Initially appalled by the smell, Durian is a favorite when I can get it. Here is a good article with good references: http://modernfarmer.com/2015/01/hail-disgusting-delicious-durian/.

I had frozen durian twice and loved it.  

  I've never tried it.  It's Jon's favorite fruit! hehehehe

I think that's the fruit that made andrew zimmerman from bizzare foods gag. I would love to try it someday anyway.

It's so true, the smell is not good, but the taste is delish!

What is it? Fig. Post a pic. ,

Read this. !!! Raw sewage smell. Is this true. I want to grow this just for the experience. Lol

I've heard about it but don't really understand how the smell can be gross but the taste delicious. 

It it like papaya?  Those smell gross to me.  But then again they taste gross to me too.  But I don't know if the smell is just too overpowering for me to enjoy the taste. 

Rob. I love papaya. But they dont stink to me. They stink to you?

I tried some durian while I was traveling in Malaysia.  I could never get past the garbage smell.  It's true that durian is banned from many public spaces in SE Asia.  Our hotel had signs in the halls with a pictures of crossed out durians.  My travel-mates apparently started really liking it after the 2nd or 3rd try, so it can be an acquired taste.  I don't think there's much of an in-between with durian.  You either love it or hate it, and I [still] fall in the latter group.

@Richard, if you want to try growing durian, find a big space.  All the trees in Malaysia were gigantic!

papaya also has a funky smell.  And don't let it get overripe or you can taste the funk!  I know...I've been there!

Oh man.. durian. My dad loves the stuff, but the rest of the family was never very thrilled to have it around. I remember the fruit always being in the garage fridge but still getting whiffs when I walked by. Yeah, who knew something could be so pungent.

Wonder if this ever went anywhere...http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/world/asia/30iht-durian.1.5082196.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

It stinks; well it more than stinks for something you are going to eat. Along with the "distinctive" aroma is a taste that is just as distinctive.

My mom loves the stuff and I tried it many years ago.  I had to hold my nose!  It was creamy custard like with a good taste, that is until you breath it in! That was it for me.  I couldn't take another bite.  So yes, it is good, but the smell will turn most people off (or me it did!).

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]I wonder if cooking it would make the smell less annoying.[/QUOTE]

Or does cooking it cause the smell to permeate everything in your house?

The smell will permeate the house without cooking it! LOL

[QUOTE=veggie_girl]The smell will permeate the house without cooking it! LOL[/QUOTE]

LOL!!

I've seen them on TV and in a couple of Asian markets, once fresh, usually frozen, but never cut open.  I have heard that they taste as bad as they smell.  I'll try it some day...... maybe....

I ate a lot of Jaca when I lived in Brazil. Its similar to Durain. Jaca tastes like strawberry banana custard to me.  The Brazilians say it smells like something else. The Jaca trees and fruit are huge and all over the coastal areas.  The Durian Ive had in ChinaTown in NYC is nothing to write home about.

Durian also grows in the Philippines; even among the locals, it is an acquired taste. The
smell is intolerable enough for most people then the custard-like texture detracts from its
appeal all the more. Candies made from the fruit are not so bad. Perhaps rightly so,
durian has been described as "tasting like heaven and smelling like hell".

One of the worst eating experiences of my life but I have friends that will kill you for one. Go figure.

Initially I hated them, as the first one I had tasted some thing like a sweet onion cream. But I've found that the taste really depends on the fruit. Every durian I've had has tasted a little different, i've had ones which tasted amazing, something like vanilla creme brulle only without the burnt sugar taste, and I've had ones tasted more onion-y (bleh). Although I've never come across a Durian whice actually smells good, they will smell like old onions and natural gas with some kind of sickly sweet overtone. Durians are a very odd fruit, definitely an acquired taste.

Is there a difference in varieties? I was offered one and I couldn't eat it because of the smell but I was also offered another one that had a fragrant good smell but a bad taste lol.

Very similar to figs there is a huge variety of durians out there each with a different taste and smell. But as I understand it there are only one or two different varieties of durian you can purchase in stores, especially here in the states. But also age is a really big factor that effects the taste and smell, as trees that are over 30 years old are regarded to have the highest quality and most complex flavor than that of it's younger counterparts.

The first one I had (and the last) was acclaimed to be a very good one, and to this day I would rather have taken a swig of gasoline.

Talking about durians...it is true either you love it or hate it. My husband , eldest daughter and I love them. But the rest of the children would not even touch them. They need sort of jungle environment to grow them since they are pretty big. We have hybrids like the 'Musang King' (king of the fox), D22, D24 etc. the smell is said to be that of a rotten cheese but the taste (if you get a good one) is heavenly hahaha. Definitely an acquired taste. The smell lingers even after you cook them. Fresh durians can be made into dessert like cakes , puddings, crepes filling..we do ferment them and those can be cooked with fish (delucious, seriously), sambals etc.

The texture of fresh durians is also a major part of the appeal, so I've been told. 

Have only had a frozen one.  Very oniony and pungent--though it did have nice flavor hints when I nibble on itty bits of mostly frozen flesh.

That's pretty good Jon!  I'm still laughing!

[QUOTE=pitangadiego]The first one I had (and the last) was acclaimed to be a very good one, and to this day I would rather have taken a swig of gasoline.[/QUOTE]

I have unfortunately take a swig of gasoline... more then once....  And if Durian is worse then that, I may be rethinking my rule of try everything at least three times.

Is frozen durian even worth trying? I wonder if it gives the fruit a worse reputation than trying fresh? I know I could try frozen durian here, but I am a bit concerned it may not be the best representation of what the fruit is supposed to be like. Thoughts?

Let it thaw first. Not necessarily at room temperature. Durians can be eaten chilled. I don't think the taste differs greatly but the color of the flesh will change.

We really like it. My wife's family is originally from Vietnam and they eat it all the time. Think of it as

SWEET ONION PUDDING. 

Really the best way for me to describe it. haha

I had a durian shake at a Vietnamese restaurant today. It had a few dozen little dark brown tapiocca balls in it and the straw was oversize, specifically to pass the balls. It tasted very good; like banana / mango with a hint of butterscotch but my wife thought it was smelly. I couldn't really smell much of anything.