{"id":22195,"date":"2020-12-12T08:30:44","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T16:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/?p=22195"},"modified":"2021-02-04T18:23:11","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T02:23:11","slug":"wicked-smells-and-heavenly-bites-the-durian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wicked-smells-and-heavenly-bites-the-durian\/","title":{"rendered":"Wicked Smells and Heavenly Bites: The Durian"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"durian
PHOTO BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Someone described it as \u201chell on the outside and heaven on the inside.\u201d Another compared eating one to \u201csitting on the toilet while eating your favorite ice cream.\u201d Those people appreciated the fruit\u2019s taste, if not its scent. Others weren\u2019t as generous. Henri Mouhot, the French naturalist and explorer who popularized the ruins of Angkor to the West, didn\u2019t mince words: \u201cOn first tasting it I thought it like the flesh of some animal in a state of putrefaction.\u201d Even Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern who has eaten and enjoyed anything from cow placenta to worms almost threw up as he spat out the first durian he tasted<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"interior
The interior of the notorious durian.<\/span> PHOTO BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No fruit on the planet has managed to elicit such extreme reactions from opposite ends of the palate\u2019s spectrum. A massive turn-off for eaters struggling to overcome its taste is the fruit\u2019s repugnant smell which has gained for the durian the reputation as the world\u2019s smelliest fruit. Anthony Bourdain once described it by saying “Your breath will smell as if you’d been French kissing your dead grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"interior
Another shot of a durian interior; people who have grown to like the fruit enjoy its creamy, custardy taste.<\/span> PHOTO BY JIM TEO FROM UNSPLASH.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The durian\u2019s smell has a remarkably long reach. When we were still single and dating, Nina once brought some durian for Leo from Davao City, some of which Leo kept in the ground floor apartment unit where he was staying. Later, a guy from the third floor<\/em> of the apartment complex advised Leo\u2019s housemates that their garbage was weeks overdue for taking out. You can just imagine what would happen when durian is placed inside a refrigerator. Sure enough some officemates of Leo made that blooper and for almost 6 months any liquid or food placed inside that ref smelled and tasted like durian. (That problem would have been easily solved by placing baking soda inside the ref as we learned later.) Even animals are repelled by the durian\u2019s aroma<\/a>. No small wonder this fruit is banned from hotels, subways and buses all over Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n

\"sharp
Those bristling spikes can cause injury when the fruit is not handled carefully.<\/span> PHOTO BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And it\u2019s not just the smell. The durian also guards its flesh by an array of vicious spikes that gives it the appearance of a deadly medieval weapon. It\u2019s the plant kingdom\u2019s version of a porcupine, only more lethal. Leo once got nicked badly when he improperly handled one. We used to half-jokingly muse about the durian\u2019s serious potential as an actual weapon. But it seems that folks in Phuket, Thailand have taken that to heart and use it not as a weapon against their enemies but as an instrument for self-flagellation at their Vegetarian Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"opening
Locals in durian-producing regions can open the fruit bare-handed, although a knife could become handy. Some people, however, may need to get protection for their hands. <\/span> PHOTOS BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The durian is even more lethal taste-wise for many rookie eaters<\/a>. However, we believe that what really makes it difficult for first timers is the durian\u2019s pungent smell \u2013 a psychological roadblock that influences its taste more than anything. But it\u2019s like eating blue cheese: the rotten smell might turn you off but once you get past that you can begin to enjoy its rich, creamy texture and custardy taste. So if you\u2019re trying durian for the first time better find something to block your nostrils while gorging on the fruit.<\/p>\n

Many say that durian is an acquired taste. And even the smell \u2013 as horribly bad as it is \u2013 can actually grow on you. Henri Mouhot who initially denounced the durian would later say, \u201c\u2026but after four or five trials I found the aroma exquisite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo anyone who doesn\u2019t like durian it smells like a bunch of dead cats.
\nBut as you get to appreciate durian, the smell is not offensive at all.
\nIt\u2019s attractive. It makes you drool like a mastiff.\u201d
\n<\/em>\u2014 Bob Halliday, Bangkok-based food writer<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Lindsay of Year of the Durian<\/a> the durian\u2019s unique taste is a combination of savory, sweet, and creamy all at once. But perhaps Jimmy Kimmel made the best description of the fruit\u2019s taste upon being served durian by Jessica Chastain<\/a>: \u201c\u2026 it\u2019s on the line between horrible and delicious.\u201d Ultimately people\u2019s opinion of the fruit end up either way. You either hate it to death or love it with fanatical passion. There is no middle ground. After eating durian for the 3rd<\/sup> or 4th<\/sup> time we ended up on the side of delicious<\/a>. It has actually become Leo\u2019s favorite fruit.<\/p>\n

