According to Philippine legend, the durian wasn�t always so ugly and smelly.

It�s
said that the spiked fruit originated in Calinan, Mindanao, back when its islands
were still ruled by kings. One such king was called Barom-Mai, and he ruled with an
iron fist. But powerful as he was, he couldn�t keep his young and beautiful queen
from running off to her father�s kingdom every chance she got. (Barom-mai was no
Ryan Gosling, you see.)

Desperate, the king consulted Impit Purok, a half-god hermit, on how to make his
wife remain by his side. The hermit told the king to obtain three things: the egg
of the black tabon, twelve ladles of fresh milk from a blemish-free carabao, and
the nectar from the flower of the tree of make-believe. The king blanched at the
hermit�s shopping list, but he was able to get all three items in the end, albeit
with the help of some talking animals and an air nymph (and probably a Disney-esque
song number or two).

Impit Purok was pleased at the completion of the task, but before he worked his
magic, he made the king promise to make him the guest of honor at the feast
celebrating the queen�s return. Barom-Mai agreed. The hermit carefully made a small
hole in the tabon egg, poured the carabao milk and nectar into it, and stirred the
mixture together with his magic bamboo stick. Impit Purok then told the king to
plant the potion in his garden, and to make his wife eat the fruit of the tree that
would spring from it.

Barom-Mai followed the hermit�s orders and indeed, his wife did fall in love with
him after one taste of the smooth and fragrant enchanted fruit. Overjoyed, the king
called for a big celebration, but consequently forgot to invite the hermit.
Indignant at the snub, Impit Purok cursed the fruit, replacing its sweet fragrance
with a nasty odor and covering its hide with thorns.

The fruit became known as durian, with duri being a native word for �thorn� and an
from the queen�s name: �Anne.� Okay, I may have made up that latter half.