Durian is a tropical fruit known for its distinctive, strong odour, and thorn-covered husk. It is native to Southeast Asia and is popular in many countries in the region, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Durian is often referred to as the "king of fruits".
Durian has been described as the most foul-smelling fruit in the world. Its smell is so pungent that the spiky-skinned, custard-like fruit is banned from public places in Singapore and Malaysia. More on that below.
Those who enjoy durian describe its flavour as a combination of sweet and savoury, with a creamy texture. The taste is subjective, and some people find it delicious, while others find the smell and taste unpleasant, which explains why it was used to symbolise the subjective nature of ugliness and beauty in Hong Kong director Fruit Chan's 2000 film Durian Durian (榴槤飄飄, lau lin piu piu).
In addition to being consumed fresh, durian is also used in various culinary applications, such as in ice cream, pastries, and other desserts. It has a significant cultural and economic impact in the regions where it is grown, and there are even durian festivals celebrating this unique fruit. Durian is a big deal.
But, whatever you do, don’t linger under a durian tree. ), with a spiky outer shell. A durian falling on a person's head can cause serious injuries because the fruit is large (up to 30cm x 15cm, heavy, armed with sharp thorns, and can fall from a significant height. People have died from durian falling on their heads, especially young children. Wearing a hardhat is recommended when collecting the fruit. However, A saying in Malay and Indonesian, durian runtuh, which translates to "getting hit by a durian", is used like the equivalent English phrase “score a windfall gain" … so, go figure.
But back to the smell. Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering and unpleasant. The late chef and author Anthony Bourdain, who actually enjoyed eating the stinky fruit, memorably said that durian tasted “like pungent, runny French cheese”, adding, “Your breath will smell as if you’d been French kissing your dead grandmother.”
And below are some other words we found online from people struggling to describe their olfactory experience with durian. Quite a fruity selection, we think you’ll agree.
- Rotten Onions
- Vomit-flavoured custard
- Turpentine
- Raw Sewage
- Garlic and Caramel
- Overripe Cheese
- Rotting Flesh
- Mouldy Fruit
- Sewer Gas
- Stale Water
- Old Shoe Leather [Ed: Foot related]
- Burnt Rubber
- Rancid Butter
- Sweaty Gym Socks [Ed: Feet again]
- Decaying Animal
- Fishy Undertones
- Garbage Dumpster
- Stinky Feet [Ed: OK, we get the picture]
- Mango on Steroids
- Stale Sulphur
- Ripe Banana with a Hint of Gasoline
What everyone can agree on is that the fruit’s odour, whether pleasant or dreadful, is uncommonly potent. In a 2012 study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a group of scientists from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry attempted to figure out how exactly the fruit produces such a powerful stench. In breaking down aroma extract, taken from Thai durians, with a mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph, the team pinpointed 50 discrete compounds in the fruit responsible for its uncommon aroma. Those compounds included eight that hadn’t been detected in durians before, and four compounds that had been completely unknown to science. Somehow, the combination of these 50 chemicals produces the powerful scent that has entranced and repulsed people the world over.
Even apart from the smell, durians are a scientific marvel. According to a 2009 Japanese study, durian extract strongly inhibits the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), used by the liver to break down alcohol. This might account for a piece of traditional Asian folklore: that getting intoxicated while eating durians can lead to death. [Ed: Great. Yet another way that a durian can kill you.]
Story Idea: Remo Giuffré
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian
theculturetrip.com/asia/singapore/articles/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-durian-the-worlds-smelliest-fruit
smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-does-the-durian-fruit-smell-so-terrible
mentalfloss.com/article/565968/attempts-describe-taste-durian-worlds-smelliest-fruit
pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf303881k
Images
1. Durian fruit. Credit: Getty Images.
2. Drawings of Chinese fruit trees from Micahel Boym's "Briefve Relation de la Chine" (Paris, 1654). Depicted are the Cinnamonum cassia, the durian, and a variety of banana (or plantain) tree, with their Chinese names.
3. Durio Zibethinus. Creator: Hoola Van Nooten, (1863–1885).
4. Durian tree in Malaysia. Watch out!
5. Sign says the durian fruit is not allowed inside Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit
6. Durian vendor in Forest City, Johor, Malaysia
7. Durian Smell Study: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 2012
8. Video: Jessica Chastain and Jimmy Kimmel Eat the "Bleu Cheese of Fruit", 20 April 2016
9. Singapore's Esplanade building, nicknamed "The Durian". Photo: Sengkang via Wikipedia.
