Stop and smell the roses? Sure. But crowds line up for The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens’ corpse flower, which reeks like decay.
Such plants bloom once every few years and just for about a day, but the San Marino, California, garden has a collection of 40+, meaning there’s at least one bloom per year. Fans track it on social media, waiting for the big, weird plant to do its worst.
Another smelly plant is having a moment in Asia : the durian, a large tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia. It’s encased in a spiky rind and while many say it smells like gym socks or vomit, it tastes like caramel or cheesecake and works well on its own or in other dishes and desserts.
The Disneyland of durian
DurianBB, a farm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, offers numerous ways to experience the fruit, per CNN Business.
- DurianBB Park offers samples of the durian varieties grown on its farm.
- DurianBB World has a dessert shop, games, and classes.
- DurianBB Academy is a 30-acre farm with games and classes.
For Adrian Choy, DurianBB’s “Chief Dreamer,” such offerings allow the farm to diversify revenue beyond exporting the fruit, which can be challenging amid competition and fluctuating weather.
Choy estimated the company sees 400k-500k annual visitors, and cited $10m in 2024 revenue, buoyed by its souvenirs.
It’s not unlike pumpkin patches, where farmers can sell their gourds while earning additional revenue from family activities (corn mazes, hayrides, photo ops, petting zoos, etc.), food, and coffee.
Elsewhere…
… durian lovers can find experiences including an omakase restaurant in Bangkok and a high tea in Hong Kong. Even chains, including Pizza Hut in China and Ikea in Hong Kong, have added durian dishes to their menus.
Tourism Malaysia released a 2024/2025 publication featuring 62 durian tourism packages across 12 states, including tastings to multi-day tours that it estimated would bring in $420k.
Not bad for a fruit that Anthony Bourdain, a durian fan, once said would leave your breath smelling like you’d been “French-kissing your dead grandmother.”
