I mentioned recently that last weekend I picked up a durian at Jungle Jim's. In case you need a refresher, a durian is a fruit from Southeast Asia; it is about the size of a soccer ball, and has a very spiky exterior. The fruit is purported to smell of rotting flesh. Alas, I don't have any pictures (for some pictures of durian, click here).
So how was it? Well, the outside had a rather pleasant, fruity smell. Husband opened it at work, and although he won't believe me, I could smell it the moment I walked into the restaurant. But it wasn't really unpleasant. The flesh on the inside is rather like custard - custard with a thin skin on top. The fruit tastes incredibly sweet and yet savory at the same time; almost as if you had baked a creme brulee with caramelized onions in it. (Hm, but it tasted better than that). Numerous people tried it, and granted, we were all adventurous restaurant types, but no one found it particularly offensive-smelling, and although none of us are in a rush to go out and buy another one, we all thought it was pretty good. The texture was a little difficult for me - like if you pushed a banana through a sieve and then thickened it with a little gelatin - but it tasted fine.
So why all the hype? Husband and I have come up with a few theories. My prevailing theory is that (and I guess I'm just assuming here, since I have never been to Southeast Asia) the durian grows and is sold in a very hot climate, probably without any refrigeration from harvest to sale. The heat might make the aroma more intense. Here, we purchased the durian semi-frozen and kept it refrigerated until we ate it.
Any thoughts?
