This is it, then. The durian. Dreaded because of its pungent smell, but for many Thai (and other Asians) their favorite piece of fruit and therefore sometimes affectionately called the king of fruit.

How does it taste? Yes, difficult. It's a bit sweet, a bit creamy, a bit indescribable. Some find it tastes like cheese, others like onions or sweaty socks... It's elusive, and that's what fascinates. The famous traveling cook Anthony Bourdain, who was fond of durian, would have described it this way: "You breathe smelly as if you've tongue-kissed your deceased grandmother."

Oops. Could be, but in Asia humans and animals love it (indeed, elephants and some monkeys like it too). And that it stinks, oh licorice stinks too.

It still makes a difference how fresh the durian is. Once picked or fallen from the tree, the fruit ripens very fast. In the beginning it tastes more like a hard bitter vegetable, then it becomes softer, sweeter and more fruity. Not unimportant: they are full of vitamins and minerals!

Durian doesn't exactly look like a cute apple. They are tough guys, those durians. They have a thick frightening pointy skin and can grow to 20 to 30 centimeters and 10, 15 centimeters thick, weighing easily over 10 kilos. Because of that size, they are sometimes confused with jackfruit (also called nangka), which two look alike. Only jackfruit is usually even bigger. We'll talk about jackfruit next time. But.... are you going to taste durian the next time you have the chance?