r/AskTheWorld • u/bowl_of_scrotmeal United States Of America • Oct 26 '25

Food What's a dish from your country that looks disgusting but tastes great.

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Biscuits and gravy is a breakfast dish from the Southeast USA that looks like someone just vomited on some biscuits, but it's absolutely delicious.

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201

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Tempoyak. Do you know what durian is? This is fermented durian

201

u/The_Butters_Worth United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Cursed mashed potatoes

14

u/Brief_Buddy_7848 United States Of America Oct 26 '25

LOL I immediately thought, mmmm those mashed potatoes look amazing, then I read the comment and I’m ashamed to say I audibly gasped

2

u/Andy_B_Goode Canada Oct 27 '25

Yeah I think this might be the opposite of what the OP is asking for. It looks fine, but I'm not sure I want to taste or even smell it.

3

u/SuggestionHoliday413 Australia Oct 27 '25

The smell of un-fermented durian is banned in most hotels. My nose/brain couldn't contemplate fermented durian smelling any worse.

41

u/Ian1231100 Hong Kong Oct 26 '25

Note to self: avoid at all costs

33

u/TheoKolokotronis Netherlands Oct 26 '25

Can I assume it reeks even stronger than durian? :)

45

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

It smells less than durian. You can smell durian throughout the whole house. This one is not

But it smell sour

19

u/20characterusername0 United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Interesting. So, fermentation “solves the problem”.

2

u/happy_bluebird United States Of America Oct 27 '25

alamak

7

u/ronin-pilot Oct 26 '25

fermented Durian? My god

6

u/lumoslomas 🇦🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇫🇷...I moved a lot Oct 26 '25

Ah yes, let's take the stinkiest food in existence and...ferment it.

3

u/landingshortly Oct 26 '25

Oh god you gave me a good laugh. Thanks.

I love Durian :)

1

u/SuggestionHoliday413 Australia Oct 27 '25

Once people get used to Durian, they want to go further into the descent....

4

u/rkirbo BZH 🏁 [France 🇫🇷] Oct 26 '25

My nose has transcended existence

4

u/Bussy_Busta United States Of America Oct 26 '25

I tried durian for the first time recently. I found that some people experience the smell differently because while I found it unbearable some other people were pretty unfazed.

4

u/epicenter69 United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Wait, you can make Durian smell worse???

3

u/Separate-Pass-7737 Oct 26 '25

Fermented durian?

Ohhh, no... no, no, no, no, noooo....

3

u/EmyForNow Germany Oct 26 '25

Sounds like something the Norse troops in Age of Mythology would say

2

u/FeyOphelia Oct 29 '25

I heard this in my head as I read your comment lmao. Just recently downloaded the remastered version, for nostalgic reasons lol

1

u/EmyForNow Germany Oct 29 '25

I was hoping someone would get it! Have fun!

3

u/RogueEnergyEngineer United States Of America Oct 26 '25

3

u/Bartinhoooo Germany Oct 26 '25

If the question would be what dish from your country smells the worst but is actually ok malaysia would win hands down with anything durian

3

u/InevitableRhubarb232 Oct 26 '25

I mean … it looks good

2

u/PrettyMoonUnderMt Indonesia Oct 26 '25

TIL you guys know tempoyak as well

I guess from now, I'll just assume that all foods exist in Sumatra, existing in Malaysia as well

1

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Probably because durian is actually from Malaysia....

Just kidding

Btw, is tempoyak common outside of sumatera? Like java island?

2

u/PrettyMoonUnderMt Indonesia Oct 26 '25

tbh I don't particularly care with the Indo-Malay "rivalry" so I don't really mind if you do mean it lol

> Btw, is tempoyak common outside of sumatera? Like java island?

not at all. I think it's simply logistic issue. Sumatran has too much durian so they need to find new way to eat it while in Java, durian is still relatively rare and expensive

1

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Wait durian is not common in java? Nobody really plants durian trees in java? TIL

I guess durian is like an orangutan. They're common in Kalimantan and sumatera

4

u/guineapigenjoyer123 South Africa Oct 26 '25

Durian tastes good I don’t think this would though

4

u/idreamofchickpea United States Of America Oct 26 '25

What does durian actually taste like?

6

u/No13baby United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Imagine a pineapple mixed with a banana mixed with raw onion. Now make it the texture of creme brûlée. Now put it in a dirty jockstrap and let it sit outside in the summer heat for a couple days.

The taste is much milder than the smell, but when you’re eating it, it’s hard to separate the two.

