What's a Durian?

So what is durian and why do restaurants ban it? Okay, in response to the inquiring minds who have never ventured to Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, or Singapore to try it, durian is a sulphorous, nutritious spiny tree-fruit that inspires love or hate in its eaters. Durian smells like ripe old tennis shoes; it smells like the stinkiest of European cheeses, like limburger, or liederkranz, and therein lies its appeal or its notoriety. Personally, I don't eat durian, and the sign in my last post came from a vegetarian restaurant in Singapore, that bans durian from its premises because it only takes one to stink up the premises and cause durian-hating patrons to complain. Some folks love it and can't get enough of it. Durian addiction is not uncommon. Oh, does it smell! All you've wanted to know about durian!

Here is Mr. Tru Chung beating the monkeys and the wild pigs to some windfall durian on our property in Malaysia. In fact these fruit fell before they were ripe, otherwise the feral pigs, wild monkeys, rats and local dogs would have gobbled them down already. When durian season rolls around the smell of the ripe fruit covers the hills.

Comments

[Yoo-Mi]

We don't get durian in India (although I had a marathon durian, rambutan and mangosteen eating session in the Philippines many years ago), but jackfruit is almost as smelly.

[Edward Irons]

Eating durian - gestatory samadhi.

[Sabio Lantz]

I like the taste good enough, but it smells horrible. But the horrible smell is seasonal and thus has its own allure.

[Woodworking Book]

I've experienced Durian and I agree the smell is not great, I enjoyed the taste though.

[Marc]

Eeew
I remember staying in a hotel in Thailand and the room absolutely stank! The guest before had been eating durian. That smell relly lingers.

[terri]

One of my besty Vietnamese friends in Orange County fed me jackfruit. I was aghast when her little girl commented about how it makes every one fart. I love how those people just say it how it is. LOL.