Bizarre food - How to eat a durian for beginners!!!

I just saw an ad on the Travel Channel for an episode of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. it actually looks very fun and interesting. Usually I'm ok with his show, it's nice to watch but I still prefer Anthony Bourdain any day...no offense Andrew Zimmern.

But this episode looks very fun. Isn't that a great idea, to make a bizarre food holiday party? Get all your friends together, invite them for a treat. Boy are they going to be surprised! Now he's got me thinking! Maybe I should have my own bizarre foods party right? Yeah, right!

I do have to give it to him though, he does eat all sort of crazy stuff. And most of which I am certain I would not ever eat! One thing I can say that I can actually eat something that Andrew Zimmern cannot eat at all, and he's tried it twice on two of his episodes - Durians.

I love, absolutely love durians. I understand that a good majority of the public cannot even force themselves to even put a piece of that fruit in their mouths let alone down their throat.

Well if you are absolutely inclined to try it, here's my suggestion as to how to eat a durian for beginners!!!

Contrary to common notion of fresh is better, I would first stay away from the entire fruit. Don't get anything fresh off the supermarket. You don't want to take that big sharp piece of fruit that most people find it to stink into your home!

Although yes the best of durian is experienced while fresh, it's much much easier to be introduced to durian as a frozen treat then fresh. The texture combined with the smell of the fresh fruit and the huge intimidating look of the fruit will deter most from going through with it! It was exactly this that took down Andrew Zimmern in both episodes. The texture and the smell just feels like sh*t, literally! Imagine a gooey, slimy and drippy piece of yellow meat that smells very strong, enough to get it banned by many hotels in southeast Asia!

So my suggestion is to buy frozen boxes of the meat themselves. When durian meat are frozen, the odour is much diminished and the texture is totally changed. That's a great way to be acquainted with the taste and the smell to a lower degree before taking the big plunge to the heavy duty version.

Now if even that is too much for you, then another way to take the plunge and learn to eat durian is to try durian flavored ice creams which as sold at various ice cream stores in Asia. I found some in Macao and Hong Kong when I was back there last summer. I guess someone's been busy inventing flavors, ran out of choices and decided to go for a durian ice cream. Nevertheless it'll be a great way to be acquainted and used to the taste of Durian before doing the real deal.

So after eating both the ice cream version and then the frozen version, you are now ready to try the real fruit.

Get the real deal, with the big shell and spikes and all. Make sure everyone in your home is ready for this since the smell could bother them. I would not recommend dipping into it on a hot summer day. Make sure your AC in your house is on, and you are in a comfortable environment. Make sure there's air flowing through the house to dilute the smell a bit so it's not as strong as it would be with static air.

Now crack open the durian and take out a lovely piece of yellow meat with your fingers. Try not to breath in too much when you take your first couple of bites. Remember taste is much more influenced by smell then the actual taste. Take that first bite, let the meat slide down your throat in a smooth silky manner. And voila, you have now ate your first piece of fresh durian.

Oh, btw, the durian is a very powerful fruit. Chance are even after you are done eating it, you'll be hearing from it from your tummy all day long as you burp and air escape from your stomach!

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Article by Paul Kwo

Durian Photo by: W.A. Djatmiko (Wie146)
Licensed under: GNU Free Documentation License