The Raw Chef Blog

Durian, the Marmite of the raw food world. Revered by many, loathed by the rest of the community, there’s no real middle ground as far as ‘The King of Fruits’ is concerned. Personally, I love durian, having tasted it fresh in Thailand.

Most people’s problem with durian comes from it’s smell which has earned the fruit descriptions such as, “old gym socks” or, “a bunch of dead cats”.

But could all that be about to change?

a Thai government scientist, who after three decades of research is one of the world’s leading durian experts, now says he has managed to excise its stink.

Working at an orchard near the Cambodian border, the scientist, Songpol Somsri, crossed more than 90 varieties of durian, many found only in the wild, and came up with a fruit that he says smells as mild as a banana. He named it Chantaburi No. 1, after his home province and the location of the research center.

It will please Thai consumers, he says, and might help broaden the acceptability of the durian, unlocking the door to new American and European customers who, like an increasing number of Thais, are likely to reject a fruit that reeks like last season’s unwashed gym socks.

I’m not sure I like the idea of an odourless durian. If you like the taste, you tend to associate it with the smell, then the smell becomes something to enjoy. For me it evokes memories of Thailand but I’m also just as happy (ok, not quite as happy) breaking one open in Leicester Square in London.

Durian lovers are at once disbelieving of and horrified by the prospect of a no-smell durian. They complain that the fruit is being homogenized to look pretty behind plastic wrap.

Read the whole article here

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