Infamous durian fruit hits New Zealand supermarkets – for a price

Durian, known for its pungent smell, is now available in local supermarkets and cost up to $120. Photo / Getty Images

By Lisa Owen of RNZ

Raw sewage, farts, and rotten meat – that’s just a few descriptions of the aroma from a notorious fruit that’s becoming more widely available in New Zealand.

The smell of durian is considered by some to be so vile that the spiky-shelled fruit has been banned on Singapore trains.

It has long been popular in Asia, but now you can buy them in New Zealand supermarkets.

The rock-melon-sized fruit cost about $120 each at Pak’nSave and just under $100 at Costco.

Durian importer Peter Pan said while the infamously bad smell even put him off when he was first introduced, the reward came later in taste.

“To start with, me personally, I didn’t like them, but once I got used to it, once you put it in your mouth, it melts like butter,” he told Checkpoint.

Importer Peter Pan says the fruit's taste is sensational once you get used to the smell. Photo / Getty Images

“It is so sensational, so that’s why they’re worth that much money.”

Once you get used to that smell, it will remind you of perfume, he said.

Pan said they have been importing durian and selling to independent stores for years, but have only introduced the fruit to Foodstuffs this month.

“Initially, they didn’t want to sell it back a few years ago, and now they see the demand … it’s like a phenomenon,” he said.

“They were selling so well, they fly off the shelf within hours. So eventually, people will get used to it and they will think they smell nice, and they will taste nice too.”

Pan said he tried to pitch the smelly fruit to Foodstuffs almost 20 years ago with a sample box.

But his advice to not open it was ignored and it ended up stinking out the whole building.

For Kiwis keen to taste durian for the first time but unsure how to start, Pan said it’s best to eat the fruit by taking a knife into the bottom of it to crack the skin.

“There’s like a soft texture, just like butter and for a new eater, it may not smell right.

The fruit is now available in New Zealand supermarkets run by Foodstuffs. Photo / Getty Images

“But for people that know it, they actually smell nice, and you put them in your mouth … it’s got such a nice, sensational taste that people will love it.”

Pan said the texture is like a soft mango but compared the taste to that of a blue cheese, which shares a similar love it or hate it quality.

He said the riper the durian, the more it will smell.

“When they are raw or not so mature, they are not too bad,” he said.

“But when they are really ripe, they really stink and particularly when the skin is starting to crack, that means they are ready to eat. And that’s the stink time.”

He said the supermarket prices are favourable to consumers as they attempt to introduce durian to the mainstream market.

– RNZ