I've heard anyone describe it like this... but you could tell me that dirt was delicious and I would want to try it. It's the way you are both respectful and honest when describing any food that you eat that makes me want to try everything you eat.
Emily Jones The thing I've heard most about durian fruit is how bad it smells. But after watching this video, I actually hope that I'll get to try it someday because the texture looks super interesting and I have to know how it tastes now! Emmy is soooo good at what she does!!!
Emily Jones honestly I see everybody eating it room temperature, ever since I first ate it, my mom always froze every single piece , wrap it in Saran wrap and we'll it frozen. Because I always eat it frozen the smell isn't bad at all. Also, I noticed that some pieces are really good and some do taste a little weird. So depending how you eat it, and which piece you take, your experience can be great or really awful ahhahaha
Emmy is so polite about everything she tries, even if it tastes or smells bad lol, so fun to watch taste tests that are descriptive instead of someone just going "EEEW! TASTES LIKE BUTT!"
A lot of South East and Chinese people really go crazy with this fruit even willing to fork out few hundred dollar just to eat it. The best durian breed musang king, is really expensive. On the other side of the world you will need to pay them money for they to even consider eating this.
I've fell in love with Durian. I think it magically chooses whom gets the pleasure of enjoying it. I've never smelled a stinky one. Then it taste like a super sweet custard of I cant explain. Better than my favorite fruit, apricot and persimmon.
Brianna Morris your so right.. she is so well spoken ..she could say "this stuff has a nasty smell it isn't good" but she is like .."it has a beautiful color and an extremely pungent smell" I wish I naturally taked like that lol
I'm not sure the correlation of hot dogs to durian but I do know that some of the states have laws against certain animal scraps being used for food production. Also there are many companies that make hot dogs without using the bone/beaks or other weird bits some might find less than edible. Though in some places it is quite common to consume chicken feet. Legally the companies making and selling these hot dogs are required to list the ingredients but a safe bet is to just not go for the cheap ones. Though, again, I'm not sure what hot dogs have to do with durian.
I've noticed the same thing, and I really like it. It's so nice to see that even if it was something she didn't particularly like, she still treats it with respect and word it in a nice way, because like you said, it *is* a part of someone's culture and maybe many of her viewers have very fond memories of that item she is talking about. It's nice to see a RU-vidr not swear and throw an item across the room just because it wasn't their cup of tea.
+Starchild91 if more people behaved like Emmy, the world would be a better place. Also, I want to try out everything she tries out! At least once. I had crickets and worms after her video... And it's like she said, they're not bad at all!
I always called it banana onion custard but yeah you're right i never thought about that there's definitely vanilla like undertones. I work at a Vietnamese restaurant and eat durian literally every chance i get.
You are right in a way. The distinct odor that a lot of people find objectionable; is only apparent in its raw state. Try cooking it & it all goes away. If combined with jaggery, the coconut sugar & made into a thick sauce & served over sweet sticky rice; it then becomes a dessert. I wonder if the edible pulp is available separate in an Asian market either frozen, fresh, dried or cooked & canned? Just a thought. It certainly would be more convenient & a lot less work.
Fermented-like smell food usually takes 2-3 tries for me, after that I love it, most of the time, same for durian, I hated the smell as a kid but now I would love to have it everyday.
growing up vietnamese, i LOVED durian as a child, and i never even knew that it had a particular smell until i was a teenager and saw things like the durian challenge on youtube! now i can detect somewhat of a smell, but it smells nice and reminds me of childhood :)
Right? Like I don't understand why people find the smell bad. The smell is DIFFERENT from other fruits. Like soooo different. But it's sooo soo good. MY favourite fruit! My mouth is actually watering thinking about it. LOL gotta go to the asian store! PEACE!
Awesome comment. I was born in Saigon. They do have a smell. You must consume the fruit asap and dispose of the remnants asap properly. It will stink up the fridge and house easily. But the sweetness, the complex flavors and textures, and especially it's custardness, is what makes me constantly crave it. 😋 Those who say it stinks, don't know how to pick the right ones or they got one that's starting to over ripen near rotting stage. They don't know how to store it too. It's a fruit that needs to be consumed in one sitting.
Thats because Thai people dont know the right way of eating durians. You gotta wait till it is fully ripe and falls off the tree. Not cut it off and eat it while it is crunchy. Now the Malaysians, they know how to eat durian the right way.
