I have been intrigued by durian for years because of their cool spiky shell and high price. I hadn't heard much about them until recently. I was shopping with a friend who pointed them out and I decided to try the frozen pulp to avoid having to open one up in the house.
Some of my friend's pointers: the stinkier they are the more ripe they tend to be so they will have a better flavor and texture. The larger the pieces of pulp or fruit the more likely it is to be flavorful.
So I bought a package with the largest pieces of pulp I could find and it didn't start being stinky until it was defrosted and the package was opened. It was certainly stinky (along the lines of old carcass I guess but I wouldn't really know since I've never smelled an old carcass). But it tasted fabulous! It was easy to get past the scent knowing that it was supposed to taste great. It tastes like a wonderfully silky custard.
If your shopping for them in Houston a lot of the Asian grocery stores carry them frozen. I recommend eating them outside and be forewarned that the scent is hard to get away from!
I heard on NPR that someone is developing a non-stinky version of durian. I can understand why but I wonder what would be lost in not having that odor as you eat it. I'm afraid it might be like having an odorless cheese.
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