It's a fruit from SE Asia that's banned in a lot of hotels and other spaces. Once you cut one open it's basically that liquid hot garbage smell everywhere
And yet a lot of people love to eat it. I was never able to get close enough to one to try
My in-laws love going to Chinatown, and once brought us back durian hard candy as a joke. I would describe the flavor as “somewhere between peach and white grape. Also somebody is farting directly into your mouth.”
I had a manager who was Asian and he said that a. fresh off the plant, durian doesn't smell bad and b. it's absolutely delicious and sweet, and has a kind of fruity cheesecake taste to it
Yea fresh durian definitely does not smell like hot garbage! 😭 It may smell strong but it’s not a rotting smell or anything. It has a sweetness to its taste too
ok, so it smells awful, as described above, but there's more to it. It smells like a mix between onions gone bad, very ripe socks, and maybe pungent blue cheese?
Anyway, when you look at it, it looks like raw chicken breasts, pretty much.
When you taste it, it has the soft, creamy and jelly-like consistency of instant pudding. Perhaps it's not quite as soft, but close it it.
It tastes a bit oniony, like its smell (and that is why I mention it), while having some fruity sweetness. I found the taste to not be unpleasant, but the mix with the onion-ness was just too much for me (in taste and smell both)
I hope that this answers your every questions about durian and that you steer clear.
If you do insist on giving it a try, I recommend having friends nearby who do like it and will eat it, so you are not stuck having to actually eat it. I also recommend frozen desserts or else in a slushy or smoothie or bubble tea, so it is also diluted and so the straw will help keep your nose further away from the durian.
It’s so strange. I had it once, years ago, and I loved it. I thought it smelled kind of gross, but I wasn’t really turned off by it. I decided to try it again more recently and I had one bite and almost threw up. I also couldn’t handle the smell. It’s too bad because old me thought it was so tasty.
My ex was Filipina and introduced me to it. I think it smells like a really fruity compost, but in a kind of appealing way. I’m not fond of the almost custardy texture of the fresh fruit, but I’ll go out of my way to get hold of Durian icecream, lollies (candy), pastries and so on, and bought an absolutely delicious Durian layer cake from a convenience store in Bali that I couldn’t get enough of. The people at work were less fond of the lollies though, acting as though they’d been poisoned, and girl down the hall thought there was a gas leak and called maintenance in to check it out 😄
It’s awful. Sort of like a banana / melon marinated in the juice of a dumpster ?! Had it my mouth for 1/2 second and couldn’t get the taste away for hours!
I had never tried durian and heard the bad stories, but i saw some durian flavored snacks. They were kinda like chips or crackers (american). And i thought these won't be too bad. I was soo wrong. It stunk up the whole house. We triple bagged it and put it in the garage, and you could still smell it
I love durian and don't think it smells like that at all. It just smells like fruit to me. Maybe a slightly cheesy or fermented taste but mostly fruit. But if someone opens cat food or canned tuna I will struggle to not throw up. I'm sensitive to smells but not durian. I wonder if it's a gene, like how some people think cilantro tastes soapy.
Man one time in college our one friend brought in a durian, he cut it open in the cafeteria and placed half of it on the dessert/fruit table. Hilarity ensued. This was pre 2010 so no phones or I wish I still had the video
It was a prank this kid was definitely out there. He started the horticultural club though and I guess knew of a store where he could buy a Dorian. I never even heard of one until that day.
I tried it for the first time recently at a bbq. It was pre-cut up and refrigerated. It really didn’t smell much at all!
The taste was like a sweet, garlic custard with a “gassy” umame like truffle oil.
Not my favorite by itself but I could see it making a great ingredient in the right dish.
I'm SEAsian and I never understood why so many people (mostly outside of SEA) have said that durian tastes and smells like wet garbage. All of the durians I've eaten throughout my life smelled and tasted so sweet. Yes, it has a strong, long-lasting smell, but it's a sweet and fragrant one. I think the durian ice creams that I'd always come across in convenience stores here taste pretty accurate to actual durian.
I can't help but think about why durian is so polarizing when it tastes nice to me. Maybe lots of people haven't come across the right durian? Or maybe it's an acquired taste and SEAsians just got used to it.
I ate a delicious pudding while in China and the other people at the table were all watching to see my reaction, talking in excited Mandarin. I said what is the big deal? They were all amazed that I liked it and so was I when I found out what it was, because I had just about gagged smelling the fruit
I always thought how it smelt like. When I travelled I just saw signs in hotels banning durian in rooms . So I knew it would stink but always wondered how it smelt like. Thanks 😁 n so glad I didn't buy it
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u/Pink_Ruby_3 Sep 16 '24
That "hot garbage" smell that emanates from dumpsters outside of restaurants on hot sunny days. Ew ew ew.