We Eat It So You Don't Have To: Durian Pizza

By Isabella Farr

For lovers of both durian and cheese, Pizza Hut has finally made your dreams come true with the recent release of a durian pizza, featuring a simple combination of mozzarella cheese and durian, slapped onto a pizza base. The 9-inch pizza currently costs RMB71 and is available at select Pizza Hut stores in Shanghai, and online for delivery.

"The King of Fruits" is known for its pungent and grotesque smell, but succulent (and for some, addictive) flesh. Despite its odour, China has come to love the fruit. Durian pastries, cake, puffs, pudding and ice cream have all become popular over the past few years. One cafe in Shanghai, Musang King, has capitalized on Shanghai's love of durian with an entire menu dedicated to dishes featuring the stinky fruit. No longer relegated to sweet dishes, durian fanatics have moved to try the combination of durian and savory flavors.

Enter the durian cheese pizza. When the pizza man came after a mere 15 minute wait, wafts reminiscent of a Chinese supermarket flooded the office. Opening the box, the pizza looked like any old regular cheese pizza without pizza sauce of any kind.The first few bites were okay - until we came across the chunks of durian. Arguably the texture is the worst element of this guy, the closest thing we could relate it to was a really mushy pineapple pizza with a tang of smelly socks.

Overall, durian pizza wasn't for us. We'll go ahead and file this under 'things you should only try once for the novelty of it.' Although we definitely can't say the same for Pizza Hut's most avant garde offering – the hotdog encrusted shrimp tempura pizza with mayonnaise. Not even gonna go there. Nope.

Luckily this monstrosity was immortalized forever via photojournalist John Lehman on his awesome Tumblr account, which you should totally check out by the way.

To read more about "Woman Downs 5 Kilograms of Durian to Pass Security", click "Read more" below.