Herb. No. 221 · Malvaceae
Borneo and the Malay Peninsula; a seasonal fruit of the wet tropics, frozen for the rest of us.
Native · Southeast Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Durian
Durio zibethinus
The spiny Southeast Asian fruit people argue about in elevators — custard if you like it, a gas leak if you do not.
Durian is a Malvaceae tree of the Malay world. Traditional use is as the ripe creamy aril, eaten fresh, cooked, or fermented. Culinary ripe arils are the path. The smell is sulfur compounds, not a joke. Unripe is not the dessert. Most temperate kitchens buy a frozen segment; a backyard tree is a tropical climate, not a wish.
Flavor
Custard, onion, almond, gym sock — honest all at once. Ripe is sweet; off is ferment.
Parts used
Ripe aril
Helpful
- A true tropical dessert if you meet it halfway
- Frozen pulp travels
Cautions
- The smell in a closed room
- Spines
- Not a temperate tree