Telepeer

What’s the story on durian fruit, which tastes heavenly but smells awful?

March 28, 2026

Q: When I was shopping at the Asian food market, I saw a durian fruit in the frozen food section. What do they taste like, and why would they only be sold frozen and sealed in several layers of plastic?

I only became aware of the existence of this fruit when my husband joined the California Rare Fruit Growers. It is grown in Southeast Asia (recently introduced to Australia) and is considered a tropical fruit. Once ripe, it doesn’t last, so it’s usually found in the frozen food section. I don’t know if anyone has attempted to grow the tree in coastal (frost-free) Southern California, but its size (60-160 feet tall) and need for humidity make it an impractical choice for the home fruit orchard here.

The fruit itself is about the size of a football, oval-shaped, brown and covered in ½-inch spikes. Its flesh is usually yellow (some cultivars have white, orange, or red flesh) and has a soft, custard-like texture. The taste has been described as vanilla, coconut, caramel, and almond-like. I’ve seen it as an ingredient in baked goods and recently as dried durian sold at my favorite warehouse store. It’s rich in nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C, and trace minerals. It is rumored to be beneficial to male sexual health, adding to its popularity.

There is one thing I should mention, though.

Although the taste and texture are almost universally described as “heavenly,” the smell is – well – very distinctive, and not in a good way. It has been compared to sewage, rotting onions, turpentine, fermented garbage, pig manure, stale vomit, old socks and death and other unpleasantries. Years ago, a fellow attendee at a rare fruit growers’ meeting told me that, while on a crowded bus in Thailand, the driver suddenly stopped on the side of the road. He opened the door, and several passengers forcibly ejected a man and threw his durian out after him. Indeed, many public spaces in Southeast Asia have “No Durians” signs posted prominently.

Each cultivated variety has its own flavor (and odor) profile due to unique combinations of volatile compounds produced by the ripe fruit. In other words, each type of durian is stinky in its own unique way. Unfortunately, many of these compounds can cling to fabric or other porous surfaces, explaining why the fruit is banned from so many indoor spaces.

If you are interested in trying this fruit, you can purchase cookies, ice cream, candy, or other ready-made durian products. I can speak from experience when I say that once you get past the smell, the fruit really is delicious.

Los Angeles County

mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/

Orange County

ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/

Riverside County

anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/

San Bernardino County

mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu

Orange County Register

News Details

What’s the story on durian fruit, which tastes heavenly but smells awful?

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS