The durian is a spiky fruit the size of a football that grows on giant trees in Southeast Asia. People love it so much they call it the “king of fruits,” but its smell is so powerful that hotels and trains across Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia have signs forbidding you from carrying one inside.
Scientists have found that ripe durian contains over 50 different smelly chemicals at once. The mix has been described as rotten onions, gym socks, sweaty feet, and burnt rubber. Some animals can smell a ripe durian from a kilometre away, which is exactly the point - the smell is how the tree spreads its seeds.
Once you get past the smell, the inside is creamy yellow flesh that fans say tastes like sweet custard with a hint of garlic. It’s so beloved that durian-flavored ice cream, candies, and chocolates are sold all over Asia. Either you love it or you really, really don’t.
