Hold the stink: New Korat durian fruit strain doesn’t smell bad

They call it the “king of fruit” but not everyone is a loyal subject to the durian, known for its distinctly stinky smell. But now there may be a way around that terrible smell as a new strain of durian developed in Korat is being hailed as a non-smelly version of the famous large fruit.

The northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, has just received geographical indication certification for its new strain of durian and is getting a lot of positive feedback. Known as the Pak Chong-Khao Yai durian, the far less pungent fruit is a variety of the popular Mon Thong strain and made its debut at Chokchai Farm over the weekend in the Pak Chong district.

The GI certification was registered by the department of intellectual property last year and has now been presented to 39 farms in the areas of Khao Yai and Pak Chong growing this new variety of durian. The Deputy Governor of the province was on hand for the presentation.

The debut was part of the Pak Chong-Khao Yai GI Durian Festival which was put on in part with the help of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and invited people to a buffet to sample the durian as well as virtual tours of orchards as part of the Amazing Durian Metaverse. Even Miss Universe Thailand attended the event.

The buffet charged 399 baht for a 49-minute fruit feeding frenzy that featured a variety of fruits such as sugar apples, avocados, bananas, dragon fruit, and longan all grown locally, but the star attraction was of course the durians. Tasters described the new variety of less stinky fruit as sweet and dry with soft flesh and without the signature strong smell.

SOURCE: The Nation