The fruit’s scent pronounces its presence lengthy earlier than it comes into view. The aroma snakes down the lorongs, previous the espresso homes and xian bing stalls of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, ending on the gloved hand of the native fruit vendor, who deftly slices off the barbed shell of a durian. A dozen or so Chinese language vacationers line as much as strive the football-sized fruit, introduced in cellophane packages or blended into soft-serve ice cream and puff pastries.
Durian, a divisive fruit typically derided within the West for its potent, onion-like taste and creamy texture, has lengthy been a well-liked deal with in Southeast Asia. Solely in recent times has it emerged as a gastronomic sensation in China, which now consumes greater than 1.5 million metric tons of the fruit yearly, with customers shelling out round $25 for a single giant durian. Nearly all of that’s shipped in from China’s Southeast Asian neighbors.
The fruit’s scent pronounces its presence lengthy earlier than it comes into view. The aroma snakes down the lorongs, previous the espresso homes and xian bing stalls of Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, ending on the gloved hand of the native fruit vendor, who deftly slices off the barbed shell of a durian. A dozen or so Chinese language vacationers line as much as strive the football-sized fruit, introduced in cellophane packages or blended into soft-serve ice cream and puff pastries.
Durian, a divisive fruit typically derided within the West for its potent, onion-like taste and creamy texture, has lengthy been a well-liked deal with in Southeast Asia. Solely in recent times has it emerged as a gastronomic sensation in China, which now consumes greater than 1.5 million metric tons of the fruit yearly, with customers shelling out round $25 for a single giant durian. Nearly all of that’s shipped in from China’s Southeast Asian neighbors.
As Chinese language appetites for the durian have grown, so too has its attraction as a bridge between tradition and politics. All recent durians headed to China as soon as got here from Thailand, which sends three-quarters of its harvest overseas. Thailand stays China’s largest durian buying and selling companion, with round $4 billion in exports per yr, however its market share is declining quick as new international locations come on board. Over the previous 4 years, Beijing has inked a raft of durian import offers throughout the area in a multibillion-dollar allure offensive that some political consultants have dubbed “durian diplomacy.”
In August, China obtained its first recent durian cargo from Cambodia. That adopted an settlement to start importing frozen durians from Indonesia, which not too long ago established a plantation growth scheme to spice up durian manufacturing. Malaysia, which has been sending frozen entire durians to China since 2019, bought into the recent exports sport in 2024. The Philippines struck a deal in 2023 to ship recent durians to China following a presidential state go to from Ferdinand Marcos Jr. geared toward bolstering agricultural cooperation. And in 2022, Vietnam started sending its durians northward, turning into China’s second-largest provider, with exports valued at practically $3 billion final yr.
A employee opens a durian at a wholesale market in in Chanthaburi, Thailand, on Might 9.Lauren DeCicca/Getty Photographs
“Durian may be very reflective of what’s occurring with the management and with state-to-state relations,” mentioned Kankan Xie, a Southeast Asian research professor at Peking College in China.
Historically, China has been nearer with the mainland Southeast Asian international locations of Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, Xie mentioned. (Laos and Myanmar are hoping to ship their durians to China quickly however don’t but have export clearance.) Vietnam has lengthy been an exception to this pattern, as a consequence of historic grievances and disputes over territorial waters within the South China Sea, which have equally strained China’s relations with the Philippines. But China is more and more utilizing durian offers to sweeten relations. This summer time, China invited each international locations, together with the opposite members of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to the primary ASEAN-China Durian Competition in Beijing.
China’s rivalry with the US could assist to elucidate why extra durians are crossing into the Folks’s Republic than ever earlier than. U.S. President Donald Trump’s reorganization of world commerce and withdrawal from worldwide establishments underneath his America First coverage creates a gap for China to choose up allies and strengthen ties with neighbors. A shared love of durian is a method in. “China is now making an attempt to depict itself because the accountable nice energy and have interaction with numerous Southeast Asian counterparts,” Xie mentioned.
Durian is ready for export to China in Chanthaburi on Might 10.Lauren DeCicca/Getty Photographs
If legend is to be believed, then durian has been a supply of political machinations since its creation. One Philippine folktale tells the story of a king who turned to a sensible hermit for assist in successful the love of his bride. The hermit requested the king to carry him three objects: the egg of the black tabon chicken, 12 ladles of recent milk from a water buffalo, and nectar from the flower of the tree of make-believe. He rigorously combined these elements and instructed the king to plant them within the royal backyard. The subsequent morning, a gorgeous, aromatic tree appeared with candy fruit that enthralled the younger bride. Delighted, the king threw a feast for his kingdom however failed to ask the sage. In a match of rage, the hermit cursed the tree’s fruit with a foul odor and prickly shell.
