Not all durians are equal. In Singapore, they put different criteria and price them accordingly. A good one can go more than $25 per kg.

It's beyond me why people would pay money to buy something that smells like a cross between decomposing flesh and vomit.

Lol - in my case, just to try it!

A poster kindly PMd me where I can try, so will give it a go when I get the time to walk up there.

Thanks all - I am looking forward to / dreading in equal measure!

Thanks for blowing my cover. :p

Like all other fruits it has to eaten at its prime. Just ripe off the tree.

The best are the one that fell off the tree overnight. In SIN KUL BKK these command a premium.
Durian farm hang fishing nets about 4-6 feet off the ground tied to the tres and stakes. Every morning they will pick up the ripen fruits that has fallen off the tree onto these nets.

Frozen Durian, whole or just the seeds, forget about it.

There is a fruit-stand in old Toronto Chinatown who import their fresh Asian exotic fruit by air. It is the only place that I know it is never frozen around Toronto. I wait for my SE Asia trips to get a real fix and when I am in Durian withdraw, that stand will do.

You outed yourself on that one!

I needed to help everyone understand my favorite fruit and not mistreat it due to misunderstanding.

I think the best way to get introduced to durian is the Thai dessert which tops it on sweet sticky rice. The rice cuts the overrich durian flesh.

I used to eat Durian a bit but not too much when I lived in Chinatown in NYC... definitely an aquired smell, but the taste was superb.

And yeah, the subway signs in SIN are hiarious. :D

Love Durians!
There are lots of varieties nowadays and some types go for top dollar.

Might still be durian season now.
Started just over a month ago, i think.

I like the "mao shan wang"(cat mountain king) variety.

My wife tried durian a few years back in Thailand. We were talking about it at a floating market. A family walked by with it and overheard of us chatting. They were eating it and offered my wife a taste. Based on the face she made, we can say that she did not enjoy the durian!

Eating one right now...
THE BEST!

Couple of pointers:

1) IME the roundest ones seem to be the best for maximum edible-fruit to overall-weight ratio. The flat ones should be avoided, as they tend to have less of the good stuff. Is this even true, or just a misguided observation on my part?
2) Supposedly not good if consumed with alcohol because of its Diethyl Disulfide content.
3) Drove it back from the store in the boot. Made the whole car smell within minutes. What can you do? It's the price of admission! :)

In Beijing they can cost about ~RMB25 per 500gr, which works out to be about US$15 per nice sized one. (I have paid double that though, on the odd occasion!).

6.5 years later, Durian remains stinky! :p

Amusing, if only because alcohol isn't good for us anyway...

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to have ackee and cassava.

I have never tasted a durian. However a colleague just returned from a trip to Asia, Malaysia IIRC. He brought back a box of durian cookies and offered them around the office. I held off a couple days and took a bite this morning. I told him if I sprinkled sugar on a cat's behind and took a lick, it might taste like that cookie. He said durian itself tastes like a cat's behind without the sugar. I cannot rid my palate of the flavor.

Absolutely love Druian. It's the most delicious of fruits. I just love the creamy texture.

Some call me weird, but I actually find the smell strangely pleasant too.

If only there weren't so expensive!