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Tonight I had a big Singaporean dinner with some of my coworkers and they were anxious to have me finally taste the spiky local fruit known as durian. The whole seven months I’ve been here, I have been afraid to try it because of the horror stories I heard of people who found it utterly disgusting. But many locals love it and I knew I had to give it a try before I left.

The so-called “king of fruits” is found only in Southeast Asia and is known for it’s tough spiny skin, unique flavor, and pungent smell. The odor can be smelt even through its thick skin and many people can’t stand it. This has led to durian being banned on the buses and trains in Singapore and it was even featured as a challenge on the TV show, Fear Factor. 

For me, the scent wasn’t terrible but it was not nice by any means. It reminded me of the scent of a supermarket’s fresh produce section…gone bad.

After ripping open the husk, you find the large walnut-sized seeds inside covered with a thick, custard-like flesh. This is the edible part and the taste is truly unique. It’s difficult to describe and my taste buds seemed completely confused. One moment i found it deliciously sweet and the next moment it was bitter and almost onion-like. But the texture was soft and gooey, and I actually found myself kind of enjoying it.

My coworkers couldn’t have been happier to see me enjoying their local delicacy but they quickly bought another local fruit, the mangosteen, to help me wash down the bitter aftertaste. The mangosteen is like the yin to durian’s yang. It’s small and the inner sections are cool and juicy. Great for a dessert.

So in the end, the infamous durian proved to be not quite as bad as I thought it would be. I’m glad I finally got a chance to try this crazy fruit and I recommend trying it to anyone who comes to this region feeling adventurous. You may hate it, you may love it, but you’ll certainly never forget it.

     

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