A large, prickly tropical fruit with a soft, pale yellow flesh and a very strong, distinctive smell. Durian is popular in Southeast Asia and is sometimes called the 'king of fruits,' though many people find its odor unpleasant.
From Malay 'durian,' which comes from the Malay word 'duri' meaning 'thorn,' referring to the fruit's spiky exterior. The word entered English through trade routes and colonial contact with Southeast Asia in the 1600s-1700s. It reflects the direct borrowing of a local plant name when Europeans encountered this unfamiliar tropical fruit.
The durian's smell is so pungent that it's banned on public transportation in Singapore and Thailand—yet its taste is creamy and complex, leading to the saying 'it smells like hell but tastes like heaven,' making it the world's most polarizing fruit!
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