Frozen Durian
Friends, have you heard of The Fruit, The Legend, The Stench that is The Durian?
Of maybe you’re already acquainted, pleasantly or otherwise, with this Southeast Asian item allegedly known as the King of Fruits?
This fruit’s nickname may be earned in part because of its hard and pricky rind, sure, but you can’t really have a discussion about durian without mentioning how much it reeks.
Alas, you won’t be seeing the innards of the several-pounds durian I photographed at the market. Why not? I don’t have a proper knife to carve into one. Yep, that’s my excuse and I’m stickin’ to it. What you will see are photos of a frozen package of durian. Easy way out? Heck yeah.
The shrink-wrapped package contained five seedless pieces.
Here they are, thawed.
So innocent looking, aye?
But it’s hardly innocent. Oh, no. Once you cut into one of these babies or unwrap a frozen package of seedless pieces, you’re going to be assaulted by a foul odor akin to ripe, dirty socks. The smell of a durian can be so offensive that it is supposedly banned in some public areas of Asia. (Does anyone have first-hand knowledge or experience of/with this? Please do share.)
Enough about its smell. The creamy flesh of a durian tastes mostly like custard with an underlying almond flavor. It can be an aquired taste, and I see this fruit as being something you like or don’t. I happen to like it, but it did take a while for me to reach that conclusion. If you want to acquaint yourself with the flavor before jumping in with a whole one or frozen package, there are several durian-flavored items out there. I’ve had durian wafers and popsicles bought from Asian markets, and consumed durian ice cream and shakes at Asian restaurants.
What’s your experience with durian? Love it? Hate it? Thanks but no thanks?
I live in Indonesia and have tried durian once (never again!) and smelled it on countless occasions! I can’t get past the smell to taste the supposedly-delicious taste.
My family has visited Singapore on several occasions and I know that in the airport there are signs forbidding durian. So yes, it is true!
If I’m not wrong, you can’t bring durians on board the buses and subway trains in Singapore. Haha!
I never had Durian and I always wanted to try it. Next time I go to the asian grocery store (they have been remodelling it slowly and there’s been construction so getting there was a pain in the behind, I hope to go today) and maybe get some Durian flavored something. I always been afraid of buying it frozen because I don’t like to waste food.
It’s the one thing that Andrew Zimmern couldn’t handle. If he can’t take it, neither can I. Anthony Bourdain, on the other hand, supposedly loves it and was seen eating one on an episode of his travel show. *shrug* I just don’t think I’m brave enough.
The last two pictures makes me want to give it another try. Custard and almond, eh? (If only the smell wasn’t so overpowering!) I had the frozen kind once (a really small piece b/c I was so hesitant) and thought it tasted like its smell (probably because you just can’t ignore it!) I thought it sort of tasted like coffee. But then it had been defrosted and frozen again a couple of times. (Probably a bad idea.)
Junglewife: Yeah, the smell is a big hurdle. I have two pieces in a Tupperware container right now, and each time I open the fridge I am hit with the smell. Even when the fridge has been opened for just a few seconds, the scent lingers in the air for several minutes. Anyway, thanks for the Singapore airport ban tidbit!
Jac: I’ll bet there are many, many people grateful for that policy. Not pleasant to be stuck in an enclosed space like a bus or subway train with that kind of smell! (Or any kind of foul odor, really.)
Sonya: You could try something from the market like these Durian Cream Wafers. Not too big of an investment, then.
Shelly: I didn’t know about the Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain segments, so thanks for telling me. I found the Andrew one on YouTube. Love his reaction!
I think that Malaysia also has the same thing about the fruit but can’t remember. I don’t like it. Smells too badly. My parents love the stuff. Blech. And a neighbor just asked me to find durian ice cream but on my last trip to 99 Ranch, I couldn’t.
Slammie: I think it’s kind of hilarious that your neighbor asked you to get durian ice cream. What happened to milk, bread, or sugar? But you were going to an Asian market, so…
I love that fruit. Growing up in Vietnam it was always a treat to have it. It was quite expensive and sold by weight (kilogram); and you would have to paid for the hard and spiky grind and all. My mother was an expert picking duran. If you don’t know how you could end up with a fruit that contains only couple innards. Have you ever tasted the Duran-flavor sticky rice? Yummy.
Asian Aisle:
I got some wafer flavored Durian… there was a hint of weird flavour but all I could taste really was coconut… Then I tried again this time I ate the wafer rapidly to have the whole wafer in my mouth. And I got the coconut (they are coconut based I think) then a custardy mix of what I could call fruits… then.. GREEN ONIONS O.o;;; what a weird experience.
will try and find out if the have frozen Durian next time.
Chau: The whole ones are sold by the pound here in America, too, usually around a dollar something per pound. Now that you mentioned it, I think I have tried durian-flavored sticky rice bought from a Vietnamese deli.
Sonya: That does sound like an interesting flavor experience (I can see how you got the green-onion taste). It sounds like it wasn’t a traumatic enough experiment to dissuade you from trying durian again in another form. Thanks for following-up and sharing your durian experience—I’m always curious if a reader has tried something because of one of my posts.
I’ve never liked the smell and taste of durian, but my husband loves it. True story: at work one day, he unwrapped a durian crepe (very strong smell), and as he bit into it, one of his colleagues got up and started panicking, thinking that he smelled a gas leak. Of course, it wasn’t a gas leak, it was my husband’s durian crepe!!
Cynthia: Love your husband’s colleague’s reaction! Ah, the potency of The Durian.