Where To Buy Fresh Durian

A reader saw a post I wrote a few months back on how to open a durian fruit and asked, "Where can you buy fresh durian?"

Well, the answer is pretty easy; if your town has an Asian supermarket or an Asian neighborhood like Chinatown or Little Saigon, you'll find it there. It may be in the freezer section, however. Most markets freeze durian because it helps preserve their shelf life and cut down on the strong odor.

If your town doesn't have any Asian markets, I suggest going to your local Chinese, Vietnamese, or Thai restaurant (if applicable) and inquiring if they have sources for buying durian and getting it delivered to you.

Good luck!

Comments (9)

Nooooooooooooo! My mortal enemy!

posted by Plaid Ninja on October 13th 2008 at 11:35am
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Ooo! I should get one for my next book club (and pray it's warm enough to have the windows open and the fan on!)

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on October 13th 2008 at 11:52am
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Oh right, the fruit that smells like pungent, old, stanky gym socks. . . Best to keep their whereabouts a mystery. Definitely an acquired taste. Think maybe you have to have the DNA gene for that kind of olfactory tolerance. eeks.

Reminds me of when I saw signs outside some stores in China that said No Durian Fruit (like no shoes, no shirt, no service). Makes me wonder why anyone would be carrying around open durian (much less purchasing them whole).

posted by reb on October 13th 2008 at 3:28pm
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99 ranch markets

posted by aub on October 13th 2008 at 4:44pm
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I think the more pressing question is WHY would you buy fresh durian?

posted by EmmieB on October 13th 2008 at 5:10pm
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Durian is the ONLY food that Andrew Zimmern could not bring himself to eat on the first season of 'Bizarre Foods.'

posted by Matilda on October 14th 2008 at 5:01am
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I've heard that it tastes really good... has anyone actually tried it? I know it stinks to high heaven, but what does the fruit actually taste like?

They sell a lot of Durian at the Asian markets here (Alberta) and I always see people buying them. What's the secret?

posted by revolution9 on October 14th 2008 at 5:16am
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It's really not an acquired taste. It tastes like the custard in a Boston Cream doughnut. But, you know, smelly. So it's more of an acquired ability to try and not let the smell put you off it.

Revolution9: The issue is where to get FRESH durian. Most of what you see in the markets is frozen during shipping which cuts down on the smell and flavor.

posted by Schwartz on October 14th 2008 at 5:23am
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The international market here has a deep-freeze-type cooler in the produce section dedicated to durian. There is a big warning label on the lid so that no one opens it accidentally...

posted by Aimi on October 14th 2008 at 6:19am
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