The Divisive Fruit Padma Lakshmi Avoids At All Costs

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Padma Lakshmi is pretty open-minded when it comes to food — it's a part of her job. But there's one fruit that the cookbook author and former "Top Chef" host can't stand. Lakshmi dissed durian, a Southeast Asian fruit with a foul reputation — though its unique taste is one that many people adore.

Lakshmi, who moved to the United States from India at age four, often uses her experience as an immigrant in her work. In her show "Taste the Nation," she explores how immigrants shape American food culture. While she clearly values a wide range of cuisines and culinary traditions, durian is one Indian delicacy that she'd rather leave in the subcontinent.

Growing up, Lakshmi encountered the fruit while visiting family in India. "I hated durian," she told her followers in an Instagram story (via Bravo). "I didn't even get to hate the taste because I was so repelled by the smell," which was made even more intense by the heat and humidity. 

Many tropical fruits employ strong odors to attract insects and animals, which, in turn, spread seeds and pollen. But durian outranks — pun intended — them all. The fruit is hard to find at U.S. grocery stores, and it is famously banned from buses, hotels, and public spaces in many Asian cities. One rotting durian caused the evacuation of a college campus after students and staff mistook the stench for a gas leak.

Okay, so durian stinks, but what is the flavor actually like? According to Padma Lakshmi, "It smells like vanilla and stinky feet" (via Bravo). That's practically complimentary compared to other durian dissidents. The fruit's taste is often compared to vomit, sewage, or rotting flesh. Anthony Bourdain spared no niceties. "Your breath will smell as if you'd been French kissing your dead grandmother," the celebrity chef once said (via The Guardian). Still, it isn't one of the things Bourdain hated with a passion — he actually liked the fruit. A photo from his 2016 book, "Appetites," even shows his packed fridge — with a durian peeking out from the top shelf.

Once you get over the smell, durian fans say the fruit is delicious. In Southeast Asia, it's used in candies, cakes, ice cream, soups, and even pizza. In 2024, durian pizza became Pizza Hut's top-selling pie in China. The sweet, fatty flesh is often compared to custard, with floral, nutty, and bitter notes. This isn't your standard custard, though. In addition to vanilla, some people say that they get hints of onion. One thing is clear: Durian is an acquired taste. Maybe Lakshmi just needs to give it a chance.