Durian fever in the USA

Durians growing in the hills of Puerto Rico, where their superfans converge every year to devour one of the world’s most polarising fruits.— Photos: Erika P. Rodríguez/The New York Times

“I DON’T like to use the word ‘smell,’” said Juan Miranda Colón, a self-described fanatic of the world’s most odoriferous fruit. “I prefer to say it has an aroma.”

Miranda, a farmer in Puerto Rico, was minutes away from feasting on the fruit, durian, and as its stink wafted through the humid, sticky air of the rainforest around him, he said his tongue tasted sweet with anticipation.