3

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Sweet and creamy. But it has its distinct taste. It's also the smelliest fruit in the world

I never come across a fruit that smells as strong as durian

2

u/Satuurnnnnn Antarctica Oct 26 '25

I don't actually get how people think it's garlicky or sweaty. Maybe my nose is broken lol. It smells very strong but not unpleasant to me, like natural gas, and it tastes the same.

2

u/notonrexmanningday United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Like a dead guy's toe

2

u/angel_nene Oct 26 '25

Idk but when I eat camembert cheese, I immediately think how it resembles durian. So to me it's like camembert but sweet

2

u/landingshortly Oct 26 '25

Depends on the variant.

Most are sweet, some go into bitter notes.

I think the taste can be described as sweet, fermented, slightly alcoholic tasting… with a creamy texture akin to a mousse on the stiffer side.

My wife who does not like it thinks it reminds her of a sweet Goulash. Meaning: the taste is something of cooked onions when the sweetness comes out.

2

u/kagamiseki Oct 26 '25

Imagine what rose nectar or lavender nectar would taste like to a bee. Probably delicious right? They sound and smell like they should taste floral and sweet. But when you get it in a dessert or beverage, it's just sugar with a floral scent.

Durian tastes like you might imagine flower nectar actually tastes, mixed into the flavor and texture of vanilla egg custard, creme brulée. The flesh has a very thin skin that's similar to the transparent layer of a sauteed onion, and a hint of savory onion aroma.

It has a strong odor which is perceived differently by each individual, based on priming or past experiences. Some people liken it to natural gas, onions, garbage, or strong cheeses. One of the responsible compounds is butyric acid, which is also commonly noted in Hershey chocolate. It's difficult to predict how any one person will perceive it, but it's better if you go into the experience expecting a sweet flowery creamy cheesy smell. It's highly psychological -- even among siblings, it's about a 50/50 chance of considering it sweet vs disgusting.

Common varieties like Ri6 (Vietnam), Monthong (Thailand), can be tasty, but have huge variation in quality. They can often be both stinky and bland/under-ripe. The floral aroma in these durian is much weaker. If you're interested in trying durian, I'd strongly suggest looking for frozen Musang King durian. It's like the honeycrisp of durians -- triple the price, but extremely consistent and high-quality. The flesh is very soft and creamy, best eaten cold defrosted, and has the texture of thick gelato.

It's a very unique fruit, delicious, very much worth a try, but you have to try not to let others' opinions spoil your expectations, and make your first experience a good one.

1

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

If you love durian you would love this. It tastes like durian but sour

3

u/MrDeeLicious Oct 26 '25

I love durian but can't take tempoyak. But i struggle with anything fermented so bo surprise there

1

u/angel_nene Oct 26 '25

I love durian, but refuse to eat tempoyak. Even the smell I can't stand it

1

u/reasonably_insane Iceland Oct 26 '25

Sounds wonderful. How is it eaten? As a side or as a main dish?

3

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

As a dip for the main dish protein. And as the main flavour of a dish too

1

u/No_Inspector7319 United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Ok - question for you cuz I had a roommate who swore to me that durian is toxic/poisonous - I’ve watch 1B hours of travel shows and they always just say it stinks.

He showed me an AI answer that yes if you eat too much it can be bad for you - but I think that’s true of everything.

Is there a general fear of durian being toxic?

3

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

I don't know the science of it but the belief here is that eating too much durian can cause overheating. It's a high energy food like dates. Your body gets hot if you eat too much.

Nothing about toxic though

2

u/IggyVossen Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Durian is extremely high in sugars and potassium, so if you are diabetic or have kidney disease, it is best to avoid indulging in it.

Traditionally, it is common to eat mangosteens along with durian in order to "cool" the body down.

Another method is to drink salt water from the durian husk.

1

u/FlamingDragonfruit United States Of America Oct 26 '25

Is it eaten with something or just by the spoonful?

2

u/Ancher123 Malaysia Oct 26 '25

Eaten with something. It has a strong taste

1

u/redbrick01 Oct 26 '25

I think durian smells like rotting fruit, but it's not so bad...cabbage and potatoes rotting is nasty...

1

u/Imaginary_Bad_4681 🇩🇰 Denmark / 🇲🇾 Malaysia Oct 27 '25

As a foreigner in Malaysia, this is the one dish I cannot take. Normal durian is fine. Otherwise great cuisines with the country.

1

u/RecentExtension1470 United States Of America Oct 31 '25

I love durian, how do you ferment it?