What is durian like, and can the world’s smelliest fruit really kill you?

The ‘King of Fruits’ is pungent, healthy, and potentially deadly.

Photo by Job Savelsberg on Unsplash

The legendary Durian fruit hails from Southeast Asia and is famous for a couple of things - but most notably, the fact that it smells. Some think its aroma is wonderful, while most think very much the opposite, but all sides agree that the odour is unique and incredibly strong. In Southeast Asia and popular export markets like China, the first reference or encounter many will have with the fruit will be public signs banning it.

Where does durian originate?

Known as ‘The King of Fruits’, durian is native to Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia but is now farmed across Asia. All it needs is somewhere consistently hot, as the fruit stops growing when the average temperature drops below 22 Celsius (72 Fahrenheit). It is primarily farmed in Southern India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Hainan (Chinese…