I smell rotten and yet people put me in desserts and say I taste sweet. What am I?

The durian, a fruit revered as the "King of Fruits" across Southeast Asia, offers a truly remarkable and divisive experience for the senses. While its formidable, thorn-covered exterior conceals a rich, creamy, and distinctively sweet flesh, it is perhaps most famous for its incredibly potent and often off-putting aroma. This intriguing duality stems from a complex blend of chemical compounds. Esters and ketones are primarily responsible for the durian's delightful fruity, caramel, and honey-like sweetness, making it a prized ingredient in many desserts. However, its notorious stench, frequently likened to rotten onions, sulfur, or even sewage, is attributed to various organosulfur compounds, including ethanethiol and methanethiol.

This powerful and lingering odor, which can be detected from a considerable distance, serves a crucial evolutionary role: it attracts animals like elephants and orangutans, encouraging them to consume the fruit and thereby disperse its seeds. Despite the polarizing smell, the durian remains a highly sought-after delicacy in its native regions, savored both fresh and incorporated into a wide array of confectionery and dishes. Its unique texture is often described as custardy or pudding-like.

The fruit's pervasive aroma is so strong that it has led to bans on public transportation and in many hotels throughout Southeast Asian cities such as Singapore and Bangkok. Interestingly, individual perception of the durian's smell varies significantly; some find it pleasantly aromatic, while others find it repulsive, a difference that can be influenced by genetics and prior exposure. Beyond its unique flavor profile, durian is also quite nutritious, packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.