Also, some people call durians King of the (tropical) fruit could be because of
its size (one of the largest tropical fruit, possible second only to jackfruit),
prized (those who love it, LOVE it and willing to pay for it
price (one of the most expensive fruit even when sold in their home countries).-
Being called King of the fruit attract a lot of people’s attention. However, because of its acquired taste (and texture) and strong smell (can be offensive to many), it turns off a large number of people, particularly in America and Europe who are used to fruit with different texture, taste and more pleasant smell. These people are left to wonder, justifiably, who in their right mind call durians King of the Fruit.
I would suspect there’s a genetic component to Durian taste preference. It seems kind of unusual to me that some love it and some hate it even within families and cultures where it’s available from birth. Probably some people have a gene that turns them off to the fruit. Usually all or most like a cultural favorite that’s consumed from birth.
One thing i have to say about durian… at least it’s not toxic
My mom decided to grab some purple peppers “from our cousins down in California” and decided to make dried chili powder with it once upon a time. The house turned into a biohazard zone and even my dog started having trouble breathing. We slept in the car for a few days until it died down.
BUT! Did you know a lot of people are killed by falling durian and jack fruit each year? I’ve been told the nets under the trees are to protect us human beings from being killed by falling fruit and not so much the fruit itself there’s statistics of people dying from falling coconuts too but i would suspect death by durian to be more intense.
In the ocean, your chances of being eaten by a whale is slim… but never 0. On a good note! It does look like whales spit everyone out after realizing we’re not shrimp
Things smell or taste bad for a reason, they’re dangerous to eat or be around. Your brain is getting a signal that something is dangerous. In the case of durian that’s a false signal.
I like Durian but don’t love it. It has a great taste but the smell is unusual. But not off putting to me.
I can eat quite a bit. I guess I’m in the minority.
OTOH pawpaws have a definite toxic feeling to me. even though the taste and smell are delicious I can’t eat more than one at a time.
Agree with you on pawpaw. Somehow, I cannot shake the thought of it containing toxin even though at a very small amount. It is a relative of custard/sugar apples. I can eat those in a large amount, toxins be damned.
I have only had them once but I had the same feeling you two mention. The flavor was good but like a semi-metallic aftertaste that made me not want to eat them. Maybe my home grown ones will not cause that reaction from me, but only time will tell.
I agree with this. Also I think there may be chemical physiological effects like with coffee and chocolate. The flavor of coffee can be polarizing. Once you are hooked, you are hooked.
I was only stating my experience between my country of origin vs the US where I now reside. I don’t believe I said only Americans think durians are smelly.
I was able to eat fresh durian (previously had eaten frozen durian from an Asian market) four years ago in Hawaii at a tropical plant preserve currently being established on the big island by a tech gazillionaire. I have a friend who lived there for a few years and spent much of his time helping to get the preserve up and running. I’m a fan. The real winner for me, however, was cempedak. I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned in this thread, as it’s a relative of jackfruit and has some of the same polarizing traits as durian. While it smell and taste are intense, I did not find them as cloying as durian. I can only hope to eat it again someday. @mamuang have you eaten cempedak?
Here’s a video that pretty well describes my own experiences with the fruit. Cempedak
there’s statistics of people dying from falling coconuts too but i would suspect death by durian to be more intense.
my partner must put up with it.