A Durian in Every Country.

Today’s post is a special one because it comes from fellow travel bloggers Lindsay and Rob as they they traverse the world on the hunt for durian. Please be sure to read their full bio below and be sure to swing by their site Year Of The Durian. They have a ton of excellent articles about traveling the world on the hunt for durian and they also have plenty of durian recipes as well. I love this post and want to thank them for sharing it with all of us. I can’t wait to try a durian now!

Fruit hunting as a hobby is probably slightly less crazy then keeping stuffed animals in the front seat of the car for company, but it does provide an excuse for traveling farther than the nearest grocery store.

In 2012, my husband Rob and I spent an entire year traveling to eat durian, that weird, spiky Asian monstrosity that occasionally makes headlines for flooring a food critique or being smuggled indoors.

In Western media, the durian’s innate weirdness is news enough. The most we’re usually told about durian is that it smells horrible and is banned in hotels and public spaces due to its penetrating odor, a smell designed for the depths of the jungle and not for shopping malls and subways. But durian is more than a freak show dessert.

Throughout Southeast Asia, the durian is called the King of Fruit. It is an object of intense desire, craving, and even addiction.  Although its pungent garlicky aroma may at first be a turnoff to the uninitiated, beneath the thorns awaits the soft pillows of cream that induce poor men to spend an entire month’s salary on a single fruit and declare it worth it.  Neighbors come to blows over a durian fallen in the driveway, and thievery is common. An entire tree laden with fruit may disappear overnight, and shopkeepers sleep with their durians. A local saying is that it “smells like hell but tastes like heaven.”

In the past, would be durian revelers had to contend with elephants, sun bears, orangutans, and even tigers for that taste of heaven. But as Southeast Asia develops, the durian and what it means to the people who eat it is changing. From factories to farms to festivals to feasts, our durian-centric adventure took us to nine different countries and finally, back to the jungle.

Here’s a country by country snapshot of our Year of the Durian and a unique view of travel in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia

A Batak woman in northern Sumatra waits for a ride. Indonesia is one of the most ethnically diverse countries, a loosely joined network of thousands of islands, hundreds of tribes and endemic languages, and some of the most pristine wilderness areas in the world.

Thailand

A dancer at a durian festival in a Northeastern province home to four different tribal ethnicities. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a Europeans and has managed both to hold on to its multifaceted cultural heritage and to develop an agricultural infrastructure to meet world demand for fruits. Today Thailand is the undeniable durian superpower, producing nearly more durian than every other country in Southeast Asia combined.

Cambodia

A durian vendor takes rests at a roadside durian stall in Kampong Cham. Although haunted by the genocide and civil war that continued into the late 1990’s, Cambodia retains a sleepy, rural charm that makes this country one of my favorites to visit. The durian is good, too.

Malaysia

An elephant munches a durian at an elephant reserve. Malaysia is a good humored nation engaged in a balancing act between its growing wealth and western ideals and preservation of its diverse ethnic heritage and natural areas. Some of the best tasting durian in the world can be found here. Nom-nom.

Singapore

An evening crowd gathers at a durian stalls in this fast paced city constantly on the edge of something new. Although the country is tiny and almost completely urban, Singaporeans consume the most durian per capita of any country, predominantly at “durian restaurants” like this one.

Vietnam

A bright yellow durian enjoyed over a view of the Mekong River Delta. Vietnam is a country determined to forget its turbulent past. Many farmers are embracing new technology and durian varieties brought in from Thailand, threatening local varieties and durian culture.

Philippines

Boys compete in a durian eating contest at the Tagum City Durian Festival on the island of Mindanao.  In the Philippines, people really go all out to celebrate.  It really is more fun in the Philippines!

Sri Lanka

Rob chats with a local over a durian. Sri Lanka is India’s tiny island neighbor. While it has all of India’s color, Sri Lanka has a culture all its own and is an untouristed, durian filled gem.

Brunei

Durians in front of the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque.  Brunei is a tiny country encapsulated on both sides by Malaysian Borneo. It’s ruled by the only Islamic monarchy in Southeast Asia, whose apparently benign monarch has helped preserve Brunei’s pristine stretches of jungles and wild durians. Six species of durian can be found here.

Borneo

A tribal auntie cleans durian in a small village along a river with no roads. Borneo is the second largest island in the world. Borneo is split between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei but is really a world of its own.

Lindsay & Rob on the hunt for durian.

Author’s Bio:

Rob and Lindsay are still out there on the durian prowl, currently covering the durian scene in India and its growing popularity as an infertility treatment. For more of Rob & Linsay’s fun and quirky stories about durian, head over to Year Of The Durian.

You can also watch them hunt for durian in real time on their very active Year Of The Durian facebook page and Year Of The Durian Google+ page.