“Here, smell this,” my husband Alan said the other night when he came home holding a paper bag.

I looked at him skeptically as he put the sack to my nose.

“I brought you a surprise,” he said. “Don’t worry. It’s food.”

I do love surprises—especially when they involve eating—but I sniffed suspiciously at the bag.

It smelled….Ripe. Fruity. Floral.

And a little bit like yesterday’s socks.

I reached into the bag and pulled out a shiny, golden bun sprinkled with sesame seeds.

“It’s from the Vietnamese bakery,” Alan explained.

“It’s a durian-coconut bun.”

If you’ve ever come within 20 feet of a ripe durian, an oversized thorny fruit native to Southeast Asia, you have to wonder what possessed the first person to try to eat it.

Not only is its greenish-brown exterior covered with pointy spikes—like a child’s drawing of a hedgehog—but it possesses an undeniably pungent aroma.

Because of its smell, durian has been famously forbidden in the Singapore subway, in hotels, and in many public places.

I first sampled durian years ago in Kuala Lumpur. The flesh is creamy, almost custard-like, and the fruit tastes tropical and softly sweet—far gentler than the over-ripe, musky smell it exudes.

I’ve seen it raw and in ice cream, but it never occurred to me that you could bake with it.

I bit into the durian-coconut bun that Alan brought home, a pillowy-soft bread filled with a mash of buttery, sugary coconut.

It tasted quite like a Chinese “cocktail” bun, except for its flowery, fruity notes.

And its more prominent smell.

Which was not a benefit.

I do like surprises, though. Even if they’re slightly stinky.

**********

Our durian-coconut buns came from Tung Hing Bakery (1198 Kingsway, Vancouver), which makes stellar bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwiches), in addition to its pastries. The bakery also has several locations in the Toronto area, including one in East Chinatown (674 Gerrard St. East, Toronto).

The Washington Post recently published two durian articles by writer Julie Wan: “What it takes for the durian to smell of success” and “How to pick and eat durian fruit.”

National Geographic weighs in with a video about this “Funky Smelling Fruit.”

And for all the news that’s fit to print, about durian anyway, check out All About Durian, a fledgling durian blog.

Have you seen, or sampled, durian-coconut buns in Asia? Please leave a comment and tell us about how they tasted – or smelled!

And if you’re a food blogger, join the fun! Here’s all you have to do to link your post to WanderFood Wednesday.

Photo credits:
Durian-coconut buns and bun interior ©Carolyn B. Heller
Whole durian by YIM Hafiz (flickr)
Forbidden durian by James Cridland (flickr)

On a trip to Asia, I had a brief layover in the Seoul airport. It was very early in the morning. The layover was just long enough between flights that I needed to eat something but very few places were open.

I managed to find a noodle shop with a veggie bowl. Yes, that’s vegetarian meat plunked down in the middle of the bowl.

It actually was not a bad bowl of soup and, even though it was close to $10, it sure beat the options that I find at most U.S. airports!

Come back to join the WanderFood Wednesday meme!

Life’s Short, Eat Well!