I’ve always been intrigued by the Durian, a gigantic spiky smelly fruit from southeast asia. You can get them at the local asian markets, but I’ve always been afraid to try one because I don’t know how to choose a good one. Yes, I know some people might say that they are all bad. But I’m interested, I like cheeses and custards, so I imagine I might like durian. I believe the ones we get here have been frozen, so perhaps they really aren’t worthwile at all, and I should wait until I travel to SE asia someday.
Also, would it be worth it to try some of the durian flavored sweets available? I have no idea what durian taste is like, would that give me a vague idea, or would it be like tasting grape soda to find out if I like grapes?
So, does anybody out there have the straight dope on Durian?
Well, I understand that durian is a sophisticated taste, not for the faint of heart, but that people who like it really like it.
Thanks for the link, Arnold. You know, someday I’m going to have to search for what I want rather than making the rest of the dopers do it…
Now, all you who have commented on the smell of the fabled durian. Yes, I’ve heard all the rumors. But the durians at the local asian markets don’t have a very strong smell, perhaps because they have been previously frozen, or are under-ripe, or perhaps because they’ve passed their prime. But I imagine an over-ripe durian would have an even stronger smell, not a weaker smell. What I want to hear from is someone who has actually had one, either here in the US or over in SE asia.
I’ve eaten fresh durian (and durian candies and durian ice cream). It tasted better than it smells. But I didn’t care much for the taste. It’s sort of a bland, sweet taste. It doesn’t taste anything like it smells.
What is interesting about the smell is that (1) it’s no worse close up than at a distance (considering how bad it is at a distance, if it were worse close up you would probably faint when you tried to cut one up), and (2) you don’t seem to get habituated to the smell. I once smuggled one into my hotel room wrapped in plastic inside a paper bag. I stuck it in the bathroom under a towel and closed the door. I could still smell it. And ten minutes later I could still smell it. And hours later I could still smell it. To me, it doesn’t smell like “shit” but smells more like like baby shit.
As for how to select a good one. I suggest waiting near the durian section of the Asian market until you see a maternal-looking Thai lady checking them out as though she knows what she is doing. Ask her to pick one out for you.
Has anyone else noticed that in general, appreciation for the Durian’s (Nerf football from hell) special taste seems to run along gender lines? I’ve even found this to be generally true among Asian folks n friends. Weird. Any reason why?
FWIW I’ve always found the taste to be quite reminiscent of food cooked over a butane lighter. I don’t think it is an ‘acquired’ thing - I’ve tried it on several occasions.
Had some experience in Singapore. You may have something with the gender bias, I never saw a woman east one, and everyone I talked to said she made her husband sleep in another room after doing so. Bob said he had durian JAM once, I can’t imagine the smell of hot durian…
I believe the ones here are frozen, most shippers won’t ship them fresh as you can’t get the smell out of the plane afterwards.
I like them, and there’s some on a friend’s farm. There are two main types: white and gold, the latter being stronger and sweeter tasting. To pick 'em when fresh, look for the thick skin starting to crack. Depending where you are, you might only get them shipped frozen, which makes it tougher to pick out, but basically look for those whose spikes are spaced further apart, and the tip should look golden colored compared to the rest of the fruit.
I’ve never heard the fragrance of durian described as “like shit.” I would say durian has the aroma of carrion, but “like shit?” That’s just scatterbrained (ha). We had a few in my kitchen last week, nobody died or anything, but I did insist that they were eaten under the exhaust hood. I’ve found some people just can’t smell anything from the durian, and others hide their face and weep. Figurado!
There is purportedly some aphrodisiac effect which might explain some of the attraction, not that I’ve ever had the strength of heart and nose to find out. There is an old Malay saying “when the durians come out of the trees, the girls come out of the sarongs.” Sari, but that’s what they say.
The durian you find here is no where near as fresh and thusly not as fragrant as you would find in Southeast Asia. I think that is a function of storage and transport, sure we can ship berries half way 'round the world and still preserve a lot of the fragrance, but I doubt durian gets the same care and handling. I consider that a kindness.
I’ve heard that eating durian in Singapore is prohibited, which surprises me little, almost everything is prohibited in S’pore. They call durian “The King of Fruits” and no wonder, at their ransom, they ought to have some sort of royal blood. Expect a durian to weigh about 15 pounds, and the cost could be easily five bucks per. Good luck, and good eatin’
Durian eating forbidden in Singapore?
I think not.
I was once in a market there, at the height of Durian season, every vendor for days was selling only Durian. 3 for $20, 4 for $40, 2 for $14. And I accompanied a friend as she compared every offering. I didn’t learn a lot about how to pick a fruit but it was sure a sight.
What’s forbidden, is in many 5 star hotels in Singapore, there are beautiful brass plaques in the lobby which say, ‘No Durian’, this means in the hotel (where there are plenty sensitive white folk). Usually beneath that sign is one that says, ‘No Spitting’ (important during Ramadan, which begins today, happy all!).
Wait around until an old lady/gentlemen starts going through them.
Ask them for help.
End up in baffled frustration because said older person speaks no english.
The other potential strategy is just put on the blindfold and pick at semi-random (but following the written advice).
I’d like to know if the practice of freezing the durian ruins it, mellows it, degrades it slightly, or what? The ones at the market I’ve gone to don’t seem to have any smell at all except a vaguely vegetable smell that any thick-hulled fruit might have. Or could it be that I’m immune to the smell?
Lemur866 “4. End up in baffled frustration because said older person speaks no english.”
No, no. You’d be missing all the fun. If they don’t speak English you get to try to convey to them, by facial expression and gestures, the fact that you want a GOOD durian, not a BAD durian, and you are completely ignorant of the difference and hoping they can help you out.
You guys who diss durian, I feel sorry for you, you don’t know what bliss you’re missing. There is nothing on earth like the durian.
The secret to not minding the aroma is: Eat it. Once you take a bite, you don’t smell it any more. The taste is heavenly. It gives you a rush of energy that is unlike any other sensation I’ve ever experienced. This energy rush can be turned to aphrodisiac purposes, if you’re in the mood.
BTW the Malay proverb says, “When the durians come down, the sarongs go up.”
I miss them so much. I haven’t been to Malaysia for over 4 years, but I can still savor them in my memory. They must be fresh. The processed products are of no interest. I don’t know how much freezing would detract from their goodness.
On my first day in Kuala Lumpur, I went out on the street and purchased half a dozen durians all at once. I tried to bring them in the hotel, but was stopped at the door. Inexplicably, they then relented and said I could bring it in as long as I took the pulp out of the husks. So I found a container, shucked all the fruit, and stashed it in my room’s refrigerator. Went out. On my way back up, you could smell my floor even before the elevator door opened–and my room was way down the hall! We all pigged out on durians until we went into a stupor.
