Durian Oh durian

[ashabean]

So after watching Alissa's DVD, and hearing all the hype over Durians, my husband and I were overjoyed to find one this weekend in a local asian market.

We patiently waited for it to defrost (actually we kept it in car with a themometer - never went over 85º).

The car smelt like sweet apples, we were so excited, eager to try it, the smell was divine!

So finally the time came for eating it!

The stench! It is the fowlest thing I have ever smelt, the taste was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten, it looked it uncooked chicken (uck!).

I know it is supposed to be smelly, so could it have been a bad one, or is it really the vilest fruit on the planet?

We are both so gutted!
We had even prepared pie crust to make a durian coconut pie!!!

We have the rest of it in the fridge with the unopened pods. Should I throw it out?

[rawpriestess]

Well, I have had durian once, and it was frozen before I had it.

It is supposed to smell like a sewer, ie sulfer, and taste like french custard.

Well, as far as I was concerned, it did indeed smell like a sewer, but I could never taste it because the only way I could get close to it was to plug my nose, so basically it could have been a banana for the same texture.

Personally I can get them for 59¢ a pound frozen at the asian market near me (we live near Seattle) and I can get them fresh for about $5 a pound, so the expense is no big deal. We are so blessed to live near a big city seaport/airport/asian area.

But, why bother? other than to say I've eaten it, it was no big deal to me.

So, would I ever try one again? probably not, as I've done it once, just to say I did.

Would I ever buy one? probably not, as I love bananas and they are easier to find, come in lots of varieties, and won't make my neighbors move.

Would I serve it to company? Are you kidding? No way, why freak them out with the smell, I live in the country, we have enough "farm" air here anyway.

So, it probably was good.

[Revvell]

Hi Ashabean

This past weekend we had the potential opportunity to become managers of a durian importing operation. One of the things we were told was, you have to LOVE the fruit.

Ummm, welll, I don't. I don't even LIKE the fruit! I had it for the first (and last) time a few months ago. I ate one piece, hated it, then ate another since so many have said how great it was. ICK! No! YUCK! I couldn't get that taste/smell out of my mouth for hours!

Whole Foods is currently carrying it fresh here in SoCal and maybe NoCal and Arizona for those who DO wish to try it. You may have to ask the manager for it as, as I understand it, they are keeping it in a cooler in back because of the "fragrance".

So no, yours (probably) wasn't "bad". What to do with it? Your decision! :p

Revvell

[greengirl]

Call me crazy, but I LOVE durian! Even the smell doesn't bother me! I buy one every week and make a liitle delicacy called "durian cream"!! My roommate can't stand the smell, so I have to double bad the leftovers in the refrigerator! I think most people either love it or hate it. It sounds like you fall into the latter category, so I'd just toss it out.

[Revvell]

Call me crazy, but I LOVE durian!

You're crazy. :p

Actually, people think I'M crazy for not loving a lot of things they DO love ~ such as coffee.

Best to you ~

Revvell

[sachis2112]

I found some at Whole Food recently and purchased a bit to share with a friend. To me, it tasted like custard blended with onions. No thanks... I'll probably try it one more time, or if there are different varieties to try, I will... but alas, I was tasing it for many hours after.

[greengirl]

To me, it tastes like banana cream pie filling, mmm. AND it's healthy! It contains a lot of sulphur, which is a great beauty food! I drive miles out of my way to support my durian "habbit"! :p

[Ginger]

I love durian so much that when I get a whole fresh one, I will leave the skins in different rooms of my house as air freshener! I LOVE the smell, & the taste, and the texture... mmmm... I love the crunchy skin & the skin around the seed, it's the best part because of the texture. Frozen ones are not nearly as good as fresh though. My Whole Foods has them right now but they don't taste as good for some reason, maybe a bad batch? I dunno. The first time I had durian it was frozen & I did not like it! Or the smell! But I made myself eat it because it cost so much LOL & I guess it grew on me!

[Revvell]

My Whole Foods has them right now but they don't taste as good for some reason, maybe a bad batch?

It's possible it's a bad batch as they HAVE to sell them quickly and may not have...OR, as I found out this weekend, there are different varieties. Maybe it's not a variety you've previously had and so, tastes different? I dunno.

Revvell

[VeganVixen]

yes , there are 3 or 4 different (that I know of) varieties , one of them Ive heardd mimics caramel , I would love to try some! Im sure I could find some in houston ,since we do have a big port and we have the largest Vietnamese population in the America's ......so I guess I have to try some before I go to Ohio!

[Fuzzball]

I had Durian for the first time at the David Wolfe party, after he spoke at the Whole Foods in Austin.

First, our Whole Foods doesn't carry them, but then again, I have never asked if they might have one in back. I'll have to try that.

