Our conflict isn’t surprising. The durian has long evoked extreme emotions. Some call it the king of fruits, but many airlines and hotels in Asia ban the fruit.
What’s the controversy? It comes down to the durian’s smell and taste. Those in Jack’s camp describe the fruit as a complex combination of mango, garlic and custard. But I agree with the writer Anthony Burgess who described it as “eating sweet raspberry pudding in the lavatory.”
Durian trees are native to southeast Asia, growing up to 150 feet tall. Their flowers and fruits grow directly from the trunk. The fruit looks kind of like a misshapen basketball, with a thick rind of giant prickly thorns. Inside, its soft flesh varies from pale yellow to red.
In Asian cuisines, durians are used in both sweet desserts and savory dishes. Extracts have medicinal properties, helping to alleviate fevers.
But there’s a downside to loving durians — for conservation. Increasing demand has prompted a shift from harvesting fruit from small family orchards to large-scale industrial operations. Animals such as the small flying fox, a bat that pollinates durian trees and the Malayan tiger are losing their native habitats.
But, make your own decision about durians! They’re available at many Asian grocery shops — tucked away at the back of the store — in a smell-proof food case.