Very interesting!!! This thread sort of connects one I just read saying that "if you overeat {fill up on nothing but} durian you can get drunk". This must have to do with eating really ripe or too some overripe durian, makes sense too me! :-)
I'm thai i love ripe durain but not too much because there will be a chance that it will taste a little bitter and very mushy but for the smell it's pretty normal for durain to have a smell hehe sorry for my bad english
When I was a child growing up in Brunei, I tasted Durian. The exterior look of green giant spikes and the hefty weight was so intriguing to me, I had to watch my parents every move when handling it. Once my parents started to cut into it and opened the fruit up, I thought the smell contained so much fragrance that I could not wait to eat it. I was handed a piece of the creamy soft fruit in my hands I quickly bit into it. The taste was something extraordinary. I thought this was the best fruit I have ever tasted bar-none. Now I am living in Canada, Durian is hard to come by and very expensive to purchase when in season. It is especially more expensive when purchasing fresh and not frozen durian. Of course, the taste is not the same as when purchased directly from the market in the tropics. I cannot wait to visit Brunei again during Durian season. One day I shall return...
i ate it in Bali and Jakarta. it doesn't smell at all, I thought. more like a fermented like smell, not smelly I didn't think. it was really WEIRD. it's kinda funky. I ....strangely, ... LIKED it.
Hylian Hero Link Seriously! Laying-Lying they both can be used in that comment but being from the south it is more common to use laying rather than lying. :)
Heather W. HA! You can't use them both as you please, they don't mean the same thing. Lie means to recline and to rest, while lay means to put down. They both have different endings too. When lie is used in the past tense, it turns to lay (yes it gets confusing); and when it is used in the past participle, it is lain. Now when lay is used in the past tense and past participle it is laid. In the post, it says "looks like an iguana laying". This sentence, either way would have the incorrect from because the word "laying" is neither the past form of lie (because it has an "ing" ending) and it is not the base form of lie because the text is not referring to the iguana being placed into the thing. I know this is very picky and I clearly understood the original post, but if you are writing something really important you may want to use the correct form.
The taste and smell also depends on what kind of durian you get. There are 20+ varieties. Some are sweeter than others, some are more oniony, some are more sulfur like.
Sadly most of what you find isn't good. Imported tropical fruit isn't really that great. I grew up in vietnam and last visit things aren't as they used to be. Shame really with all the pesticides and people destroying really old fruit trees. Top favorites would be longan, jackfruit, rambutan, wax apple, and sugar apples.
Nick Moretti The only similarities that Durian and Jackfruit have are outward appearances. They're not even from the same family of fruits. Jackfruit has a bubble gum taste.
Fun fact: if you're overeating a durian, you can get drunk :^) Also fun fact: the fastest way to get sober is to drink fresh water with the durian's skin as the glass
They put fresh water with the durian skin and they added salt to wash away the smell of the durian on your mouth... It's interesting since I live in a place where durian is very local n common
Guys. Please Stop eating Durian when you're getting dizzy or you may called "drunk" It's not alcohol it's you're body getting overheated because of excessive amount suger & fat intakes. You can DIE. & NEVER eat it with alcohol. You will die. Durians are by far one of the least healthy fruits out there
i don't really understand why there are TONS of people who hate this fruit! this fruit is awesome, definitely one of my top 3 fave fruits. and smells of death and sadness? man it's unicorn and sunshine for me lol
I've tasted durian candy and icecream. To me, it's like a sweet, onion-y mango. Really interesting flavor combination that kept me intrigued enough to keep eating. Would try it again given the chance, it's been years since I tasted it.
I appreciate your Hemmingway'esque description of your personal take on the flavor. I've always been curious, but haven't had the opportunity to try it yet. With yours and Emmy's explanations combined, I feel like I'm that much closer to the experience of tasting it. I love every custard that crosses my path, which makes the durian that much more intriguing to me. It's on my list of 'must try's, for sure :)
I tried durian once and the taste wasn't terrible, but I got heart palpitations soon after the fact. I am sulfur sensitive, and I'm guessing that if the fruit has such a strong sulfurous odor, that it contains a LOT of sulfur compounds. Raw onion makes me sick for the same reason as it's very sulfurous.
The durian I ate in Thailand stank like what would emerge from you if you had a really serious gut disease. One time, it stank my flat out even though the piece was wrapped in clingfilm in a covered bowl in the fridge. It's horrific!
Emmy, you are always so gracious and respectful of the foods you're eating. I really appreciate that. Thanks for sharing this with all of us! Can't wait to see what you have in store for the next one!
