# I've eaten durian. Have you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866 "2006-12-20T02:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/1 "2006-12-20T02:39:55Z")
Recently, I’ve had the questionable pleasure of sampling [durian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/durian). This fruit, reputedly tasty but with a terrible odor, tends to highly polarize the experimenters. My Singaporean friends who procured it all loved it, but although I did recognize some merit in the taste, the strangeness and strength of both taste and odor forced me to stop after sampling a small piece. So, what Dopers have tried durian, and what is their verdict? ---
**Author:** ![Fritz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Fritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/2 "2006-12-20T02:42:53Z")
I’ve tried it. To me, it’s nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/3 "2006-12-20T02:44:48Z")
I haven’t, but want to. I wouldn’t know how to choose a fresh, ripe one, though. ---
**Author:** ![the\_chicken\_of\_exeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_chicken\_of\_exeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_chicken_of_exeter)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/4 "2006-12-20T02:47:41Z")
I bought one in Singapore once. The smell put me off so much I chickened out of actually trying it. ---
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/5 "2006-12-20T02:49:59Z")
Yes and it is delicious! If you want to eat it, I suggest getting it directly from the source since the exports are disgusting. But if you can’t leave the country, then at least get it during a hot summer so the flavor will come out more. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/6 "2006-12-20T02:54:20Z")
Yes. I routinely have durian milkshakes with tapioca. It’s good stuff – tastes like creamy sweet onions. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/7 "2006-12-20T02:55:33Z")
My girlfriend (who grew up in the Philippines) and I bought one on a lark, at a local ethnic market. It was frozen solid and a brown-green color. She told me that I would only appreciate the durian if I ate a fresh one (from what I’ve heard, even those are an acquired taste) but since there’s no chance of getting a fresh durian where I am, I figured the frozen one couldn’t be too bad. Hoping that I would try it and turn out to be one of the rare people who likes the fabled fruit, we thawed it out and eventually cut it open. As it turned out, I hated it, and was sorely disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/8 "2006-12-20T02:56:18Z")
There’s got to be a Carl Sagan joke in there somewhere. Stupid spelling. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/9 "2006-12-20T03:13:14Z")
I had some in Penang, Malaysia when I was there on business one time. One of my Malaysian colleagues bought one from a road side stand. Much to my colleague’s and several bystander’s disappointment, I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/10 "2006-12-20T03:14:55Z")
I have. Despite all my body’s natural instincts telling me to stay the hell away, I liked it very much. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/11 "2006-12-20T03:36:11Z")
I like it only in small doses. The taste seems to get stronger and stronger the more I eat. Soon it becomes overpowering. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/12 "2006-12-20T03:46:36Z")
I haven’t, but I’d like to. Does anyone know if it’s possible to score some in Washington, DC? How about in New Orleans? (I’m going there for a vacation shortly). ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/13 "2006-12-20T05:50:55Z")
I’m Malaysian so of course I’ve had it. I like it. Taste, smell, texture…they’re all good. ---
**Author:** ![Schuyler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Schuyler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schuyler)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/14 "2006-12-20T08:35:08Z")
Yep - although I think it’s best in ice cream or smoothies. Straight it can be a bit aromatic, and the texture makes me think of how a squashed grasshopper might feel. If you’re at the Asian market, another good bet is a bunch of [litchi](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lychee.html) (or lychee). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/15 "2006-12-20T08:53:45Z")
No, but I’d like to. It’s unlikely I’ll find them for sale here in blighty though. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/16 "2006-12-20T10:50:42Z")
[quote] How about in New Orleans? [/quotes] I don’t know about New Orleans. But I’ve seen them sold in Houston. I’ve never eaten the fruit directly, but I had a durian smoothie once - sort of a sweetish avocado/onion taste. Interesting but I don’t see it replacing strawberry/banana. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/17 "2006-12-20T14:25:40Z")
I’ve had it, right off the tree. The smell sucked, the taste and texture were ok, but not something I’d hunt out again. I also had jackfruit right off the tree. Holy crap that stuff is sweet. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/18 "2006-12-20T14:59:24Z")
my wife get’s it all the time. I eat some occaisionally. it’s a wierd texture, smell & taste combination. Kinda like a ripe buttery unpasturized soft French cheese (which I generally love). ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/19 "2006-12-20T15:05:26Z")
[QUOTE=yBeayf] Yes. I routinely have durian milkshakes with tapioca. It’s good stuff – tastes like creamy sweet onions. [/QUOTE] This is as I recall it, like a sweet onion dip or yogurt. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866/20 "2006-12-20T15:11:08Z")
Had it when in SE Asia. Hubby loves it, me, not so much. Ice cream and cookies I don’t mind. I was once a the durian market in Singapore, right at the seashore, only durians at every stall. Each for different prices, everyone was shouting, and the smell was heady to say the least. It was my second trip to Asia when I smelt durian for the first time and could really smell the fruity sweetness of it, prior to that it was just stink to me. I always find it amusing that swish hotels often have a beautifully engraved brass placque by the entry politely requesting no durians in the hotel. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-eaten-durian-have-you/384866.md?page=2)