You've got to have some way of holding it.
Those spines are as sharp as. I'll bet Nobody walks through durian groves. This one is about 3 pounds and hard and sharp. It could kill you if it fell very far or at least put a very ugly hole in your hide.
Here it is opened up and laid out. The smell has just magified several times. You might say that it is the limburger cheese of fruits. It smells not because it is rotten, but just because that's what durians do.
This is what you eat. There is a very thin 'skin' surrounding a custard-like pudding. The skin is very tender and easy to eat. The pudding surrounds the seeds.
Here you can see how soft it is. The seeds help to hold the thing together. It is most often eaten with the fingers.
My suggestion is to eat this outside. If the odor is minimized by a nice breeze, you'll enjoy it more. The taste is sweet and unlike anything I've tasted before. The scientists say that there are over 40 aromatic chemical compounds in there, all adding together to give you a truly unique taste.
Emptied out. Still smells.
And, surprisingly, the seeds are edible, once boiled. The actual seed is inside the husk that you see here. It tasted very much like potato. I only ingested a tiny portion, just in case.
My suggestion is to eat this outside. If the odor is minimized by a nice breeze, you'll enjoy it more. The taste is sweet and unlike anything I've tasted before. The scientists say that there are over 40 aromatic chemical compounds in there, all adding together to give you a truly unique taste.
Update from the morning after eating a bit of durian seed. No problems whatsoever. The fruit doesn't seem to cause any after effects either. -djf
I just loved this post! The video of the kids is priceless. I cannot believe they found that many kids who would try it. The kids in that area must be more adventurous with food than many U.S. kids. Still, we were U.S. kids and we liked to try weird food. However, this brings "weird" to a new level. I would try durian but I would do it outside or at a restaurant that will deal with the stink before I got to eat it. Fred seemed dubious about it but I told him about your good commentary about the morning after and "all was well". He still did not look convinced but he said he would try it also if he did not have to deal with the stink. McKenzie
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it. 'Kids vs. Food' is a You Tube channel and the same kids try many different unusual foods. Check it out. The boys love to watch their peers enjoying or hating the selections in each episode.
ReplyDeleteI like the durian simply BECAUSE it is so unusual. I can imagine if a person were to grow up eating it, they would become Very fond of it. And, from what I read of it, a fresh durian is powers of 10 better than the frozen kind that I tried. The Very best durian is one that ripens on the tree, falls to the ground and splits open on impact. Unfortunately, none of us are likely to be able to taste such a durian.
I also find it interesting that such an outwardly spiny fruit, has such a creamy interior. Who knew?
I'm going to buy another, and separate the pudding from the rest of the plant. I'd like to see if it changes the taste or smell. I'd also like to experiment with it in a smoothie.
You had better watch my side bar notes on the post in case I add some durinan updates.
Very cool! I knew you'd have a lot of fun with the "different" stuff in a new country. Love reading about your adventures. And I miss the stuff you used to get from that bargain store in Escanaba. :)
ReplyDeleteI am certainly in a place that allows me to find and try all sorts of things. That bargain store in Esky was sort of a peek into this world. So far my list of new foods and drinks runs well over 200 items. -djf
ReplyDeleteI haven't been keeping track of all the foods you've reported but I'd say it's well over 200! That of course includes those you shared with your followers via email before you started this marvelous blog.
DeleteNow I've heard of the Durian and know all about it's reputation still there's nothing like experiencing it so maybe - just maybe - I would try it given the opportunity. Now of course these stinky fruits must be cultivated so I looked up Durian growing to see what a Durian Grove looks like (cause I certainly wouldn't want one of those spiky fruits to fall on me). In my brief look at those google results it seemed like durian doesn't grow so tall so I wouldn't have to worry about that! Yay!
So, final question: Did you share this wonderful 'King of Fruits' or keep it all to yourself?
Did I share it? Most of the fun of trying new things is sharing it around as much as possible. That's why I enjoying 'sharing' these discoveries with everyone who reads my posts.
ReplyDeleteBut I also made a family 'fun night' out of opening the durian. I did it after dinner one night and invited everyone to taste it. The boys hated it, but were fascinated by the spiky monster on the kitchen counter. Allie and Jeanne both ate a reasonable amount of it. It is sweet and very much like custard. It's just that the custard tastes Very odd. The dominant flavor that comes through in my opinion is sweet, cooked onions with vanilla.
In fact, Dianne, since you'll be visiting again before too long, you'll get to try one. They're almost always available in the freezer at Da Hua.
DeleteMy suggestion is to prepare for your first bite of durian by first buying some limburger cheese. Then fry up some onions in butter. When they're nicely browned, blend them in your food processor until they're smooth. Mix with vanilla pudding. Leave a bowl of this new kind of pudding on your counter until the surface dries out and it developes a nice 'skin' over it. Finally, unwrap the cheese so you get all it's odor enveloping you and eat the pudding. If you're okay with that, you'll do fine when you taste your first durian.
ummm sounds delightful...
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