KOTA KINABALU: Complex texture with a hint of honey and mint. This was how a Belgian fruitarian described the taste of the durian, when he tried it two years ago.
Simon Beun, 25, had his first taste of good durian when he travelled to Bali and since then, he has been on the hunt for every durian variety available in Asia.
"I actually had my first durian in Belgium but it was imported from Thailand. It had a watery texture and it tasted like raw onion.
"My first delicious durian was in Bali. In Belgium, we have a delicious yellow custard pudding and it tasted like that," he told reporters when met at a durian stall at the Segama night market here on Wednesday.
Beun and his Polish girlfriend Justyna Stolklosa, 38, have been travelling across Southeast Asia for over two years in search of quality tropical fruits since adopting the fruitarianism way of life.
The couple's visit to Sabah was their second and they have been visiting the fruit stalls here regularly since arriving in Kota Kinabalu two weeks ago.
Their love and fascination for local fruits, especially durian, turn heads wherever they go.
"Durian is an acquired taste and I understand not many people appreciate the taste. Our friends and family don't like it.
"Personally, I love them because it is unique. The fruits, especially in Borneo, have a special taste and that's why we want to return next year and explore Sabah for a month," he said.
The duo's fruit adventure has brought them to places, where they discovered rare durians which not many locals were into.
The Durio testudinarius (locally known as durian kura-kura) and Durio dulcis (locally known as durian api) are among the rarest durians they found during their travels in Sarawak and Sabah.
"The Durio testudinarius actually grows on tree trunk and a turtle can reach it. I guess that's why it is called 'durian kura-kura'.
"We have heard of this type of durian but there was no proper documentation so not many people know how it actually looks like.
"When we were travelling in Limbang (Sarawak), we mentioned this to the local people. They recognise this fruit and brought us to a tree with hundreds of durians growing (on the trunk)," said Stolklosa in excitement.
The 'durian api', she said was rare especially in Sabah because not many people enjoyed it unlike in Banjarmasin Kalimantan, which is very common.
The couple also said they could consume between 15 and 30 durians a day depending on the type.
"We never get heaty from eating a lot of durians probably because we do it all the way. Sometimes, I eat durian along with mangosteen and coconut water," said Beun.
Apart from durian, the couple enjoys rambutan, tarap, cempedak and bambangan (wild mangoes endemic to Sabah).
Beun and Stolklosa have no plans to return to Europe simply because European fruits do not fit their fruitarian lifestyle.
The couple, who goes by the username @fit_shortie_eats on Instagram and YouTube has since become quite popular among the locals who have come across them on social media or by word of mouth.
"Everywhere we go people recognise us. A middle aged couple in traditional clothes at the KK market stopped us for selfies. Our scooter rental guy greeted us 'oh you're the guys that do fruit reviews aren't you?'
"We have three different people stop us at the morning market alone saying 'You're from Youtube' or 'I know you from Facebook'. And then the best part – they offer to take us to their kampung to go durian-hunting together," they said.
In October, Sabah Tourism Board discovered the duo on Instagram and had engaged with the couple on social media.
The duo was in Sabah three months ago to find the best durian but left for Philippines as it was not in season yet.
"We are leaving for Bali (on Thursday) because the durian season has just begun there but we will certainly return to Sabah next year," said Stolklosa.