Which durian myths are true?

Jul 22, 2024 10:01 am

Durian, the seasonal love-it-or-hate-it fruit, is pungent and the smell bothers non-fans more than the creamy flesh itself.

Over many generations, there have been myths or pro tips (depending on how you view it) on how to get rid of the smell from your fingers or breath.

For example, there are people who say you should fill the empty durian husks with water and wash your hands in it to prevent the durian smell from sticking to your fingers.

Some people even suggest that you drink the water from the husk so you do not get durian breath.

We tried washing our hands in the husk water but it didn't really work. However, adding salt to the water made the difference. We did not care for drinking the husk water as we do not mind durian breath.

But we found out about another neat trick – wash our hands under running water while rubbing our hands on a durian seed, just like we would a bar of soap. Oddly, it worked like a charm in removing the smell from our fingers.