TAIPEI -- There are over 500 types of tropical fruit in Asia, ranging from the common mango to the relatively obscure santol. But few have garnered as much international press as the durian.
Originally from the Malay Peninsula, it is a polarizing fruit for those with little exposure to it. Some have compared its appearance -- round, spiky and up to 12 inches long -- to a medieval torture device and others have been so nauseated by its smell that they were hospitalized. Once, a poorly wrapped shipment of the fruit grounded an entire plane.
