Fruit

Durio zibethinus

S tier

Durio zibethinus is the principal cultivated durian species—large spiky husked fruit whose creamy arils range from sweet custard to bitter-onion sulphur depending on cultivar and ripeness. Thick husks split along seams when ready; large seeds sit inside each aril segment. Odour is famously polarising and travels through closed rooms and hotel corridors. Fresh arils, sticky rice pairings, ice cream, cakes, and tempoyak ferments all start from D. zibethinus. When a menu says durian without a clone name, this species is intended. Choose fruit that yields slightly at the seams and smells ripe, not rotten-alcohol. Southeast Asia dominates production and connoisseur culture.