Duuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiaaaaaaaaaannnnn!

I tried durian for the first time today. This notoriously smelly, extremely spiky fruit is a delicacy in Indonesia, and the locals LOVE it. Not sure why. It’s banned from buses and hotels due to the pungent aroma it gives off, which is a heady mix of vomit, rotten fruit and shit. Delightful! There is a sign on the counter of the Novotel in Medan that bans durian from the building!

You crack it open and inside are a number of little ‘chambers’ of custard yellow, gluggy fruit, in fact the consistency is actually a lot like custard. The taste: well, hard to describe; nothing like I’ve ever tried. Only enjoyable to a certain extent, then the texture and strange taste kicks in. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like it, but it sure is something I wouldn’t eat very often!

And it’s quite expensive, because it is so rare and such a prized food. It was 30,000 Rp for one, which is about A$5. Still, worth it for a taste! The rest I palmed off to our staff who were more than happy to help devour it.