Loved this Emmy! It's funny that you mentioned sweet guacamole because in the Philippines, in where I live in, avacados are more often found here with some ice, sugar, and milk. We like it sweet. That's probably why Durian is also a popular snack here and in Southeast Asia. I personally don't care much for it since I find the texture to be very weird and overly mushy. Though my mom loves it very much. Wonderful video, Emmy!
emmymadeinjapan Oh wow you replied! WAAAH. I'm over the top fanboying right now. You're most welcome. Been a fan of you for years and it's really I who should be thanking you for the many pieces of information that you have shared to us, your subscribers! 😍
This is my favorite fruit! The smell doesn't even bother me. Frozen durian smells worse than fresh. I eat the whole fruit in one day. I miss it so bad. They don't sell it where I live now. 😭
i once tried a durian flavored gum from Bali..... it was like chewing a humid basement foul of used socks and rotten onions.... no i wont do the same mistake again
I can totally see why cheese would be gross to someone who wasn't used to it. My mom once made the mistake of feeding a very cheesy lasagna to a group of Chinese exchange students. I don't think they liked it.
Can anyone actually explain scientifically WHY a lot of people hate durian because of how stinky and gross it taste, but for the small majority like me it tastes and smells COMPLETELY different than what they say? Durian tastes so good, and it's not like I eat it frequently. Somehow I don't like durian products, they taste and smell gross.
i'm quite the opposite! my mom bought a LOT of durians at some point, and i got fed up with it. i like the smell of durian, but alas; i can only eat 1-2 tablespoons of 'raw' durian before getting nauseous. Products like durian ice cream or pancakes on the other hand- i can eat a lot without being nauseous.
The frozen ones don't taste as good as the fresh durians. But the fresh unfrozen durians are much more expensive. The last time I looked the 99 Ranch Market was selling fresh unfrozen for close to $3-4 a pound while tfrozen durian was close to $1-2 a pound.
I like to imagine some cave dude finding this spiky ball in a tree and going "o shit wat dat be" and after cracking it open and finding that it smells like rotting flesh, goes "hm I wonder what this tastes like"
I bought my first durian a couple of weeks ago! they must be in season. my local Vietnamese/Asian grocer had them in the freezer section. we got lucky and they were only about $3 per pound. I didn't have high hopes as I don't like overly sweet foods, mushy foods, or foods that are a mix of savory and sweet, but I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to try such an infamous food. I agree, sulfurous is probably the best description. to me it was more like overcooked cabbage than cheese, coupled with burning tires. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I actually tasted it. right there with you, very rich and custard like on the inside with that slightly sulfurous onion/garlic aftertaste. my verdict: if you can find it and you like strange foods, definitely try it at least once. Emmy, I'm with you, it's certainly not my favorite food but it was quite good and I'm glad I gave it a try!!
It's from the BBC panel show "QI", and it was used as Alan Davies's buzzer sound. Apparently it was produced by some guy named Paul Mottram: www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/track/fruity_2136
I tried durian a few years ago, I just had to after hearing the horror stories about it. Didn't think it was anywhere as bad smelling as people made it out to be, the smell just reminded me of a musty onion that had just passed its best. Taste wasn't bad either, there was that oniony taste but also nice and sweet, a very unusual fruit. It made me burp something terrible though, haha. I didn't mind the taste of durian at all, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to have it again. Love your videos!!!!
There is a lot of durian varieties. Some are less smelly and sweeter, some has slight alcoholic bitter sweet taste to it. Thailand's durians are know for their plump flesh, but i don't think they are the best. You should visit Malaysia and try the durian stall in there. Ask for the best one :)
My brother lives in England and I live in Portugal. Every time he comes to visit we watch your videos :)! I can't wait to show him this one when he comes next week! Thanks for the awesome interesting content, Emmy 💜
20 dollars? In the Philippines we have it for 2-7 dollars...it's better when you freeze it coz it tastes like ice cream...your fridge might smell but nah were used to it
Your Durian isn't ripe! It should not be green at all. The best Durian I've had (and I've had a lot) is the one that you buy green and allow to ripen on the counter or outside until they are brown and little splits form.
Durians ripen when they fall off the tree on their own. Her durian is very much ripe otherwise it yould be too hard to eat and the texture it leaves on your tongue is like that of an unripe banana
Not necessarily. From the texture inside it's actually already ripe. Most durians sold especially to Europe or USA would have been plucked out of the trees when they are way too unripe to avoid the strong smell in transit and keep their shelf life longer. The best durians are those that you buy from the orchards. The best variety is from Malaysia the musang king. This one is monthong variety from Thailand.
