My recent trip to Chicago's Chinatown didn't just leave me with a tummy full of dim sum and a bag full of pork buns, it also allowed me to cross off an item on my Eat-Before-I-Die list - you know, the list that starts with caviar and foie gras and ends with 'Garbage Plate,' fried Oreos, poutine, and fistfuls of delicious Thai street food. Although I eat a lot of strange things, it's rare that I get to cross something off THE list, so needless to say I was pretty excited.
Incidentally, the item I crossed off is a Thai specialty - but I can't exactly say that it was delicious, and if you sold it on the street you'd likely get arrested! Its flavor is often described as "oniony, with a touch of gym sock," and my own Chinatown encounter was rather like chewing a lightly sweetened rubber tire on a hot day. The best description by far, though, comes from Singaporean cook Wai Ching Lee, who compared eating this food to "eating custard in a sewer."
There's only one culinary delicacy that could inspire such poetic, impassioned descriptions - that's right, folks, it's the durian.
Imagine a skin so spiky it makes the African Horned Melon look like a cotton ball. Imagine a scent so malodorous it makes sewage seem perfumed. In case you think I'm making all of this up, or simply giving in to exaggeration, you should know that while the durian is considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, it's also banned from lots of public places and forms of public transportation because of its pungent smell.
If you can imagine the combined aromas of rotting meat, dirty socks, melting rubber, and gas leak combined in sweet symphony, you'll have a slight approximation of the odor of a durian.
At this point you may be asking why on earth I'd put this fruit on my eat-before-I-die list, forearmed, as I was, with such damning information. The truth is that in spite of its cringe-worthy stench and polarizing flavor, some people absolutely love to eat durian. I've eaten enough strange things in my life to naively believe that I might be one of them.
Sadly, I was very, very mistaken.
Don't get me wrong, it's an 'interesting' flavor, but not one I'd necessarily go chasing. There's a hint of sweetness to it that's actually pleasant, I'm just not sure it's worth the exposure to the rotten smell and, worst of all, the lingering aftertaste. Eatocracy has a riotously funny and witty account of a durian experience that explains the untold peril of the "durian burp," but all I can say is that for the next few hours after eating one, yes one candy, my breath had the compelling odor of a natural gas pipeline!
It must be said that I did not try durian in its unadulterated form - I purchased hard durian candies (whose milky sweetness helped to mask the flavor and odor), but have been told that the custardy texture of the real fruit really helps it along - I guess the only question now is whether I'll ever be brave enough to test that out.
In the meantime, if anyone wants an opened-but-barely touched bag of durian candy, it's all yours!
Incidentally, the item I crossed off is a Thai specialty - but I can't exactly say that it was delicious, and if you sold it on the street you'd likely get arrested! Its flavor is often described as "oniony, with a touch of gym sock," and my own Chinatown encounter was rather like chewing a lightly sweetened rubber tire on a hot day. The best description by far, though, comes from Singaporean cook Wai Ching Lee, who compared eating this food to "eating custard in a sewer."
There's only one culinary delicacy that could inspire such poetic, impassioned descriptions - that's right, folks, it's the durian.
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| Image Source |
Imagine a skin so spiky it makes the African Horned Melon look like a cotton ball. Imagine a scent so malodorous it makes sewage seem perfumed. In case you think I'm making all of this up, or simply giving in to exaggeration, you should know that while the durian is considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, it's also banned from lots of public places and forms of public transportation because of its pungent smell.
If you can imagine the combined aromas of rotting meat, dirty socks, melting rubber, and gas leak combined in sweet symphony, you'll have a slight approximation of the odor of a durian.
 |
| Image Source |
At this point you may be asking why on earth I'd put this fruit on my eat-before-I-die list, forearmed, as I was, with such damning information. The truth is that in spite of its cringe-worthy stench and polarizing flavor, some people absolutely love to eat durian. I've eaten enough strange things in my life to naively believe that I might be one of them.
Sadly, I was very, very mistaken.
 |
| Image Source |
Don't get me wrong, it's an 'interesting' flavor, but not one I'd necessarily go chasing. There's a hint of sweetness to it that's actually pleasant, I'm just not sure it's worth the exposure to the rotten smell and, worst of all, the lingering aftertaste. Eatocracy has a riotously funny and witty account of a durian experience that explains the untold peril of the "durian burp," but all I can say is that for the next few hours after eating one, yes one candy, my breath had the compelling odor of a natural gas pipeline!
It must be said that I did not try durian in its unadulterated form - I purchased hard durian candies (whose milky sweetness helped to mask the flavor and odor), but have been told that the custardy texture of the real fruit really helps it along - I guess the only question now is whether I'll ever be brave enough to test that out.
In the meantime, if anyone wants an opened-but-barely touched bag of durian candy, it's all yours!
WOW this is interesting. I've never even heard of a Durian before. Cool post!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I first heard of it from my brother who's traveled a lot in Asia and now lives in Japan. I always thought it would be fun to try - and while I'm glad I did, I don't think I'll be in any hurry to eat it again!
DeleteWhen I was in Malaysia several years ago, the Hotel had signs every where saying no Durian's allowed. When you walk thru the market, you could smell them YUCK. What I can't figure out is who was the first one that was hungry enough to try one.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it that way, but that's a good question!! I've heard that some people don't find the taste or scent of durian disgusting and that there might be a biological reason for that (kind of like the way some people think cilantro tastes like soap and others love it). Perhaps the original durian-eater was one of those lucky few!
Deletei grew up reading a mission story of a girl that traveled through the mountains and one thing they ate that i always wanted to try was durian. they made it sound like a combination of whip cream and pudding in a fruit. since then i have read and heard how awful it is and even though our local asian store carries it, i have never been brave enough to try it.
ReplyDelete