thin, longish arms warp the base of the durian and run up to the middle of the shell as if it is trying to hold it together tightly.