“Oh, the smell! Noxious, acidic fumes penetrated every corner of the office, even with windows open, when we retreated back to headquarters with step-ladder, and broom in tow. And for the rest of the day the tips of my fingers stank of Cheetos-reminiscent funk, a not entirely hapless state of affairs had I not needed to be around other people. What is that smell? innocent people on the train asked one another, as I furiously balled up my fists and stuck them into my pockets”.

The gingko nut is a living fossil, with fossils recognizable and related to modern ginkgo dating back 270 million years. In Japan millions of urban dwellers know the ginkgo as a park tree, with elegant, fan-shaped leaves, foul-smelling fruits, and nuts prized for their reputed medicinal properties.

There is nothing as delicious as ginkgo, we adore it, when cooked properly there is nothing quite like it, no smell, a yellow and green color, a long taste lingers without any bitterness yet hints of mixed berry-seed.

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/peter_crane_history_of_ginkgo_earths_oldest_tree/2646