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Some common methods used to remove the lingering stench include pandan leaves and bamboo charcoal.
Singapore, July 19, 2009 - Student Cheong Jiahui has a thorny issue with her family members. At this time of year, she has to avoid the rest of the household and lock herself in her room, for up to two days.
That is because durian season is here and she abhors the fruit. Unfortunately, the rest of her family love it.
The 19-year-old says: “I even avoid touching or using whatever they have used because I’m afraid that the smell will transfer to me.
“When they put a durian in the fridge, I won’t drink any water in there because it will somehow taste and smell like durian.”
With only one more month left to go before the durian season ends, it is durians galore at roadside stalls and supermarkets. Quality ones sell for anything from $12 to $22 a kilo.
Singaporeans eat an average of about 21,000 tonnes of durians a year, according to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore.
But like Ms Cheong, not everyone goes green-eyed when they see you crack open a savoury ball of spikes. After all, with the king of fruits, it is a case of love it or hate it. And ah, that smell is so infamous that getting rid of it has become a science in itself.
From salt-water to pandan leaves, charcoal and even coffee powder, various methods and old wives’ tales have been used to rid oneself of the durian aroma.
Even then, a spacesuit seems to be the only escape for some. Ms S. Leny, a 23-year-old teacher, says the smell alone makes her “giddy”. Student Maria Adrianna Garcia, 20, once found herself in Bugis Street, trapped in an alley between a clothes store and a durian shop.
She says: “Due to the lack of ventilation, the smell of durians permeated the entire place. It was even on the clothes. I was so nauseated that I actually threw up.”
Yes, some people have it that bad over durians. Dr Stephen Lee, a ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist from Raffles Hospital, says variance in the sense of smell among people is greater than that of other senses – up to a factor of 1,000.
This means a whiff of durian can be mouth-watering to you but vomit-inducing to others.
As to why the smell of durians is so potent, Assistant Professor Liu Shao Quan from the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore says it is due to sulphur compounds in the fruit.
And what about that resilient after-taste and scent on your fingers after having wolfed down durians? Prof Liu says the compounds bind to surfaces where protein is present – your skin and mouth.
The durian’s infamy has earned it the dubious honour of being the only fruit officially prohibited on public transport. Operators say durians are banned on trains and buses, and cab passengers are advised to stow them in the boot instead.
Even people in the food business do not take durians lightly. Chefs at Goodwood Park Hotel’s kitchen have a dedicated preparation area – comprising separate ventilation and air-conditioning systems – and refrigeration for durian pastries.
With people either hankering after that creamy yellow flesh or wriggling their noses at the stench, what happens if you love durians but your spouse does not?
It is an act of love for Ms Tracey Soon, chief operating officer of a branding company, who hates the durian but puts up with her husband Edmond Khoo, 39, eating it.
She says: “I wouldn’t deny him what he loves. In fact, when I see him indulging and enjoying durian with his friends, I feel happy.”
But when Mr Khoo, a supply manager at an oil company, comes home after a hearty durian night-out with the boys, he knows he will not be getting much loving from his wife.
Ms Soon says, chuckling: “Maybe a light peck on the cheek or forehead, that’s probably about all I can take.”
Though repulsive to some, it seems the fruit has some appeal, even to foreigners.
Mr Sriram Musunuri, 36, regional manager for shipping at an oil company, says: “It took quite a bit of courage to take my first bite after hearing all the talk about the smell.”
And there was no turning back for the Singapore permanent resident from Mumbai who has been here for seven years. He has been enjoying the fruit ever since and likes “creamier ones that are not too bitter”.
The ultimate self-sacrifice comes from finance director Gareth Rogers, a 40-year-old Briton who does not like durians, but now eats it with his Singaporean wife Clementine once a month during the season, because she “forced it on me”.
Mrs Rogers, 34, a group marketing manager, says: “I stuffed his mouth with one large durian seed to shut him up nine years ago. He was nagging too much about my shopping.”
Mr Rogers, a permanent resident, says: “I eat durians in the name of love. Plus, it shuts her up from saying I’m unadventurous... with food.”
No more durian smell
What: From your fingers
METHOD 1 (above): Washing your hands with water trickling out of a durian husk
Effectiveness: ****
Verdict: Amazingly, this works, though a trace of the odour is still detectable.
The science: No conclusive studies have been done to explain this, but it is possible that the husk lining has compounds that absorb the durian odour.
METHOD 2 (above): Washing your hands by rubbing them with a durian seed
Effectiveness: ****
Verdict: The sticky sensation from touching the fruit disappears and the smell is significantly eliminated.
The science: Unknown
What: From your car boot
METHOD 1: Pandan leaves (above)
Effectiveness: ***½
Verdict: The combined smell of pandan and durian is somewhat tolerable.
The science: Aromatic compounds found in the pandan leaves can overpower those of the durian.
METHOD 2: Bamboo charcoal (above)
Effectiveness: ***½
Verdict: Works, but this could be more psychological than physiological.
The science: Charcoal acts like a deodorising agent because it latches on to molecules of the chemicals responsible for the odour.
What: From your fridge
METHOD 1: Bicarbonate of soda (above) placed in small saucers
Effectiveness: **½
The science: Sodium bicarbonate functions like a deodorising agent.
OTHER METHODS: Try pandan leaves or bamboo charcoal, the same agents you can use to get rid of the smell in your car. You can also use zesty lemons (above), coffee powder (below) or tea-bags.
These nose-twitching items - especially coffee, which has over 800 aromatic compounds - either neutralise or over-power the durian odour after one to two days.
Effectiveness: ***½
Sources: Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic
Read also:
» Durians are perceived as “heaty” food
» Eat no more than eight durian seeds daily
