Durian: Love It or Hate It?

I give the super stinky (but beloved) Thailand fruit my first-ever tasting. Watch the results for yourself!

What is that awful, pungent smell? If you’re walking around Thailand during the rainy season, it must be durian, the beloved Thai fruit which supposedly tastes like heaven but smells like hell.

Since arriving in Thailand, I had heard of the stinky fruit and then I started to smell it in grocery stores or in markets and what surprised me is that even though the smell is awful (think wet socks or a piece of fruit you left in the fridge too long) people go crazy for it. You see it everywhere and not just the fruit itself but dried durian chips, durian ice cream and even durian sticky rice with coconut milk.

I knew I’d have to try it sooner or later so with the help of my husband, Boyd, who has been eating durian since he was a kid growing up in Bangkok, it was my turn. As luck would have it, we bought some durian with sticky rice and coconut milk at a small stand near our condo, which is luckier than you think because one thing about durian is that it smells so bad that it’s not allowed on any of the train lines in Bangkok. (See the video below and you’ll see the signs that are posted in front of every subway entrance!)

But we brought it back to our condo, which quickly reeked of durian but we were committed to giving it my best try with Boyd providing some context for the fruit and why it’s so beloved in Thailand. We also ventured down the street to Swenson’s in our neighborhood (yes, Swenson’s is everywhere in Bangkok!) since we noticed they had a whole menu of different durian ice cream dishes you could try.

Watch the video below (and please click on LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to our channel if you’re so inclined!) and you’ll find out more about durian and how I felt about it after eating it.

….and in case you missed our earlier video where we try a terrific cook-it-yourself ramen restaurant in Bangkok called Good Noodle, you can watch it here, too!

What other kinds of Thai food would you like to see us try? Let us know in the comments!