The Durian Stall in New York City’s Chinatown

In Southeast Asia, the durian is known as the “king of fruits.” It is also banned in most public places because of the smell, which has been described as rotten onions, garlic, turpentine, raw sewage, farts, dead birds, rotten apple juice, and French-kissing your dead grandmother.

That putrid odor has been known to cause people to wait across the street while their friends eagerly consume the spiky tropical fruit. The taste has a much better reputation, favorably compared to caramel or egg cream with a strong hint of almonds by way of a custardy/scrambled eggs texture. Durian is also highly nutritious, not unlike a coconut. But unlike coconut, the Asian fruit is relatively rare in the U.S., and the best place to get it in New York City is Durian NYC, an unassuming stall in Chinatown on the corner of Grand Street and Bowery.