MELBOURNE, March 6 — The world’s stinkiest fruit — whose odour has been compared to gym socks and sewage — is getting a festival thrown in its honour in Melbourne. 

When the Durian Feast sets up shop this weekend, odds are high that festival-goers will quite literally smell it from a mile away — so pungent is the fruit, it’s banned in hotels, subways, buses and airports across parts of South-east Asia where it’s most popular. 

If you’ve never tried it, descriptions don’t exactly whet the appetite: rotten onions, raw sewage, turpentine, vomit and skunk spray, among others. 

The flesh itself is a creamy custard-like pulp that tastes of nuts, vanilla, ripe cheese, bananas, garlic, caramel, and onions all at once. 

It’s a ‘love it or hate it’ fruit.  

For the former camp, the Durian Feast will celebrate the fruit at an event that coincides with the Lantern Festival which marks the first full moon of the lunar new year and closes out Chinese New Year. 

Instead of eating the fruit in secret, fans will be able to indulge their durian cravings out in the open, far from disapproving eyes.

At the festival, durian will be showcased in Chinese barbecue, cakes and other desserts. 

Durian Feast takes place in Melbourne March 10. — AFP-Relaxnews