What does Durian taste like?

By Zoe Kim

What does a durian look like? What do they smell like? People ask these questions when I go back to the United States as I regale them the stories of different tropical fruits I eat in Singapore. One of the ones they are most intrigued by is durian. 

Most Singaporeans love durian, they have all sorts of durian dishes. My family and I have tried durian puffs, durian ice cream from McDonalds, durian candy, freeze-dried Durian, and plain Durian. 

But not everyone loves it.

Durians have a spiky, yellow-green outer coat and the inside, the fruit is creamy,  pale-yellow, pulp like fruit that sometimes has big seeds in it. They’re usually a foot long. People here call them the King of the fruits because “it tastes like heaven and it smells like hell.” 

Durian smells so bad they are not allowed in public transportation. They always have signs saying no durian. My sister says that it smells like rotting skunk, my mom says it smells like green onion, my brother says it smells like garbage, I say it smells like a sweaty locker room. Just trust me, you might disagree on what it smells like but we will agree that it does not smell good.

Durian is an acquired taste, you either like it or you don’t. It taste like sweet onions to some and like gasoline to others. It is creamy and has a very strong taste. After you eat it you will taste it for the rest of the day, even after you brush your teeth! Migrationology.com describes it as “subtle hints of chives mixed with powdered sugar. It’s supposed to taste like diced garlic and caramel poured into whipped cream.”

What do I think of it?

Honestly, I do not think Durian is the worst food I have ever had, but at the same time it is definitely not the best. I would much prefer something else and I do not enjoy the lingering taste of Durian for the rest of the day. Durians have different tastes depending on where they were grown. While I’ve only tried the durians from Malaysia and one from Indonesia, I prefer the Indonesian Durian because the texture is creamier. Most people foreign to durian do not enjoy the taste.

To some it up, Durian is a very interesting fruit that you will either love or hate. The choice is now up to you, now go get some Durian.