Top 10 Acquired Tastes: disgusting or delicious?

June 15th, 2012

Appliance Talk Ovens & Cooking Vital Appliance Issues

On the back of a couple of recent blogs devoted to culinary habits of a more unusual nature we thought we’d take a gander at some of the more unique taste-sensations out there.

These things fall into the criteria of foods that are highly popular … yet only appetising to a very finite set of palettes. 

That they involve some disgusting, prurient or dangerous detail to pique our interest is also a given … ‘cos, hey, this is an Appliances Online blog. And we don’t judge (much).

1. Haggis

This legendarily Scottish delicacy is essentially a blob of sheep’s offal – minced up with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, salt and stock – that’s cooked inside the animal’s own stomach (once dead, we hasten to add). A surprisingly tasty savoury dish when done well, its edibility is contingent on whether you can handle the admittedly revolting manner in which it is created and grotesque appearance. On both counts, it still appeals more than half the kebabs we’ve eaten.

 2. Caviar

Sometimes thought to be fish poo largely because it tastes like sh*t, it is in fact a processed, salted, non-fertilized clump of sturgeon eggs. Yummo. Sort of the “trophy” of foods, it costs a fortune, which is apparently the source of most of its allure. For that reason, we position Caviar on the other end of the spectrum from Baked Beans, a substance of which we are more readily acquainted with.

 3. Oysters

For some, a much prized fishy delicacy (and aphrodisiac), for others Oysters look like glutinous lumps of snot and have the taste and constituency of any bodily excretion you care to think of. Aficionados say they should be eaten raw – and alive … which can be, needless to say, something of a health hazard. Presumably this is part of its charm. The oyster is apparently oblivious to this controversy and doesn’t seem to mind being eaten alive – which just goes to show not having a central nervous system is a pretty zen concept.

 4. Blue/Bleu Cheese

Don’t get us wrong, we like cheese. Cheese, like Tabasco Sauce, can generally be relied on to improve the flavour of anything, with the possible exception of asparagus which is Satan’s vegetable. But Blue Cheese (the blue being mould) is potent, with an alarmingly stinky aroma and taste roughly analogous to being kicked in the groin by a horse. We’d say we could handle it in moderation, but that’s not something we’re good at – so we tend to avoid it altogether.

5. Fugu (or Pufferfish)

One of the most celebrated dishes in Japanese cuisine, Fugu is, infamously, a pufferfish renowned for its toxicity. Containing Tetrodotoxin, estimated to be about 160,000 times more powerful than cocaine, only specially qualified chefs are permitted to serve it. Apparently, for some, residue of the poison forms part of the appeal – the warm tingling of the lips and a feeling something like a drug high.

There’s also the adrenaline rush of having survived the ordeal of eating it … this is something we can relate to (see also: Kev’s Chicken Nugget Con Italia).

 6. Foie Gras

We’ll admit to a certain prejudice against this, because, ya know, of the cruelty involved in the making of it. For those that aren’t familiar, the traditional process basically involves force-feeding a duck or goose with corn, causing its liver to bloat up to 10 times its normal size. The fatty deposit that builds up in the liver is foie gras. Fans say it’s a delicious buttery delicacy – but these people are douches.

7. Anchovies

Another fishy repast, for many people the very strong flavour is a turn-off – something that could equally be said of other choice suspects, such as Kippers. Some people love them, but our relationship with them was soured when we had a very bad reaction to a pub Caesar Salad – and we blame the anchovies that were in it. A little presumptuous maybe, but then these things always look guilty.

 8. Vegemite

We actually like this stuff – it works particularly well on toast when we’re sick (see Anchovy entry above).  A mysterious sludge ostensibly comprised of yeast extract, it’s a taste you apparently have to have acquired from childhood. Fairly ubiquitous in Australian kitchens, it struggles to find favour overseas – Barack Obama once publicly denounced it as “horrible”.

Legend has it that if you apply Vegemite to the head of a bald man during the full moon of the Sabbath and you will be granted good luck and a fine crop of curly hair just above the belly.

9. Beer

It’s the third most popular drink on the planet, pipped only by tea and (shock) water. For some reason, it’s also a struggle for some people to get into – which might say something about our more immediate attraction to sweeter things … hence the invention of the cocktail menu. Beer fans say it also has something to do with the gallons of bog-water which passes for their favourite drink generally.

10. Durian

Although it may not be widely available in this country, the Durian is a famously divisive fruit. It’s known as the “King of Fruits” in southeast Asia and is renowned for its strong odour.  Anthony Bourdain (who is a fan) once described its flavour as: “indescribable, something you will either love or despise. …Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.” Both a recommendation to eat breath-mints afterwards and a pretty callous indictment on the state of Bourdain’s dead grandmother. Shame on you Tony!