The Pungent Fruit Bobby Flay Refuses To Cook With

It's hard to imagine an ingredient that Bobby Flay wouldn't turn into a masterpiece, but he might have met his match in the pungent Southeast Asian fruit durian. In an interview with People, via Mashed, Flay said he considers durian to be awful and doesn't even want to be around it. We can assume this tropical fruit would be yet another "Chopped" ingredient Bobby Flay would never want to face, alongside flour.

If you have smelled durian before, you understand why Flay isn't a fan — and if you haven't, let us paint you a picture. The fruit has such a strong, pungent odor that many compare it to rotten eggs, onions, and even vomit. Anthony Bourdain had an especially colorful description for it, saying, "Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother." Durian's smell is so awful that the fruit is banned from hotels and public transportation throughout Southeast Asia. You'll see a lot of signs that display the fruit crossed out with a red line, right next to other, more common items usually not allowed on transportation, such as cigarettes. Knowing that, it's easy to understand why this fruit haunts Flay's culinary nightmares. But despite this overwhelming odor, durian is one of the 16 Southeast Asian flavors for next-level baking, according to a pastry chef, as many people love how it tastes. 

The flavors of durian are polarizing because they relate to the sense of smell. Usually, we lean towards things that smell good to us and avoid things that emanate a foul odor. With durian, this instinct has to be overridden if you want to experience the fruit's full potential. If you can make it past the spiky exterior and the awful-smelling aroma, you might be in for a pleasant surprise. People have broadly described the flavor of durian as custardy, sweet, and slightly nutty — though, much like when it comes to the fruit's smell, everyone has their own unique experience of exactly how it tastes. To some, the abysmal smell absolutely translates into the flavor, and they cannot stomach it.

As for Flay, he much prefers a different creamy, nutty, and slightly egg-flavored tropical fruit. In 2023, he told CNN, "I've been using a lot of avocados lately. They're creamy. They have a really nice sort of soothing texture. I make all kinds of different, you know, avocado relishes and guacamole. I use avocado to spread on toast. I use it for sandwiches. I use it for salads." No hate to durian, but we're with Flay on this one.