Durian

Durio zibethinus; duren. A remarkable and justly celebrated South-East Asian fruit. Fresh durian are flown to London from Thailand, but are extremely expensive. Even in countries where they grow, they are not cheap because demand is always high. The received wisdom is that the smell is dreadful, the taste divine. In fact the durian tastes as it smells; the flavour is extremely complex, and it has been suggested that every tree is unique. The smell is certainly strong, and annoying in a confined space. A good mature durian looks like a large green rugby football covered with sharp pyramidal spikes. The thick rind, when split open, reveals four or five compartments, each with one or more large seeds, each seed covered with a thick soft layer of flesh, yellow as custard and approaching the same consistency.