a large durian tree with lots of baby durians

Most of those who enjoy durian live in southeastern Asia, where the fruit is indigenous.  The locals here love it with a passion! But even in this part of the world, many people are repelled by the strong “week old dirty socks” odor that emits from this fruit.  Many hotels and public spaces in Asia ban the presence of durian because its strong smell might disturb the unsuspecting public. 

inside a durian

The fruit can grow to be as big  as an irregular shape watermelon, and consists of a spiky greenish brown armour  protecting the delicate pale yellow flesh.  The size, odor, and husk of the fruit earned it the label King of Fruits.

The taste of the pulp is sweet and the texture is consistent with that of avocado or pudding.  I’ve had this fruit many times, both fresh and frozen.  The combination of sweet taste and creamy texture almost puts me at ease when I’m enjoying it.  But one would have to taste it personally to really know if it’s something they’d like.  It definitely is an acquired taste.

If you are not bold enough to dive into a fresh piece of durian flesh, you could work your way up by training yourself first with durian flavoured products such as ice cream or cake.  Both of these contain durian, but their flavours are much lighter and more tolerable than the real fruit.  And once you’ve built up your tolerance, you could then go for the durian shake – a personal favourite of mine.  Durian shakes are offered in almost every Vietnamese restaurant.  Traditionally, sweet condensed milk is added to the shake to give it more flavours.  This cold, sweet, and creamy combination makes for a refreshing beverage!

some supermarkets sell packaged durian

And finally, when you are ready to test your courage against the King, you could look for durians at fruit stands in almost every Chinatown.  If you don’t live near a Chinatown, the local Asian supermarket might carry it.  This wikihow article details how to go about purchasing and preparing it. 

Good luck, and enjoy!

Photo Credits: durian.com, Massa, Yeoh Thean Kheng