Durian Fruit- eat at your own risk!

Got Durian?

Durian- the “king of fruits”

Durian fruit is widely know throughout SE Asia as the “king of fruits”. The name Durian comes from the Malay word “duri” meaning thorn, and the suffix “an” making the word a noun. Its native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, & arguably the Philippines as well, yet Thailand is the biggest exporter of the fruit, with Malaysia and Indonesia closely following. Durian is known first and foremost for its pungent odor as well as for its thorn covered husks. It’s quite large and can grow as big as 30cm in length and 15 cm in diameter!! The typical weight is 1-3 kilos, shaped like a watermelon (a bit round yet oblong also). The husk of the Durian has a greenish-brown color with the flesh ranging from pale yellow to red, depending on the species, which by the way there are multiple different types of species around. **

Durian fruit flesh

The inner flesh is the edible part of the fruit, with the seeds also being edible once cooked. The texture is that of slimy yet mushy garlic when once bitten into, can have “strings” like the feel of a pineapple once bitten into that gets in between your teeth- YUCK. The aroma is seriously out of this world pungent. Its been compared to many things over the years but for me, it smells like a cross between garlic, cooked cabbage, tuna, garbage, and bad body odor. Its honestly the nastiest smelling thing ever! (In my opinion). Umm…and they call this fruit?! Isn’t fruit supposed to be sweet & delicious?!?

And don’t think that you won’t be able to smell it if it hasn’t been cut open. The smell of Durian is so pungent that it has actually been banned in most supermarkets, hotels, & restaurants due to its insanely strong aroma & don’t even think about putting it inside your house unless you are prepared to have it smell of Durian for weeks, if not months.

All of this being said, Durian is quite the delicacy here in Malaysia & is hugely popular amongst the locals with a strict love/hate relationship. Locals are fiercely loyal to the side that they stand on & conversations can get quite heated on the subject! I knew once I found out I would be living in Malaysia that I would at some point have to try it.

Anyway, at a recent outing to Jalan Alor, a popular alley in downtown Kuala Lumpur that is chock full of street vendors and hawker stalls, we ventured into the unknown with David’s co-workers (one of them is Malaysian). Kuala Lumpur is known for its cuisine throughout the world & Jalan Alor is not only a perfect place to sample all types of Malaysian & SE Asian cuisines, but its also an awesome place for people watching- you can find locals eating with family & friends as well as slew of tourists at any given point of the week. So….I figured that now was as good a time as ever to “bite the bullet”.

Jalan Alor bustling at night- the best & only time to go!

Here is how it all went down….

David’s Team- Susan & Samuel

David had a big regional meeting last week so we took Susan & Samuel out to Jalan Alor for some local Malaysian dinner. Susan is Malaysian and Samuel is from Hong Kong and both have an intense love for as well as knowledge of Malaysian food so really, it was them showing us around:).

Right away it was brought up that tonight was the night for the big taste test of Durian for David and myself. Susan is a huge lover of Durian so she took us straight away to a man selling Durian off his cart.

Durian Cart

 

 

I have to admit, I was terrified at the though of eating this disturbingly & horrifically smelling fruit but when in Rome right?! Besides, I cannot say I’ve lived in Malaysia without trying all the foods first and since I am quite the adventurous eater, well….here.we.go!

 

 

David vs. Kimbra: The Durian Challenge!

On a side note- I was the first brave one to try it….David followed suit afterwards while Susan happily noshed on her favorite food and Samuel stood on the other side of the street due to his intense hatred of the fruit- LOL!

Step 1-picking up the slimy flesh in preparation for the big bite…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2- getting a really good whiff of the “king of fruits”….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3- we are committed & are all in- a HUGE bite for us both…

 

 

 

 

 

 

  And the reaction??…..priceless!!

So priceless, I was still recovering and missed snapping a photo of David’s reaction-oops!

 And the results are in!

We survived!!

Kimbra = “the most VILE thing I have EVER eaten!”

David = “not bad….not my favorite thing but I’d rather eat Durian than broccoli.”

Um…Who did I marry?!?! (broccoli is one of my favorite foods!!)

I literally chugged 2 glasses of Tiger beer to get the taste out of my mouth….and it was still there 1 day later!

 

 

 

Please note that the above is strictly my experience & opinion of Durian. I’m not trying to offend anyone but merely sharing what my thoughts are with you all. Take it or leave it but don’t form an opinion until you have tasted it for yourself….it truly is a “right of passage” for locals, tourists, and expats alike.

Note to family & friends coming to visit us in KL- YES you will try it whether you like it or not, and as you can see, you may actually like it just as David did……think of it as an “initiation” or repayment for free room & board;-)!

Happy & Safe Travels!

Kimbra, who is wearing on of her favorite Lucia K Jewelry pieces- the “tag gold dangle earring” ;-).

** Descriptive information based off Durian entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.