Durian: Smells Putrid...Tastes Awful!

[Triloba Tracker]

I was ready to keep an open mind about Durian till I read the responses.  Especially KarenRey and murahilin's.   It is clear now that it is far less likely that my Durian was "bad" and more likely that I am one of those normal people that "yeech-hack-&-ptuui" after eating Durian. 

Is it an acquired taste? Well.... How many of you Durian lovers were actually first disgusted by the taste of Durian and somehow "acquired"  the taste later?  Be honest now....

My guess is you liked it the first time and kept on eating it, right?

Yep. Love at first bite.

[bangkok]

I really do like the duranchips but mongthong durian is not so special to me. I wanted to buy Gaen yeow today but the sales would not show the price so then i don't buy it.  I guess there are durians that i will like but i want to taste many different ones in a sitting to compare them.

When i find a shop that will sell me small quantitys i will buy them.

The smell does not annoy me anymore (if they are peeled and packed) but mongthong tastes like sweet old garlic/onions to me. It is not in my top 10 of great fruits. Durianchips can eat all day but also with that they try to cheat me all the time so then i won't buy.

[boukmn]

Is it an acquired taste? Well.... How many of you Durian lovers were actually first disgusted by the taste of Durian and somehow "acquired"  the taste later?  Be honest now....

My guess is you liked it the first time and kept on eating it, right?

Yep. Love at first bite.

I was kinda hoping I was wrong about my hunch.  But I'm not, am I?  You either like Durian or you don't.  No amount of Durian tasting will "acquire" the taste if your first taste made you want to vetch.
You'er either born a Durian - N (normal, Durian tastes awful) or you are born a Durian - X (mutant, Durian tastes great). 

..bummer.

[HMHausman]

You'er either born a Durian - N (normal, Durian tastes awful) or you are born a Durian - X (mutant, Durian tastes great). 

I guess I must be a N x X hybrid.  I find myself somewhere in the middle of the two.  On first tasting I thought it was weird....different, but not something I would want to eat again. On later tastings I have come around to more fully understanding the  hype and lore, but still am not personally a dedicated durian-phile.

[fruitlovers]

Is it an acquired taste? Well.... How many of you Durian lovers were actually first disgusted by the taste of Durian and somehow "acquired"  the taste later?  Be honest now....

My guess is you liked it the first time and kept on eating it, right?

Yep. Love at first bite.

I was kinda hoping I was wrong about my hunch.  But I'm not, am I?  You either like Durian or you don't.  No amount of Durian tasting will "acquire" the taste if your first taste made you want to vetch.
You'er either born a Durian - N (normal, Durian tastes awful) or you are born a Durian - X (mutant, Durian tastes great). 

..bummer.

I didn't care for them when i first tried them. Thought they tasted rather bland and rubbery. But that was only because i had bought pre packaged durians in Thailand. They sell them already opened and in cellophane. I think mostly unsuspecting tourists buy them, and they aren't worth eating. To really get taste of durian you have to go to a durian farm and taste a perfectly ripened fruit. I know it's not something most of you can do. But honestly making all these wild negative judgements about fruits that have been frozen for months in a far away land is a bit childish, to say the least.

[Mike T]

It is an acquired taste for most people.Many people don't like avocado at first as well and wonder what the hype is with such a bland fruit. I find street durians in Thailand pretty good and go for monthong and gaan yeow. I enjoy most durian. The nutty, creamy taste with sweet and savoury elements that vary between varieties appeals to me. The skin does smell strong and when there is an oniony,cheesy,spewy aroma it can put people off. The flesh does not really have a strong smell or taste.
People have colourful descriptions of the smell and these often refer to sulphur,cheese,sewage,carrion,swamp gas and other disagreeable organic matter.

[bangkok]

Is it an acquired taste? Well.... How many of you Durian lovers were actually first disgusted by the taste of Durian and somehow "acquired"  the taste later?  Be honest now....

My guess is you liked it the first time and kept on eating it, right?

Yep. Love at first bite.