\"Philippine
Davao City in southern Philippines is famous for these three things: the rare Philippine Eagle, the panga ng tuna<\/em> or grilled yellowfin tuna jaw and the durian.<\/span> PHOTOS BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We encountered durian all over Southeast Asia where it is known as the \u201cKing of Fruits\u201d \u2013 in Singapore, Malaysia<\/a>, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam<\/a>, Cambodia and Laos. Here in the Philippines it used to be popular only in Mindanao, and especially in Davao City. In recent times more and more durian are being farmed and enjoyed in other parts of the country but Davao\u2019s durian is still the best in our opinion. This is due in no small way to the 2.3 million Rousette fruit bats at the Monfort Bat Sanctuary in nearby Samal, the Guinness World Records holder for the largest single bat colony. The bats of Samal and Talicud Islands are the ones mainly responsible for pollinating the durian farms in Davao.<\/p>\n

\"a
A beach scene in pretty Talicud Island, part of the island city of Samal, Davao del Sur province, Philippines.<\/span> PHOTO BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Davao City is also the place where we lost our \u201cdurian virginity\u201d (read CNN Travel\u2019s Leela Punyaratabandhu on how to do this \u201cquickly and painlessly\u201d<\/a>). While both our first attempts at consuming durian didn\u2019t exactly endear the fruit to us, it wasn\u2019t as bad as in the massively entertaining anecdotes about people trying to conquer their fear of the dreaded fruit. Credit goes to friends from Davao who knew how to initiate us into enjoying the King of Fruits.<\/p>\n

\"tropical
If you ever visit Davao and feel that the durian is too much of a challenge, no need to freak out. There are several other exotic but less disturbing tropical fruits that you can try. Top Left: Mangosteen; Top Right: Rambutan; Bottom Left: Peeled Pomelo; Bottom Right: Marang.<\/span> BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO BY NERINGA SKORUPSKIENE FROM UNSPLASH. ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY LEO & NINA CASTILLO.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mindful about first-timers chickening out at the thought of trying this smelly, thorny fruit, Davao has concocted many ways of breaking them in. The city has introduced various durian-based sweets and desserts such as durian candies, pie, cakes, ice cream, tarts, pastel, coffee and shakes. Most of these products, while durian-flavored, do not have the strong taste of the fruit and, more importantly, none of its strong smell. This helps one to gradually adjust to the durian\u2019s flavor. Other countries across Asia have a similarly diverse plethora of durian-based products.<\/p>\n

\"durian
Have a less traumatic durian-eating experience by trying durian-based sweets and pastries first. Top Left: Durian puffs.<\/span> PHOTO BY PROJECTMANHATTAN, via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>;<\/span> Top Right: Durian roll served at the Coffee Lounge, Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore.<\/span> PHOTO BY JACKLEE, via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>;<\/span> Bottom: A pastry filled with cheese and durian cream \u2013 a specialty of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.<\/span> PHOTO BY GUNAWAN KARTAPRANATA, via WIKIMEDIA COMMONS \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For people who are serious about doing a durian tour in Asia, digital nomads Lindsay and Graham of Year of the Durian<\/a> are arranging group tours. We must warn you, however, that it\u2019s for durian lovers ONLY \u2013 for the hard core, the fanatical, the truly obsessed, the durian LOVERS who want to dive in to durian and durian culture with both hands. According to Lindsay and Graham double fisting durian on these tours is totally good etiquette. For now all tours are currently suspended until the Covid world situation settles down but we believe these tours will eventually push through.<\/p>\n

A final word to all you curious, would-be durian eaters: although durian may cause your body temperature to rise, it is NOT an aphrodisiac.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Someone described it as \u201chell on the outside and heaven on the inside.\u201d Another compared eating one to \u201csitting on the toilet while eating your favorite ice cream.\u201d Others weren\u2019t as generous. Henri Mouhot, the French naturalist and explorer who popularized the ruins of Angkor to the West, didn\u2019t mince words: \u201cOn first tasting it I thought it like the flesh of some animal in a state of putrefaction.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":22193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[4547,1362,4544,4550,4549,4548,4545,1455,4546],"class_list":["post-22195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-travel","tag-bizarre-foods","tag-davao","tag-durian","tag-durian-products","tag-durian-smell","tag-exotic-fruits","tag-fruits","tag-philippines","tag-southeast-asia"],"yoast_head":"\nWicked Smells and Heavenly Bites: The Durian - Traveling Archive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The smell of the durian probably influences its taste more than anything, resulting in opposite extreme reactions of hate or passion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wicked-smells-and-heavenly-bites-the-durian\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wicked Smells and Heavenly Bites: The Durian - 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