The pit inside is brown, and the flesh is already separated from the pit. I consider this as a ripe durian..... That level of ripeness you love, I (and probably a lot of thais) would find that a rotten durian. But it depends on what kind of durian anyway.....
It's my favorite, I grew up on it. But now living on my own. Being the only one who loves it. It's too expensive. The king of fruit. Yum. Thanks for the awesome content.
When I ate this in Singapore, I had to sit in an isolated area outdoors. Durian is banned from hotel rooms in Singapore. The smell is off-putting but the taste and texture is amazing!
I always wondered if the durians that got exported to your all respective countries are somehow gotten bad on the way or just not the good ones 🤔🤔 Here in my country, they're smell just like fruit; sweet and all. Far from being smelled like death/stinky diapers/rotten socks etc. 😂😂😂 p.s I'm not a fan of this fruit because it's pricey. I could buy like a week worth of banana, dragon fruit or watermelon for only 1 durian lol
Yayyyyyy you finally found a durian! I would love to find one to try someday because it's so different than anything I could imagine tasting. What will you do with the left over Emmy? I'm sure you won't let it go to waste, did your husband and kids try it? If so what did they think of it? =}
My husband pretty much shares my opinion, and while I offered it to the boys they decided to pass. 😂 I gave the rest of the fruit to a friend who LOVES it, so nothing went to waste.
People who does not like durian smell/taste like my husband describe it with bizzare words like rotten onion, garlic, diaper, dirty socks, trash, etc. People who really like it like me, describe it as sweet custardy vanilla fruity/cream brulee ice cream, etc 😆
Mmmm... Durian... Brought one home from the local Asian supermarket once - cleared out a whole house full of Hispanic roommates... Odd though, as it smelled to me just like the roommates menudo... 8-)
Actually we in Southeast Asia don't freeze durian. It is best to be eaten fresh if possible. Commercially produced monthong durian from Thailand aren't the best durian because it is unripe & the flesh are hard. The chanee variety from Thailand is better, it's yellow in color, softer & much sweeter. The problem with durian is that it ripens when it falls from the tree so you cant actually pick/pluck it from the tree & let it ripen. It won't taste good.
I love when people can set aside their opinion and enjoy something for what it is... many things are like this... bulldogs and other drool makers...ewe... canned fish, smells grosse but tastes interesting and sometimes amazing... and this fruit, cheesy and oniony but sweet and delisious! now I want to try it...
It’s weird but I don’t notice any of the smells people associate with durian, like cheese for example, durian just smells like durian to me, the way an apple would smell like an apple, I don’t notice a strong smell at all.. nothing wrong with my sense of smell either I promise 🤭
I love Durian. It is very sweet and oniony but I like onions and the oniony tastes goes away and the oniony smell does too. At least they did too me. I know they stink but I think a lot of people over exaggerate about the smell.
Andrew Zimmerman was unable to eat this, he turned his face away from the camera and spit it out. Anthony Bourdain ate this and said that it was like having a compost pile in our stomach. I ate this and it was very creamy, until the smell it me. I never trusted my girlfriend(Vietnamese) to feed me anything again without inspecting it first. I was forced to help clean a maggot infested garbage can, as a child, and the smell was undistinguished from the smell of the durian. I never ate it again. It was horrendous and I felt dirty, like I had a mouthful of sin. The fact that she had to eat it frozen, which always reduces the aromatics of a substance, is telling.
I live in Thailand and i look forward to the time of the year that it comes out. What does it smell like? well imagine a large Vidalia onion and dirty gym socks mixed. what does it taste like? well that depends on how ripe you let it get. We like it super ripe, the stinkier the better. The taste of a super ripe one is more complex and the texture is super soft and creamy. the Thai's how ever don't like it like that, they like it more firm/less ripe. they have two kinds of durian also. one is mon-tong and the other is called chin-ney. Mon-tong being the best with snall seeds and a bit more creaminess to it. the one shown here is chin-ney with big seeds and fetches a lower price at the market.
You're eating the wrong ones. there are almost 100 varieties. i hated them at first because of the texture, which is as you say. but there are more fibrous ones which are more like mango texture. once you get over the texture and the unusual smell, they're really good. btw, i vomited the first time i tried one. but i was determined to understand why people liked it. now after several attempts, i love durian. It's worth the effort it is the very definition of an acquired taste.
