# What does durian taste like?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 13, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122 "2009-12-13T18:26:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122/21 "2009-12-15T19:49:08Z")

</div>

> [@elbows](#):
>
> Check the freezer of an Asian grocery, that’s where I’ve seen them in my town.

Seconded. I tried some from a Thai grocery in Des Moines. The freezing seems to minimize the odor. It tasted sort of like sweet, oniony custard. Not something I’d pick out again, but I didn’t spit it out either.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122/22 "2009-12-16T02:33:59Z")

</div>

Very very oniony and kinda like sour/acidic tastes…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122/23 "2009-12-16T08:11:42Z")

</div>

> [@ToeJam](#):
>
> Very very oniony and kinda like sour/acidic tastes…

Ooooo sour is good! Depends though. I believe I’m probably whatever you call the opposite of a supertaster (e.g. candies can’t be sour enough and an adequate hot sauce leaves my mouth on fire) but my sense of smell is pretty acute so for me the aroma component of a given flavor is more important than the actual taste. I guess given the consensus here of oniony custard/banana that’s probably about what I can expect. Which is a bit of a relief since I’ve heard that it smells/tastes like feet or worse.

Thanks everyone! 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122/24 "2009-12-16T08:52:45Z")

</div>

I think it smells like spoiled meat. I had a colleague in Indonesia who would bring it to the office regularly.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122/25 "2009-12-16T13:58:25Z")

</div>

A friend of mine went to the far east to give a talk, and when he got back he told us all about durian.  
One week he brought some to potluck at church: several people coming downstairs commented that there must be a gas leak. Indeed, it smelled exactly like **Fritz** says, the stink in natural gas.

He said that hotels there had signs forbidding bringing durian into the rooms.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-durian-taste-like/521122.md?page=1)