Just like Jakarta, the big durian, you are either going to love it or to hate it. There is no in between.
Durian is being judged as the world’s smelliest fruit, it has distinctive odor and sometimes described to have the stench of old gym socks. The lovers of this King of fruit will argue that the spicy fruit has a sweet smell. The chewy flesh is so soft, like a cream cheese mix with custard.
This fruit is so powerful, it could divide a family into two, the haters and the lovers. The pungent smell would stop the haters from having them around the house, while the lovers would do anything to have them. The fight about durian in the family could be nasty, as durian haters feel they deserve fresh air, free from the potent stench of the fruit. While for the lovers, the smell is not really that bad.
I was once a durian hater, but I was converted by a former colleague. One evening, we were sitting in a durian place, not far from Hermes Palace Hotel in Banda Aceh. My former colleague ate durian passionately, so passionate that I think she was having duriangasm. It’s the foodgasm caused by a delicious durian.
Not knowing the pleasure of eating durian (and obviously wanted to have duriangasm), I decided to try it. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and thankfully, it was one of the best durians I’ve ever had. The smell of the durian was not strong, perfect for newbie like me; they said it was fresh from the tree. Hence, less smelly. That night, we combined the durian with sticky rice, like a real Banda Acehnese, and it was a lip-smacking combination.
For Indonesians durian lovers, travelling around the country means tasting local durian. I traveled to different places in Indonesia to see the country and to taste durian, but the one place that I could never forget is Medan, a city famous for all-year round durian. A famous durian seller from the city, even claims, you haven’t been to Medan, if you haven’t taste Ucok Durian.
Durian Medan is so famous that Indonesians like to bring them back home as oleh-oleh (gift). Despite the ban from airlines to bring them to the cabin, people still find a way to “smuggle” durian. The seller will pack fresh durian flesh in a plastic box, wrapped with few layers of plastic, covered with a spoonful of coffee powder before re-wrapping it with another plastic. It is belief that the coffee would eliminate the smell of the durian. A former colleague tried it, but the flight attendants cannot be fooled.
Despite our love to durian, people hate the idea of having durian in a flight. Recently, a Sriwijaya Air flight was delayed as the passengers weren’t happy with the smell of durian inside the cabin. The airline carried three tonnes durians and some passengers claimed it as a safety hazard. They walked out from the flight and refused to fly. It’s either them or durian. The case of people vs durian was unfortunately won by the people.
Fearing of flying with durian came from the incident that happened in 2005, Mandala Airline crashed in Medan and more than 2 tonnes of durian was found in the scene. Up until today, there are still too many people who believe the crash was caused by the durians, not the engine.
What’s the best way to eat durian? Fresh durian would still be the best way to eat it and in Indonesia, we like them ripe. A combination of durian with sticky rice (like the one I had in Banda Aceh) is also good. There are also people who eat durian with rice, many of us would find this weird. Durian can also be processed “for a snack”, such as pancake, glutinous rice cake, ice cream, cheesecake, pizza and the list go on.
Durian is claimed to be dangerous for health, as it might increase cholesterol level. It is of course a myth. Turn out, durian has no cholesterol. People also believe that people could get drunk if they eat too much durian, as it contains alcohol. In Indonesia, we call it mabuk durian. Despite the myths, the smell and the hates we receive for loving them, our love for durian is undeniable. We love it so much that some of us bring it to the bedroom, as a durian flavour condom (okay this is too much!).
Do you love durian?
xx,
Tjetje
Ailtje 
I love durian! 😉
Me too!
Aku ga pernah makan durian sejak lahir sampai detik ini. Alasannya cuma satu : ga suka aromanya. Penyebabnya karena Ibuku suka banget makan durian, dan makannya di rumah. Duh ga suka aromanya menyebar di rumah. Ga ada niatan juga aku untuk makan. Suamiku doyaann banget. Awal makan ya pas ke Indonesia pertama kali 2014 langsung jatuh cinta dia. Sampai saat ini kalau ke restoran Indonesia nyarinya es campur durian. Atau kalau ada pasar Raya, pengen beli durian utuh. Aku bilang boleh saja, asal ga dimakan di dalam rumah. Di halaman rumah haha. Dia juga suka jengkol, aku ga pernah makan sama sekali.
Jengkol is nice, it taste like potato. Give it a try, despite the smell, it tastes very nice!
aku dulu pecinta durian tapi nggak lagi sekarang, ntah kenapa.. gak demen jengkol juga hehehe
I lake cucukan (sirsak).😃
Wah udah lama gak makan sirsak.
Durian, buat saya, biasa-biasa saja. Ada oke, ga ada ya sudah. Baunya juga ga bikin mual.
Oh ya, coba ke kebun durian mba. Di bogor ada Kebun Durian Warso, bisa makan durian juga es dan serabi duren disana. Bonusnya kita bisa lihat pohon duren langsung (dan foto-foto sama duren yang buahnya ada di dahan yg pendek). Ada pohon buah lainnya juga. #bukan-iklan. Hehehe
Ah jadi dapet ide buat nulis blog soal Kebun Warso nich. Thanks 😀
Wah tulis dong, menarik kayaknya itu!
aku benernya gak suka
tapi anakku yang pertama
usia 4 tahun
memang anak medan dia kali ya
SUKA BANGET SAMA DURIANNN
heran juga saya
Wah masih kecil doyan, menarik.
