Last Updated on October 31, 2014 by Nancie
Durian: The King of Fruit in Penang…
Welcome to week 189 of Travel Photo Thursday. I’m still suffering from a lousy Internet connection. Fingers crossed that this will get posted. Last week I had a durian adventure. Here in Asia durian are known as the “King of Fruit”. In all my years of traveling in the region I have never tried it. Why? Well, some of you might know this, it’s also called “Smelly fruit”. The stuff stinks to high heaven, and it’s not a nice smell. The word that comes to mind is “rank”. Never mind, I decided that I was being silly, and just happened to run into a street cart doing a brisk durian business. Now or never!
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This sign is common in many public buildings in SEA, especially hotels.
With their spiny outer shell, Durians are not that easy to open. First, they have to be cut down the middle with a very sharp knife.
Then, pry apart with your hands. I don’t think that this would be a good job for me!
The yellow pulpy inside is what people love.
The fruit is scooped into a container.
This is my druian purchase. The vendor wanted to sell me a whole one for 70 ringgit. That’s over twenty US dollars! I managed to talk him into selling me a couple of pieces that were sitting in a container to the side. He only charged me 2 ringgit for this amount, and it was plenty. This is a crappy photo, but the other 2 were worse! Instead of a bad hair day, I was having a bad photo day! 🙂 The smell is nasty. Think of something between dirty socks and a sewer. Surprisingly, and thank goodness, the smell dissipates very quickly! the fruit itself is a tad mushy on the outside, and firmer towards the center, with a pleasant mildly sweet taste. I enjoyed every bite, but must say the small amount that I had was just enough, since it is quite rich.
I finished my roadside fruit feast with delicious mangosteen. Yummy!
Have you ever eaten durian or mangosteen? What did you think?
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16 responses to “Durian: The King of Fruit in Penang”
I would like to try it 🙂
It is surprisingly good!
I’ve never tried either – but the mangosteen looks a bit nicer than the durian! I’ve heard horror stories about the smell, I think that would be enough to put me off. I admire you for trying it!
Hi Molly! Carrying a clothes pin for your nose could help…haha. Yes, the mangosteens are lovely.
Nancie, I just tried durian for the first time when I was in Singapore in January. Quite the experience. I’m not sure I would want to eat it (or smell it) on a continual basis. Great post!
Hi Corrine! It is an experience! I also tried homemade durian ice cream. That was so good, and without the smell!
IN all my years of living in Asia, do you know what Nancie? I’ve never been brave enough to try it … that smell just puts me right off! But I loved reading your post and think I will give it a try next time 😉
I’ve not tried either Nancie – I’ll leave that to you 🙂 Actually I’d like to try a mangosteen.
Sometimes I like ‘armchair eating’ as much as I like ‘armchair travel’ and this is one of those times. Glad to see your report. . .I can take it off my bucket list now. 😉
I havent’ tried either of them, but the mangosteen definitely looks more appealing. I’ve been conditioned over the past few years to having a very negative opinion just from what I’ve read on blogs. I know I should be more adventurous, but …… I’ve only gotten as close as “across the street” to durian.
I have seen Durian many times in Asia, but like Jo, I have never tried it. Perhaps when we go to Penang this year I will have to give it a go. I’ve not tried Mangostene either – 2 new things to add to my list to try.
We heard A LOT about durian when in South East Asia for our honeymoon, and were always amused by the hotels who had signs not allowing you to bring the fruit onto the property! These swayed me not to try it, but given another chance I think I’d go for it!
You are brave! I’ve only had durian as a candy combined with coconut (quite tasty actually). I’m sensitive to certain odors so I’ve always hesitated to try a durian. I haven’t tried mangosteen either but only as a drink. It does look more appealing and I may try it the next time I go to the Asian store.
I haven’t actually tasted either of these fruits but they do grow these fruits near where I live on the Gold Coast at a place called Avocado Land at Kingscliffe. You can do a tour of this tourist attraction and you get to taste some of the unusual fruits at the end of the tour. I remember a fruit that tasted like chocolate called Black Sapote.
interesting fruit. Looks a bit like a yellow kidney. 🙂
Thanks for hosting.
Good for you for trying durian. I finally convinced myself to do it after 3 years of living in Penang. It wasn’t as bad tasting as I had built it up to be. I didn’t gag or feel the urge to spit it out, but the small bite was enough for me. I did notice that it was one of the milder smelling durians that I’ve encountered, so I am wondering if that is why the taste wasn’t awful. Mangosteen, on the other hand, is wonderful! To me, it is as sweet as candy. Make sure you try some fresh nutmeg or nutmeg juice while you are there.