I was kinda hoping I was wrong about my hunch.  But I'm not, am I?  You either like Durian or you don't.  No amount of Durian tasting will "acquire" the taste if your first taste made you want to vetch.
You'er either born a Durian - N (normal, Durian tastes awful) or you are born a Durian - X (mutant, Durian tastes great). 

..bummer.

I didn't care for them when i first tried them. Thought they tasted rather bland and rubbery. But that was only because i had bought pre packaged durians in Thailand. They sell them already opened and in cellophane. I think mostly unsuspecting tourists buy them, and they aren't worth eating. To really get taste of durian you have to go to a durian farm and taste a perfectly ripened fruit. I know it's not something most of you can do. But honestly making all these wild negative judgements about fruits that have been frozen for months in a far away land is a bit childish, to say the least.

Yes Oscar that's how they sell and eat them in Thailand. Millions of people eat durian like that here. There are also shops that open them in front of you or you can buy the whole fruit and open it yourself. Did you not ask them for a whole one or to open it in front of you?

On the markets there can be long qeue's if they are peeling them for sale. They sell hard ones and soft ones, i prefer the harder ones and just 1 or 2 pieces is enough for me.

[fruitlovers]

It is an acquired taste for most people.Many people don't like avocado at first as well and wonder what the hype is with such a bland fruit. I find street durians in Thailand pretty good and go for monthong and gaan yeow. I enjoy most durian. The nutty, creamy taste with sweet and savoury elements that vary between varieties appeals to me. The skin does smell strong and when there is an oniony,cheesy,spewy aroma it can put people off. The flesh does not really have a strong smell or taste.
People have colourful descriptions of the smell and these often refer to sulphur,cheese,sewage,carrion,swamp gas and other disagreeable organic matter.

Yes avocados are not liked on most Polynesian and Melanesian islands. (A lot of Asia also has yet to discover the goodness of avocados.) I remember one Fijian farmer telling me that avocados are considered only good to feed to pigs.

[TropicalFruitHunters]

I didn't really care for it the first several times I tried it.  But the more I did try it, each time seemed to get a little less objectionable.  Now?  I'd go out of my way to acquire it.  I really don't believe eating a frozen durian for one's first try at this is a fair test.  I will eat frozen durian but it is certaily nothing to get excited about.

[Fruitguy]

My first experience with Durian was a frozen, celophane-wrapped portion here in the U.S.  It was okay, but nothing to get excited about, especially after hearing the "King of Fruit" moniker.  I tried it frozen several more times and each time it tasted a little better, but still not as good as fresh mango.  After a couple of trips to Thailand and eating fresh durian (usually purchased of the piled-high trucks on the side of the road), I'm a big fan of durian.  Definitely one of my favorite fruits!

[KarenRei]

So, Fruitguy and Ohiojay, would you say it's fair to describe you both as people to whom it didn't taste like "unbearably awful rotten onions that make you want to gargle for hours to try to get the taste out", just "nothing special / don't really care for it", right?

For me - and apparently boukmn as well - it was as if the fruit was some sort of cruel prank, as if people pretend to enjoy it to get unsuspecting victims to taste it so that their reactions can be secretly filmed for an episode of Punk'd.

(And I don't care what people say, there's no way that freezing something makes something that was fine taste that unimaginably awful. We all know that frozen fruit isn't generally as good as fresh. But it doesn't make things taste like some awful form of concentrated onion rot.)

[Jsvand5]

I have only tried it once.  Thought it was ok but not something I would go out of my way for. The worst part for me was burping it up for the rest of the day. Strangely, I am obsessed with getting a grafted tree to grow even though I will never get it to fruit.

[Mike T]

Frozen durian is alright but obviously fresh is best for all fruits. When I have had too much and frozen it, it tastes good when I eat it out of the freezer. It should be slightly under-ripe when frozen to minimise sloppiness and exuding water when defrosted. I eat it hard frozen out of the freezer. Some brands of frozen durian are pretty consistently good and others are variable.

