A Thai scientist has managed to strip the durian, a Southeast Asian delicacy, known as the king of fruit, of its signature funky aroma. What's next, fatless bacon?Songpol Somsri, who grew up on a durian orchard, crossed more than 90 types of the spiky fruit to create Chantaburi No. 1, which is said to smell as mild as a banana. As anyone who's read Tony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour can tell you, a durian's natural aroma is nothing at all like a banana. So noxious is the fruit's aroma that it's banned from Singapore's subways. Bourdain characterizes it thusly: "like you'd buried somebody holding a big wheel of Stilton in his arms, then dug him up a few weeks later." That aside Bourdain likes them. He really, really likes them.
I can understand his attraction somewhat. Several years my fellow blogger and intrepid eater, Jonathan, sampled one with some friends. Sure, the flesh is custardy, creamy, smooth and sweet. But it has a a definite funky undertone, kinda like garlic steeped in jet fuel, that stays with you for several hours. That aside, I say leave the durian as nature made it, in all its stinky splendor.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-09-2007 @ 8:25PM
Demetrio said...
One word, WHY? If you don't like the smell, don't eat it. Keep Durians natural and I absolutely love this fruit. It's not for everyone. Durian pancakes, Durian butter, Durian Flan, Durian shakes...Durian just about everything.
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4-09-2007 @ 9:57PM
Amit said...
I was gung-ho to try it when I visited Singapore 2 years ago. Smell didn't put me off, but the taste . . . even a mild version wouldn't tempt me in the slightest.
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4-10-2007 @ 7:35AM
crimson.devotchka said...
nooooooo! leave the durian alone! the smell (or stink, wherever you're comin' from) is part of the experience of eating the durian. isn't 70-75% of what we taste actually the smell?
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4-10-2007 @ 9:18AM
ScottR said...
I think "funky undertone" is a candidate for understatement of the year.
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4-10-2007 @ 9:39AM
rei-gouki said...
Nooo~! The fruit is expensive enough as it is! If you take away the smell (not to mention what other chemical reactions you killed off in doing so), demand would go up and so would the price :(
:p
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4-10-2007 @ 1:37PM
Eric said...
Please, people. Every single fruit and vegetable you eat has been crossed and culled or otherwise tinkered with for decades, centuries and even thousands of years. Some of them, like corn, don't remotely resemble the original wild plant - and no, not your blue corn or the one from your Thanksgiving cornucopia with the multi-colored kernels, either.
Why have they done this? To make them taste better, smell better, and grow bigger. This guy is just doing what farmers have been doing since there have been farmers.
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4-11-2007 @ 11:36AM
MJ said...
If it smells so bad...and tstes so good..........Maybe its like chitterlings. You eitther love em or you hate em! LOL Would love to try this fruit, or smell it!
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4-13-2007 @ 6:56PM
carihaus said...
Scientists have managed to strip durian, a Southeast Asian delicacy known as the king of fruit, of its signature funky aroma. This is great news for people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, as Durian contains high levels of tryptophan, which raises serotonin levels in the brain. An increase in serotonin levels have been shown to enhance mood, even resulting in feelings of euphoria. Researchers have also found tryptophan to be helpful to people suffering from insomnia, anxiety and/or depression. DurianBoost.com
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