A McDonald’s breakfast is fairly basic and always delicious. You’ve got your McMuffins, your McGriddles, your hotcakes, and your hash browns. But McDonald’s Malaysia is switching things up and serving a wildcard breakfast item you’d probably never expect.
McDonald’s Malaysia has put two new durian-flavored items on their breakfast menu: a Durian Sundae and a Durian Hotcake. If you’re unfamiliar with the durian fruit, let us acquaint you.
Durians are a delicacy in Southeast Asia — despite their not-great smell. In fact, their scent is so bad that they’ve been banned on the Singapore Rapid Mass Transit. According to Smithsonian.com, food writer Richard Sterling once described the odor of the durian as “turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock.” Whoever first decided it was a good idea to try eating a fruit with such a terrible stench is one brave person. Our hats are off to them.
Even though durians repel most people who come across them, the skin and flesh is used by many South Easterners to flavor dishes, candies, and McDonald’s breakfast items, so it seems. “Durian season is almost over,” McDonald’s Malaysia captioned an August 11th Instagram post. “If you can’t get enough of the D24 Durians, head to McDonald’s to indulge in the new D24 Durian Hotcakes and Sundae today!”
Although the smell of the durian is certainly less than appetizing, the taste of the fruit is described by The Spruce Eats as “sweet and buttery in texture…it may remind you of a creamsicle.” And the flesh yields only a small amount of juice despite its large size (it grows to be about one foot long).
One Instagram user, @hungrynyc, described the McDonald’s Malaysia Durian McFlurry as “decent tasting,” and mentioned that she appreciated the bits of durian pulp in the mixture.
“There was however a tinge of artificial sweetness that was progressively amplified with each bite,” she continued. “Worth a try if you’re not too fussy about the smell.”
We won’t lie — our interest in the durian has been piqued. If McDonald’s ever wanted to bring the Durian McFlurry to the U.S., we’d like to think we’d be brave enough to give it a try.
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