That was one of the best things I've ever eaten. It was frozen and the girl that was preparing it scooped out the insides like Ice Cream. She then drizzled chocolate sauce (raw cacao ground to powder and mixed with Agave Nectar) all over it....I was in diabetic heaven.

There is an asian market in town that sells them for 99 cents per pound. We had planned to pick one up, but time has kept us from doing it.

I'll let you know if my second experience is the same as the first.

[Revvell]

Hi Fuzzball,

Your Whole Foods hasn't gotten them yet from what I understand. If/when they do, they'll be fresh and running around $15 per pound I believe. 99 cents a pound? THAT is a deal!

Get back to us on it, 'k?

Revvell

[Texicalian]

Fuzzball - is that the Asian market by Target off of Research? I miss that place, used to go there with my Asian friend.

[Ginger]

yes , there are 3 or 4 different (that I know of) varieties , one of them Ive heardd mimics caramel , I would love to try some!
mmmmmmmm.... me too!

Revvell, I don't know why this one wasn't as good! It's a morn thong, same as the other ones i've had & I think it's pretty fresh because they wern't there the day before! Weird huh?

[Revvell]

RVM> uh huh. Could be from a different area or something orrrrr, your tastes, they are a-changin'? :)

Revvell

[RawTruth]

I'm pretty sure that the 99 cents/lbs. are neither organic nor fresh. And ... according to those durian import folk (Purefoodnetwork), there's as much difference between the fresh organic durian and frozen as there is between sunshine and a sunlamp (my comparison, hee hee).

And, yep, as of right now, it's only the 23 Whole Foods stores in Southern California that are carrying them fresh.

Obviously, as shown by the responses on this thread, it is truly a love it or hate it thing. Interestingly, a 21-yr. old Vietnamese girl I know doesn't like it at all, but her mother and grandmother adore it. So, I don't think the "love it" is a cultural thing; it seems a matter of personal taste buds. Little Saigon is just down the freeway from me and there's tons of Vietnamese-Americans all over the area (supposedly, VV, Westminster -- where Little Saigon is located -- has boasted of having the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam for years. Ah well, doesn't matter, huh). It's my understanding that the best or largest amount of durian comes from Thailand.

My run-in with durian is still in the future. I'm not opposed to tasting it; I just haven't had the opportunity.

Greengirl -- you are truly strange. (That's a compliment!) I can't get the image of those durian air "fresheners" out of my mind. :D

[rawpagan]

I absolutely, recklessly adore durian!! I've been eating it for the past 12 years (since I went to Asia) and I could eat it every week for the rest of my life!

Only problem is, my new husband cannot stand the smell of it! So I eat it outside in my hammock or in the car on the way to work. My car smells like heaven now!

I personally thought the durian Whole Foods is carrying is top rate. I had the Mong Thong (my spelling is going to suck here) which was soooooo creamy and divine. It really was a "golden pillow". I also had another variety Phuong something...which was more fiberous, and had an orange tinge to it, but same great taste.

My tortoises love it by the way. I have to either be in the hammock or keep moving around 'cause once they smell it they will follow me around the yard! I always give them a little piece :)

Virginia

[greengirl]

The only durian I have been able to find locally are frozen (I have no idea what variety) -- and STILL I love them!! I wonder if there is a way to have FRESH durian shipped to directly to me?!

[Revvell]

Greengirl,

Sure there is. Contact Antje and Roman at www.PureFoodNetwork.com.

For those who are purchasing your durian from Asian markets, know this. No, they are probably not organic and, even if they are, to send them here whole, they MUST be sprayed. Freezing and packaging is different.

Antje and Roman are having then sent over refrigerated and pre-packaged so they don't have to be sprayed. They have them sent over by plane and they must leave THEIR premises w/in two days so they arrive at their destination fresh.

Funny story. They were having some delivered by UPS. The driver didn't know of the odor ~ er, um, I mean fragrance. Thought it was bad so tossed it out. lol FedEx doesn't seem to have the same problem.


Revvell

[greengirl]

Revvell -- thank you, thank you, thank you!! :)

[greengirl]

Revvell -- are you sure about the web address? It's not working for me... :(

[Revvell]

Here's the correct one ~ my bad :o : http://www.thepurefoodnetwork.org

Revvell



Revvell -- are you sure about the web address? It's not working for me... :(

[Fuzzball]

Fuzzball - is that the Asian market by Target off of Research? I miss that place, used to go there with my Asian friend.


Yep, it sure is....very tight quarters in there....

Well, we got so busy making Chocolate cake and cheesecake that we never got over there to get any....

Have to be in Dallas this weekend, so...hmmmmm......it could be a week or more..