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Karen...I believe I let all the hype and horror cloud my judgment the first time I tried it.  I was expecting all the unbearable odors and flavors and really couldn't get over the thought of it.  But in reality, my first taste resulted in nothing spectacular either way.  It was probably no where near peak ripeness either.  But each trip, I would try another bite and even another variety.  Was and probably never will be among my top favorites, but it certainly has grown on me over the past several years.  I can also honestly say that I've yet to have a bad one.  The ones we got to try in PR this past summer were by far the best I've ever eaten.  All sorts of flavors and never even a bad smell.  I'm not at the level of some of these guys who could sit and eat pounds of it, but I would certainly be reaching in for a piece here and there!  For me, frozen fruit of any kind is just okay.  For me the texture is just all wrong and I'm big on that.  I've also never had one of the ultra ripe durian either...and probably will not.  That's taking this to a whole new level and even some durian fans cannot go there.

Bottom line, durian is like any other fruit, if it is a fresh and at the peak of ripeness,  you have to give it a shot...maybe even several shots over different times.  Gerry...bless his goofy soul, has never enjoyed a bite of durian to this day, yet he gave it the ol' college try twice in PR!  He's never going to be a convert.  Maybe he just has to work harder finding fruit at the very bottom of the ravines to appreciate them more?? 

[Triloba Tracker]

I have only tried it once.  Thought it was ok but not something I would go out of my way for. The worst part for me was burping it up for the rest of the day. Strangely, I am obsessed with getting a grafted tree to grow even though I will never get it to fruit.

This is a very real phenomenon, at least for every frozen whole durian I've had. Around our house we have a catchphrase: "Durian Burp!"

[Fruitguy]

So, Fruitguy and Ohiojay, would you say it's fair to describe you both as people to whom it didn't taste like "unbearably awful rotten onions that make you want to gargle for hours to try to get the taste out", just "nothing special / don't really care for it", right?

Not even close.  More of a garlicky custard taste. 

For me - and apparently boukmn as well - it was as if the fruit was some sort of cruel prank, as if people pretend to enjoy it to get unsuspecting victims to taste it so that their reactions can be secretly filmed for an episode of Punk'd.

I have felt the same way about other fruit, such as Surinam-cherry, Nance, Mabolo and several others.   Just like medicines do not work the same on all patients, different fruit "affect" us differently.  Some factors include genetics (as you mentioned earlier), stage of ripeness, variety, preparation (if any), and/or climate conditions where the fruit was grown.

(And I don't care what people say, there's no way that freezing something makes something that was fine taste that unimaginably awful. We all know that frozen fruit isn't generally as good as fresh. But it doesn't make things taste like some awful form of concentrated onion rot.)

Have you considered that the frozen fruit may have not been handled properly when shipped halfway across the globe?  Perhaps it was left to thaw, and then refrozen? Another possibility is that the fruit was not at the right stage of ripeness prior to being frozen initially, or even that it was treated with a chemical to induce "ripeness" (or treated improperly) and that has affected the end product. There is no way to tell at this point.

[FloridaGreenMan]

Some Durians do have a strong aroma, but if you get a frozen one that reeks of rotten onions, then it was probably defrosted in transit to your local store and may be going bad. I pay particular attention to the package when I buy frozen Durian and prefer the frozen pack of seedless pulp to a whole frozen fruit.  If there is any sign of defrosting, then I don't buy.  Good Durian should have a nice strong aroma but it should NOT make you gag!  The best choice is FRESH Durian picked a short time before you eat it, but unless you desire to travel and spend some bucks, that is not easy to find close to home. I am an admitted Durian addict!   

[Triloba Tracker]

Durianwriter said once she was working on a frozen durian buyer's guide, but I haven't checked her site lately...

[HMHausman]

Some Durians do have a strong aroma, but if you get a frozen one that reeks of rotten onions, then it was probably defrosted in transit to your local store and may be going bad. I pay particular attention to the package when I buy frozen Durian and prefer the frozen pack of seedless pulp to a whole frozen fruit.  If there is any sign of defrosting, then I don't buy.  Good Durian should have a nice strong aroma but it should make you gag! The best choice is FRESH Durian picked a short time before you eat it, but unless you desire to travel and spend some bucks, that is not easy to find close to home. I am an admitted Durian addict!

