It’s also used in traditional Asian medicine, as both an anti-fever treatment and a aphrodisiac. It's not the first time durian has caused a panic. Of the durian, food writer Richard Sterling writes (via Smithsonian Magazine), "Its odor is best described as... turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. Despite its smell, people consume the fruit raw or incorporate it into recipes and enjoy its creamy consistency and sweet flavor. The fruit is extremely popular and loved by many in Southeast Asia, but the smell alone has put off many newcomers. Yeah, you read that right—this has happened two times in one month. If you’ve smelled a durian even once, you probably remember it. Continue The fruit changes significantly over a very short period of time. It maybe unpleasant to some but not to those who are familiar with durians. Anthony Bourdain calls it “indescribable, something you will either love or despise…Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.” The fruit’s flesh is sometimes eaten raw, or is cooked and used to flavor a number of traditional Southeast Asian dishes and candies. Although repulsive to most, some people adore the taste and smell of Durians and are willing to pay a wealth of money for this most expensive fruit. Privacy Statement Durian fruit stink prompts university evacuation. According to the Spruce Eats, the smell of durian has been described as being like “dirty gym socks, rotten egg, cut onions, manure, and roadkill.” The strong odor of the fruit is thought to be attributed to the presence of sulfur compounds (like those … Durian fruit is a large fruit with custard-like flesh and a hard, spiky shell. The smell of durian is perhaps the hardest thing to explain about this fruit, and even though it sounds cliché, this is one of those aromas that you have to experience and smell for yourself to determine what it smells like. When picking out a durian fruit to buy, locals will first smell it, the stronger it smells, the better it will taste! Literally. Now, in a new study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, a group of scientists from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry has attempted to figure out how exactly the fruit produces such a powerful stench. “It's like a box of chocolates, but a bad box of chocolates” Check out more awesome videos at BuzzFeedVideo! Terms of Use Esters are chemicals that produce fruity smells like the pineapple aroma. If you’ve never seen a durian fruit, it’s unlikely you’d miss it as you perused the farmers market. I was enjoying eating this fruit almost every day and felt my health benefited so much from consuming this fruit. Image via Wikimedia Commons/Kalai, If you’ve smelled a durian even once, you probably remember it. By Rob Picheta and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN. Some liken the smell of durian to burning tyres – but once you’ve had a good one, you’ll understand the fever Durian: a tropical fruit with a divisive smell and devoted fans. The Durian's smell can resemble many things such as smelly cheese, dirty socks, vomit, rotten onions, antiseptic, cat pee, pig poo, and toilets! Published. (CNN)Twelve German postal workers received medical treatment and dozens more were evacuated due to a pungent suspect package -- which turned out to be a shipment of the notoriously smelly durian fruit. Either you hate it, or you love it, but everyone who’s tried it has an opinion on the durian fruit. Durian is a fruit from Southeast Asia that’s famous for its large size, its thick and spiky shell, and its pungent smell and potent flavor. How can such an esteemed and expensive fruit smell so bad? Last year, staff at the University of Canberra library were forced to evacuate the building due to a suspected gas leak, but a search revealed the stench was in fact caused by the fruit.