Review | How does China’s first home-grown durian taste? Not great, the Post finds out

China’s much-anticipated first major durian harvest recently took place and the Post’s Shea Driscoll managed to get his hands on one of the spiky fruits

But the taste and smell were just a faint facsimile of a ‘proper’ durian, while the texture was more reminiscent of an unripe banana at times

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One of China’s first home-grown durians - we evaluate its taste, texture and smell. Photo: Sun Yeung

Published: 1:24pm, 1 Aug 2023Updated: 2:15pm, 1 Aug 2023

Just like durian, I am a tropical native and spiky on the outside.

That, and the fact that I am an avowed fan of the divisive fruit, made me the perfect person to try one from China’s much-anticipated first major durian harvest, which took place in Hainan province.

Despite limited yields and relatively high prices, our colleagues in Shenzhen were able to order two of the durians, and one made its way to our Hong Kong headquarters.

I had limited expectations; I did not expect the oozing, creamy, bitter goodness of a Musang King (Mao Shan Wang), one of the most prized varieties of durian.

Shea Driscoll, the Post’s digital editor, is unimpressed with the durian. Photo: Sun Yeung

After a colleague demonstrated the niche yet underrated skill of opening an intact durian with just a tiny pair of scissors – I was also told it is possible using only a single chopstick – what emerged from the hefty, 4kg (8.8lb) durian was disappointing.