11.20.2008

Durian and Other Iffy Edibles



Everything you've heard about the durian--assuming you've heard anything at all--is true. It's sinister looking, but sweet tasting, a strange fusion of ugliness and beauty. Tim Laman's National Geographic photo, above, perfectly captures the durian's duality. It is ambrosial. It smells bad enough to induce vomiting. It is an aphrodisiac (Indonesians say that when the durians come down, the sarongs go up). It is illegal in many southeast Asian hotels and on public transport. Virgin Airlines once cancelled a flight because, thanks to the stench of a stowaway durian, the plane was unfit to fly in. No matter what which side of the argument you take, there's no denying it's one strange fruit.

Consider its spiked shell, which, if you were walking under a tree at just the wrong time, could have lethal implications--durians can easily be large as an American football. Stink fruit looks primeval, and our hunger for it may be equally archaic. Our taste for it, say some southeast Asians, harkens back to our animalistic, id-driven roots, since the "king of fruits" is said to be a favorite snack of the Orang Pendek--Sumatra's storied manbeast--and other wild, fearsome missing links. One of the more grisly descriptions comes from Adam Leith Gollner's highly entertaining book "The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Obsession and Commerce." In it, he likens the scent of a durian to that of "a disinterrred corpse clutching a wheel of blue cheese."'

I tried durian several times while traveling in Java and Bali. One day while tooling around the artist's village of Ubud, I left a durian in my car while I went into a restaurant for some nasi goreng, and a few skewers of sate ayam. When I got back and opened the door, it smelt as if the entire NFL had stuffed their dirty socks under the back seat. Undeterred (though I'm not sure why), I got back to my bungalow, sliced the fruit open, and slopped out some of the creamy, custardy goop within. To me it tasted like sweet vanilla custard infused with bite of an onion. Sweet, but with a bite. Pleasant, really. But there was still that awesome olfactory challenge-durian boasts some of the same sulfuric chemical compounds as garlic and skunk. As a result, the entire experience was enveloped in cloud of noxious, malodorous gas, an olfactory assault. Not pleasant, really.

So it was odd snack. Rarely does one have the chance to taste something truly weird, something outside all prior sensory experience. For me it was a edgy epicurean adventure; and while I'm not about to become a member of one of the many fan clubs that host tasting parties, I'd give durian another go. The experience is so complex that it merits further exploration. If you're so inclined, it might be worth looking around Chinatown in New York or San Francisco or any similar Southeast Asian enclave. For more on durians and other really strange things to eat, head over to the weird fruit post at WebEcoist.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhh my that is about the weirdest fruit I've ever seen or heard about! You are indeed a brave soul to get over such a stench to try it. Think I'll stick to apples, lol!

Thanks for sharing, it is amazing what you can learn in a day! Kim

vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com said...

Hello Steve;

I'm really enjoying your blog!
This piece was very informative but I have to say that the mental picture-taste-smell of durian confuses my senses but not enough to want to give it a try. I'll stick with the thought about the blue cheese part of the aroma.

Here in Vermont we have a super blue cheese producer named Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro. If you get up this way, give some a try. Their site is http://jasperhillfarm.com

Good gardening wishes!

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com

Steve Silk said...

Hey IF-Apples are good, but so is getting way way out of the box. Still I don't think a durian a day is likely to replace the old-time advice for apple eating.

Steve Silk said...

Hi George--Thanks so much for visitng. You look to have a beautiful spot up there in VT. As for the blue cheese, I may have to come scout out your nursery sometime, and if so I'll try the cheese provided it's not clutched by any...well, you know.

Kit Aerie-el said...

That is a very strange fruit...but the flavor sounds intriguing and oddly tasty. Sort of like peanut butter-onion sandwiches, yum! ~Aerie-el

Steve Silk said...

I like that one Aerie-el! How about onion creme brulee in a room where a skunk just sprayed? In spite of that, it definitely is odd and it definitely is tasty.

Kit Aerie-el said...

HA! I never thought I'd see the words...(any kind of) creme brulee and skunk spray in one sentence! Unique, for sure.

lostlandscape said...

I can empathize with your durian experiences. My local San Diego Asian grocery had durian-flavored wafers and I thought they looked interesting. After trying them, they ended up being the only cookies I've ever thrown away. A learning experience...