The extra probably clarification for the durian’s look is that its spiked exterior protects it from hungry animals. Nonetheless, it has been unable to shake royal connections throughout Southeast Asia, the place it’s best often known as the “king of fruits.”
Removed from its native forests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, nonetheless, descriptions of the durian are much less exalting. Niccolò de’ Conti, a Fifteenth-century Venetian service provider who recorded one of many first European references to durian in his travels, famous that it resembled “thick butter” and had a “nauseous odor.” Even that may be flattering by some requirements. The glossary entry of the 1903 Hobson-Jobson dictionary, used throughout British rule in India, quotes a former colonial official who in contrast durian to “carrion in custard.”
The West’s distaste for the spiky fruit signifies that, for now at the least, there’s probably little political goodwill to be gained by exporting huge portions of it to the US or Europe. Certainly, many resort rooms in Southeast Asian cities, from Bangkok to Singapore, explicitly ban durians to guard the fragile senses of their worldwide friends.
However for China, the durian is a handy delicacy. Regional alliances will be strengthened by satisfying home cravings.
Interesting to the political palate isn’t new, in accordance with Sam Chapple-Sokol, a lecturer at George Washington College’s World Meals Institute. Such exercise, he mentioned, falls into the realm of culinary diplomacy, a phenomenon that goes again 1000’s of years. “For those who consider two historical peoples coming collectively, they’re going to be speaking round a fireplace, and infrequently there can be meals round that fireplace,” he mentioned.
Durian is stacked in baskets at a wholesale market in Chanthaburi on Might 9.Lauren DeCicca/Getty Photographs
Over the centuries, this type of diplomacy has turn into extra refined, encapsulating state dinners and specialty dishes. Within the 1800s, chef Antonin Carême traveled with the French delegation to negotiations, naming his culinary innovations after totally different politicians, allegedly creating the Poularde Albufera and Nesselrode pudding. In latest a long time, Southeast Asian international locations have turn into significantly adept at wielding this type of gastronomic energy. The proliferation of Thai eating places all over the world, Chapple-Sokol famous, isn’t any mere accident, however a deliberate authorities technique.
Durian diplomacy, he added, is seen not simply in commerce offers, but additionally in showy culinary shows that attraction to visiting officers. In 2022, following a state lunch between Chinese language Overseas Minister Wang Yi and then-Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Yi raved about the cheesecake he was served that was made with Musang King (some of the fashionable durian varieties), noting he was able to import extra tropical fruit and palm oil from the nation.
Within the case of durian diplomacy, Chapple-Sokol questions whether or not China is the principle driving power. Culinary diplomacy, he mentioned, is usually tied to center powers. Malaysia, specifically, has been a giant participant on this type of smooth energy over the previous decade. “The international locations that might acquire probably the most from it are the Thailands, the Perus, the Mexicos. It’s the international locations which might be smaller than the BRICS, however large enough to prop up one thing like this. Possibly they don’t have the army would possibly or the GDP and the financial would possibly, however they’ve one thing actually highly effective to supply the world by way of their delicacies, their tradition, their historical past, their folks,” he mentioned.
A Chinese language export truck drives previous a durian wholesale market in Chanthaburi on Might 9. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Photographs
More and more, these center powers are utilizing durian diplomacy to construct bridges with each other, reducing out the larger gamers. In February, Malaysia hosted a “durian diplomacy” occasion at its Seoul embassy, following an analogous reception in Tehran in 2024. Addressing the room, Mohd Zamruni Khalid, the Malaysian ambassador to South Korea, acknowledged the durian’s utility for statecraft. “Allow us to do not forget that diplomacy isn’t just about formal engagements and high-level conferences. Additionally it is in regards to the easy pleasure of sharing a meal, exchanging tales, and constructing connections,” Khalid mentioned. “Right now, let the durian be an emblem of our shared dedication to a brighter, extra collaborative future.”
Malaysia says it’s now trying past Asia, eyeing Peru as a future durian export market.
Whether or not durian diplomacy continues apace, nonetheless, relies upon not solely on the winds of politics, however precipitation. Local weather change is a rising risk to durian farmers, and Thailand’s market share fell from 68 % to 57 % between 2023 and 2024 due partially to diminished yields brought on by excessive warmth. In Vietnam, the place the Mekong Delta accounts for about half of the nation’s complete durian output, final yr’s drought pushed saltwater into the delta’s freshwater reserves, and into fields, slowing durian manufacturing. Tackling rising greenhouse gasoline emissions, subsequently, might want to stay on menu if the durian growth is to persist.
