Durian
 

Tried this Durian fruit I had read so much about while in Thailand. Supposedly a very stinky fruit, so much so, that some of the hotels we stayed in had signs of the fruit and stated it was not to be brought into the hotel.

My impressions:

Not that stinky, but mine was mildly refrigerated.

Creamy, custard would be a good description of the texture.

Taste for me was neither good or bad just different. The price on the other hand was IMO way too much to pay for the fruit. 400B ($10) for fruit in Thailand is an obscene price.

Anybody else's experiences?

On my recent trip to Singapore, I noticed the same type of sign in the metro stations, a pitcure of the Durian fruit with a red circle and slash through it.

One of the friends that I went to visit, who is Singaporian, insisted that I try a wonderful Singaporian dessert that was made with Durian, but after one whiff and one bite, I just couldn't do it, the smell was too intense as was the flavor. I think I'm pretty open to trying different types of foods like the Fruit Bat I had in Seychelles, but Durian was too much. I hope I didn't offend my host too much.

just curious, how was the bat prepared and did you know it was bat before you tried it?

I had read about Fruit Bat being a local dish during my research for the trip, so I just had to try it. It tasted like lamb, which I am not a huge fan. It was prepared in curry sauce, typical of Seychelle cuisine.

I strongly prefer durian (yay!) to mango (ugh!).

Was weaned on durian as "durian ice cream" (most vanilla with durian bits in it) at Thai restaurants in the States. Had the real thing on a couple of visits to SE Asia. It's an acquired taste I suppose, but I love the stuff!

As a joke, my ex and I brought a tin of "durian wafers" to our hosts on a trip to Athens. One could very faintly smell the durian through the sealed tin. Once opened, neither the parents nor the kids, nor the housekeeper, would go near them! The dog RAN AWAY!

[This message has been edited by Points Scrounger (edited 02-03-2002).]

The smell is worse than the taste, which is not bad actually. And seems to me that the opened edible portion is not as smelly as the whole fruit. I'm not to the point of being a durian lover, however.

The smell is pretty much gone if eaten in ice cream or pudding.

The whole fruit, frozen, can also be found in the Bay Area at some of the Asian supermarkets such as Ranch 99. There is no discernible smell from the frozen fruit. I haven't bought any frozen ones (as I tell my wife, why buy frozen when I could eat fresh in Singapore... where they grade them...if I wanted), but have been told that the fruit may be mushy upon defrosting.

I've often waited for my wife near durian in fruitstands in SF Chinatown and have heard tourists guess it was pineapple, coconut, etc., anything but durian, or its other name, King of Fruits.

I have found that people either love or hate durian, with virtually no middle ground. Fortunately I am in the former category. I have never had durian in the US, only in Thailand, but I understand that the USDA permits it to be grown in the US. Apparently, it was 'test grown' in Mexico, for about 10 years, with no ill effects on surrounding crops. Now, it can be legally brought into the US (after being declared, and possibly inspected).

Sadly, fruits such as mangosteen are presently banned in the US, as they have yet to be subjected to, and/or pass, the Mexico test.

For me, it smells like spoil trash sitting outside on a very hot day. Although, my husband loves it so I do buy it at the Asian grocery for him, but ask that he would eat it in our back patio. It's actually gone down in prices .79 cents/lb. But it still cost me about $10 to $15 for one whole fruit. It's the shell that's about 3/4 of the weight.

I couldn't try it, even if I have to hold my nose to try it. YUK!

It is one of my favourite fruit..

Mmmm.... When ever I go to Asia during the season, I always buy one to bring back to hotel room. If I stay in mid-level+ hotel, I need to be very careful about it but I once hid the Dorian in the safety box to contain the smell... But I love them http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

I couldn't agree more! I just don't like it, whether it's cake, ice cream, sweets or the real thing. Unfortunately, living in Asia means no way around it, and every once in a while someone would try to smuggle durian cake to the office, on the train or ferry. My company recently organized a one-day "Durian Galore" shopping trip to Malaysia... my worst nightmare come true! http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

Actually, there are a lot of durian-flavored foods available in Asia, such as ice cream, chips, and even (only saw it once up in Laos) coffee. Why can't Hersheys make Durian Chocolate? I, for one, would line up to buy it!

And then there was the time I was all ready to go, SIN-HKG, with a middle row all to myself in the back, when the guy in front of me stashes some fresh durian in a plastic bag in the overhead.

The Chinese FA used Advanced Durian Detection methods (her nose, in passing by) and had the ground staff get rid of it.

My daughter and I eat durian ice cream just to pull my wife's chain.
Rich

Durian Fruit
 

I was watching a tv show this morning, and was intriguied to see a "Durian Fruit banned' sign on an airport door. Googling tells me it is due to the smell - is it really that bad? Do they taste good despite the smell? And the $64,000 question, can you buy them in Toronto does anyone know? I am curious to try one!

I'm sure you can buy them in Toronto. They are generally stocked by Korean supermarkets (H-Mart, Grand Mart, Pat-Mart etc.). I'm sure there is one of the Marts in Toronto if I remember correctly.

I've never tried it, but see it all the time around the Korean supermarkets here in DC.

Andrew Zimmern, the Bizarre Foods guy on TV who eats just about anything, spit out durian when he tried it. Google his name and durian; you can probably see the episode somewhere online.