Top 20 fun things to enjoy in Kota Kinabalu! (No. 10 – Try Durian)

It’s late afternoon and we’ve taken a stroll along Kota Kinabalu’s waterfront to Segama which is the area opposite the ‘Dry’ Market adjacent to Servay Hypermarket. Every afternoon stallholders gather here to sell some of the many local fruits that prosper in Sabah’s tropical climate, but our focus today is on durian, the ‘King of Fruits’.

Durian: where to start?

Well if you’ve not travelled too much to south-east Asia you could easily be forgiven for having not heard of, let alone tried the fruit. It grows in Indonesia, Thailand and of course Malaysia and is famous, or should we say infamous for its pungent, some would say overpowering aroma. As a result, it’s banned by airlines, on public transport and by hotels and you won’t find durian on sale in Malaysian supermarkets let alone a supermarket in Adelaide or Manchester.

So where to find durian on sale?

Hugely popular with locals the fruit is sold in settings such as Segama, with market stalls and a few tables and chairs for customers or out of the back of pick-up trucks by the roadside.

The fruit is typically about the size of a cocoanut and weights around 2kg, size varies amongst the 30 or so different varieties and of course amongst individual fruit. It’s greenish / yellowish shell is covered by a series of spikes The casing is hard, and a machete is required to break open the case to access the edible flesh inside which is of light yellowish colour that sits in a soft off-white casing.

Durian aroma, texture and taste

Describing the aroma, texture and taste is challenging. The aroma has been described as that of manure together with a sweaty sock, but opinions are divided, some people really like what they describe as the fruits ‘sweet smell’ whilst others are repelled – what’s not up for debate is the fruit can be smelt from a distance of many metres, even in the open air!

Eating durian in Segama in the heart of Kota kinabalu

Segama is a piece of authentic street theatre. First you can browse the stalls which is where we met the super-friendly owner of one stall Madam Chua who tells us the best time for durian is January, August and September. Then, select the variety and fruit you’d like – you’ll probably pay around RM20-RM30 per kilo per maybe as much as RM80 per kilo for the fabled Musang King variety – then the stall-holder will cut open the fruit with a machete and give you the opportunity to sniff and approve (just like a fine wine!). Then, sit down, take photographs, relax, taste and enjoy! You’ll probably have company as many Chinese visitors make a bee-line for Segama to enjoy durian.

The texture is smooth, creamy and slightly sticky whilst the taste is like nothing else you’ll have tried. It’s an unusual blend of sweet and savoury – it always reminds me of creamy, slimy soft smelly cheese that’s on the verge of ‘going-off’.

I recommend all visitors should try durian, at least once particularly any ‘foodies’ who are embracing all of Sabah’s amazing culinary opportunities. You may fall in love with durian, you may be repelled but whatever you’ll have a great ‘dinner party story’ to share over the dessert course, even if you don’t have durian to share with your fellow ‘dinner party’ guests!

Top Tip:

Local knowledge suggests best not to mix durian with either fizzy drinks or alcohol or medicine.

About Martin

Martin is a British expat living in Kota Kinabalu who arranges tailored tours within Sabah primarily for British and Western tourists on behalf of Blue Kinabalu Travel Agency.