Since i lived in medan for more than 15 years, i’m getting sick of durian..
We consume durian alot, every saturday with or friends, for some informal event and for the sake of non-medan who eagerly to taste Ucok durian..
Sometimes i just want to tell them , Medan is cullinary town, you can find many famous and delicious ‘warteg’, not only ucok durian wkwkkw there is bika ambon, bolu meranti, BPK, nanihura, Jeruk berastagi . you even can find alot of Indian food in Kampung Keling (Madras) or Chinese Food in Semarang , why Durian?
I spent around 3 months in Medan, did not have the chance (and the gut) to eat during. But I tried them all, bubur selat panjang, lontong sayur, nasi goreng kampung keling. I only tried the durian three years later. LOL
But hey, durian is so good, so why not?
Won’t people be sick of something that they usually/always eat (or do)? okey that maybe just me wkwkwkk
Like pete-an, jengkol-an and mabuk durian?
wkwkwkw exactly..
Aku setuju, yang bikin “polarisasi” di Indonesia itu bukan politik tetapi durian. Ada yang suka banget. Ada yang sangat tidak suka. Kalau aku sih suka banget.
Hahaha bener banget!
This fruit is so powerful, it could divide a family into two, the haters and the lovers. Couldn’t agree more!
Indeed!
I love durians but not crazy about it. And I have to admit Medan and Aceh durian are the bomb! My mom family comes from Sumatra so we are big in durian. My grandma used to cook tempoyak, which is fermented durian mixed with chilli sambal, and we eat it with rice and fried fish. So good!!
Tempoyak, I’ve heard about it but never tasted it. Sounds delicious.
Second you on Durian Aceh and Medan.
bokap gua doyan banget sama tempoyak.. gua malah stress sama baunya hehehe..
I love durian!!!
oia di Palembang durian aja dijadiin sambel loh Mbak Tjetje. tapi aku belum pernah nyobain jadi ga tahu enak apa engganya 😀
Really? Give it a try, nanti ceritain ya rasanya gimana.
When I go to Palembang again, I’ll try mbak Tjetje.
buat yang udah nyobain, rasanya enak dan cocok aja sih sebenernya.
Aku suka duren sejak kecil! Hampir seluruh anggota keluargaku suka duren kecuali adik, sepupu, dan tante. Pas tinggal di Belanda, makan duren cuma bisa setahun sekali kalo ke Tong Tong Fair. Cowokku tahun lalu aku ajakin makan duren, eh dia juga doyan. Lhaaa 🤣
Kenapa cuma bisa setahun sekali? Gak ada yang jual ya di sana?
Aku pernah liatnya udah frozen gitu, gak fresh. Yang fresh cuma pas Tong Tong Fair atau datang ke festival makanan Malaysia.
Aha, di sini semuanya frozen. Aku gak gitu suka tapi, karena Thai punya.
Me love durian so much..and as an Acehnese woman, most of the time, I eat durian with sticky rice like Banda Acehneses do, though I live in Jakarta ☺☺☺
The proper and the nice way.
Ahh..i was also durian hater that converted into durian lover 😛 karena panen durian di kampung mertuaaaaa..tergoda liat suami makan, nyicip dengan ketakutan, tapi ujungnya malah ketagihan. 😂 kami bawa pulang ke rumah 1 karung (kurleb 45 butir), habis dlm 3 hari dimakan oleh 6 orang. Tobat. Tobat.
OMG, gimana itu ngabisinnya?
Kami juga bingung gimana kok bisa abis..tp thanks God ga ada yg mabok duren 😂
Kalau ada dimakan, kalau gak ada ga nyariin. Dan anehnya aku cuma suka durian fresh, kalau durian yg ada di kue, pancake, es krim gt kurang suka.
Aku sekarang gak begitu semangat makan yang fresh, seneng pancake, tapi spesifik yang Nelayan punya. Yummy! Kalau ice cream gak berasa duren, bau doang.
Ketan + Durian = Kedur..😁
I don’t like durians, haha 😛
Ah that’s too bad.
Dulu suka banget sama durian ( waktu masih kecil ), jadi kita punya toko pas masih tinggal di hometown ( medan kesananya lagi ), nah kalau lagi musiim durian tuh, sering banget dikasih durian sampe berkarung2 sama yang suka belanja ke toko.. Itu yang makan cuma aku, sama bokap nyokap aja.. Yang lainnya gak suka.. pokoknya mabok durian deh.. Pas udah gedean, pernah kerja di restoran, salah satu menunya ada durian, dan duriannya beli di supermarket, tapi karena jarang laku, yang ada malah, habis dimakanin sama karyawan, sebelum membusuk haha.. Resign dr sana, jarang banget makan durian, trus belakangan sebelum pindah, nyoba lagi, kok rasanya aneh, dan yah udah biasa2 aja.. gak kepengen2 banget..
Disini ada Durian frozen yang sepaket sama ketan mangga ( ini produk Thai ), gak kepengen nyoba juga.. takut ma baunya haha..
Durian Thailand gak kayak durian Medan, enakan yang durian Medan.
Wah bisa ya jadi anti durian. Mungkn udah puas 🙂