SMART TRAVELLER


MAL AYS IA


Food heaven or hell?


NEW TRAVEL EXPERIENCES IN MALAYSIA HELP VISITORS GET TO KNOW ASIA’S MOST MALIGNED FRUIT


Beloved in Southeast Asia, but polarising for travellers, the spiky durian fruit has a fl avour that few will forget. Found in markets all over the region, it’s not so much the taste — somewhere between custard, cheesecake and caramel — that jars, but its famously pungent smell, which has been described as something like sewage or rotting onions. In Malaysia, the fruit is used in everything from savoury curries to modern inventions like durian-fl avoured chocolate and even on pizza. But the smell is so intense that across Southeast Asia, it’s illegal to eat raw on public transport, in most hotels and on planes. Hoping to overcome the chunky fruit’s image


problem, Malaysian tour operators have launched new durian-themed travel packages that combine culinary experiences such as cooking classes and street market excursions with agrotourism and sightseeing. Itineraries might combine durian tastings with stargazing in Taman Negara National Park, for example, or durian farm visits on the island of Penang or in Sabah on Borneo, followed by whitewater rafting in the latter. Tours range from half-day experiences to longer three- or four-day trips. The main durian season runs May to September. malaysia.travel LORNA PARKES


THE BIG ST INK 30


The approximate number of durian species, with textures ranging from dry and sticky to creamy


Durian farms can be visited as part of Malaysia’s new agrotourism- focused travel itineraries Above: Durian fruit are distinctively spiky and are known for their strong smell


The height durian trees can grow up to — almost half the size of London’s Big Ben


165ft 7lb


The weight a durian fruit can reach when ripe and ready to eat — as much as a newborn baby


22 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


IMAGES: PENANG GLOBAL TOURISM; DURIAN CAPITAL


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