Huh?

[KarenRei]

Some Durians do have a strong aroma, but if you get a frozen one that reeks of rotten onions, then it was probably defrosted in transit to your local store and may be going bad. I pay particular attention to the package when I buy frozen Durian and prefer the frozen pack of seedless pulp to a whole frozen fruit.  If there is any sign of defrosting, then I don't buy.  Good Durian should have a nice strong aroma but it should make you gag!  The best choice is FRESH Durian picked a short time before you eat it, but unless you desire to travel and spend some bucks, that is not easy to find close to home. I am an admitted Durian addict!

I can't speak for boukmn, but mine was frozen musang king, pack of seedless pulp, no signs of package damage or defrosting. The smell didn't make me gag, the taste did. (don't get me wrong, the smell wasn't exactly roses...)

[FloridaGreenMan]

Some Durians do have a strong aroma, but if you get a frozen one that reeks of rotten onions, then it was probably defrosted in transit to your local store and may be going bad. I pay particular attention to the package when I buy frozen Durian and prefer the frozen pack of seedless pulp to a whole frozen fruit.  If there is any sign of defrosting, then I don't buy.  Good Durian should have a nice strong aroma but it should make you gag! The best choice is FRESH Durian picked a short time before you eat it, but unless you desire to travel and spend some bucks, that is not easy to find close to home. I am an admitted Durian addict!

Huh?

My error...It should NOT make you gag! thanks for catching that Harry!

[boukmn]

The Durian-N's in this conversation are still waiting for testimony that can give us hope that someone can have a horrid 1st experience tasting ANY durian can later have a very positive experience.  All we have heard are people saying things about their first durian experience like: "didn't care for...mildly not plesant..nothing to get excited about..."

I wouldn't put durian and jackfruit in the same category. A lot of jackfruit actually tastes good while I've yet to come across a good tasting durian. I keep on trying every durian I come across though in hopes of enjoying it as much as others do.

So at least one Durian-N has repeatedly tried Durian and found it unpleasant.  I prefer to learn from the experience of others. 

But honestly making all these wild negative judgements about fruits that have been frozen for months in a far away land is a bit childish, to say the least.

Ah, No...it's not. In addition, the ad hominem was uncalled for.  Provide evidence that a Durian-N can "sero-convert" to a Durian-X and maybe I'll risk another $9 bucks for durian.

For me - and apparently boukmn as well - it was as if the fruit was some sort of cruel prank, as if people pretend to enjoy it to get unsuspecting victims to taste it so that their reactions can be secretly filmed for an episode of Punk'd.

This is a very accurate description of how I was feeling when I started this thread.  Without "sero-convert" evidence, I will not be "Charlie Browned" again.

[bangkok]

I ate durian again yesterday and start to like it more every time i eat it. We bought mongthong, peeled and packed and it tasted like avocado with sugar. light onion/garlic taste and it was creamy and soft.

I think one day i will really like them.

[Triloba Tracker]

I ate durian again yesterday and start to like it more every time i eat it. We bought mongthong, peeled and packed and it tasted like avocado with sugar. light onion/garlic taste and it was creamy and soft.

I think one day i will really like them.

AWESOME!  I may have some today..been craving it.  Durian cravings can be rather powerful. I love the hint of onion/garlic taste, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind if a fresh, perfectly ripe one didn't have that flavor 

[fruitlovers]

I ate durian again yesterday and start to like it more every time i eat it. We bought mongthong, peeled and packed and it tasted like avocado with sugar. light onion/garlic taste and it was creamy and soft.

I think one day i will really like them.

AWESOME!  I may have some today..been craving it.  Durian cravings can be rather powerful. I love the hint of onion/garlic taste, but I'm sure I wouldn't mind if a fresh, perfectly ripe one didn't have that flavor 

I've eaten lots of durians of the years, but never had one that to me had any hint of onion or garlic taste. I think people's tastes, like smells, get really confused when they are potent ones.