The primitive durian fruit is one of the most complicated things you can put on your plate. It paradoxically tastes of custard, sweat socks, pineapple, onions, ripe cheese, and a number of other slightly varying subjective scents that combine for a culinary experience unlike any other.
It’s rank enough, in fact, to be banned in many public places in Southeast Asia.
Having tried durian just last week, I can attest that it’s an acquired taste a rational person may choose not to acquire. When your Thai-native waitress informs you that she can’t handle durian, you know you’re dealing with something that transcends cultural boundaries. The stuff is smelly. But interesting.
The New York Times reports that controversial change is afoot in the fast-paced world of durian eating. A Thai government scientist has come up with a version of the fruit he says smells as mild as a banana.
But the durianophiles are deeply offended. The smell, they say, is key to the taste.
‘To anyone who doesn’t like durian it smells like a bunch of dead cats,’ said Bob Halliday, a food writer [in] Bangkok. ‘But as you get to appreciate durian, the smell is not offensive at all. It’s attractive. It makes you drool like a mastiff.’
Or something. It’s definitely strong.
Last summer, with much trepidation, I purchased a durian and hacked it open on the back porch. I was surprised and somewhat disappointed to find only a very mild fishy-sweet odor that was nowhere as horrific as I’d expected. The taste was okay, kind of like pineapple custard. Not at all bad, but nothing to write home about. After the leftover half sat in the fridge for a few days, I did notice a suspicious smell developing in the kitchen, so I brought the spiny sucker outside and trashed it.
There are over 300 varieties of durian. The monthong is the type that is usually exported. Reading about durian fresh from the tree and at roadside stands, perhaps what comes to the US isn’t the best representation of the fruit.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/389507
I’m not sure what kind of durian makes it to the U.S., but in SE Asia, it seems that the fruit from each region has a different smell and taste. I stayed in many guesthouses when I lived in Thailand that banned durians from the premises, and my host family refused to have any in the house. But, they seemed to be particularly stinky there, especially in the more Northern regions. The farther south I got, the less stink there was. In Malaysia they nearly literally worship the things, but the fruit seems be a bit sweeter and milder. I mean, you still want to plug your nose and run, but not as hard or as fast. :-)