Discovering new foods

I agree, they taste amazing!

Goji berries and their juice.

Salsify, never again, we have the gene that make this an exceptionally windy dish. Giant couscous, a tiny small grey pasta with no flavour at all.

I currently have a bag of spelt in grain form waiting to cooked and tasted.

I always have piles of new recipes waiting to be tried and these often lead to the purchase of new unknown ingredients.

This is a multi-cultural country so I have been very lucky indeed to have access to foods from all over the world.

Like you grannyactivis I dislike shopping but do it online so someone picks and packs it for me. My budget is small and I live alone but there are a few exotic things in my pantry.

I can only think of two things I really dislike: One is cilantro/coriander leaves.

If my son takes me to a Thai restaurant I have to remember to ask them not to put this popular ingredient into their dishes.
It's bunged into salads all over the place and just one mouthful puts me off the whole meal.

And the 2nd thing is kina aka sea urchin.
This is a much prized Maori delicacy and was so highly recommended to me by friends that I fully expected to find it as delicious as thye. Yuk, yuk, yuk. It is revolting.

But not completely without its uses, as scientists are just discovering.

"Kina shells contain bioactives which are known to be effective in treating diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and other serious conditions."

www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12123694

Recently bought a bottle of Kefir to try. Liked it. A friend gave me some kefir grains to make my own with. I followed instructions via Mr Google and now use kefir in smoothies and for overnight oats.

The Wonderful Man loves kefir, a taste he acquired when he lived in Norway, but he hasn’t won me over with it yet. I do like the Norwegian brunost (a delicious fudge-like brown cheese) very much and fortunately it’s available at two shops in our little town.

BradfordLass72 - I’m the opposite and love coriander leaves in salads etc.

I love coriander! I am struggling with finding any food to dislike. Actually correct that; I have never,ever liked the humble broad bean. I find it inedible. I've never found a more exotic fruit or vegetable that I didn't like.
I have tried ostrich when it first became available . That was a bit so-so.

I’m new to kefir and love it’s funny taste although my DH refuses to eat/drink it. I love trying new things on my travels although I drew the line at deep fried crickets in Thailand! I’ve done chitterlings, frogs legs, sheep’s brains - mostly without knowing beforehand but admit they were all very tasty!

I'm a bah! humbug at Christmas. I can't stand Brussels sprouts, they just taste nasty.

I love coriander though, it goes into all sorts of things in this house.

My husband is always bringing something different for us to try, he works in food retail and brings home all sorts of I interesting things.

My son in law grew some patty pan squash, he had so many that we were given several during the summer. If never cooked them before, they are delicious.

BradfordLass, my DNA test came back with a 'cilantro aversion' result. I didn't know what it was until I looked it up and found coriander. It's always tasted horrid to me. I think there's a similar genetic thing with brussel sprouts.

I like trying new foods by ordering two starters (instead of a meal) for lunch when we eat out. Another benefit - it leaves room for dessert!

DD, who generally loves any milk product tried Kefir and hated it.

I have an aversion to all fresh milk or close to fresh milk products unless 'hidden' in cooking. Milk makes me sick Yoghourt, plain or fruity makes me feel sick, so Kefir doesn't stand a chance. I would probably throw up;

Kale. I hate the stuff, leathery and veiny. I also never eat ? the smell is awful.
Sickly sweet pineapple juice or the fruit itself is a no-no. Horribly thready as if made from juice-soaked old carpet.
Also ? all seafood except cod and smoked haddock.
I prefer savoury, hard foods and I'm actually quite picky. I'd never let anyone else shop for me ?

I don't try foreign foods either.

Gosh you do surprise me Gabriella I thought you would be adventurous.

foreign foods?

Me? Adventurous? No.
I'm very conservative food-wise but do I like vegetable samosas however, I make my own and I'm conservative in my private life too. Friends are middle class and above and lead predictable lives - nothing to rock the boat. I'm not quite as predictable as they are but more conservative than you think.

What a lot you are missing Gabriella by only mixing with the middle class and above.
So many working class, I count myself and family amongst them, are the salt of the earth, warmhearted, generous to a fault and generally lovely people.

this.deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/hate-coriander-heres-the-scientific-reason-why
Apparently coriander tastes like soap if you have the appropriate genetic makeup. Poor people who are missing out?

Our local fruit shop introduced us to Cotton Candy grapes recently. They taste just like their name!

I've always loved curry, but the dhal they served up in Sri Lanka was so delicious I was even eating it for breakfast.

We are so lucky to live in an era and a place where we can try any sort of food we fancy. I enjoy just about anything, apart from offal, though I admit I won't be rushing to eat eels, squid or whelks again any time soon.

Hi All

I'm another that hates coriander, it's like a mouthful of disinfectant, yuck! I also cannot stomach any seafoods other than cod and salmon. Other foods that don't grace my plate include: cucumber, black pudding, cheesecake and dark chocolate (in/on anything other than as a sponge cake) - I am sure there are loads more as I seem to have become more fussy about food as I have aged.

I do not think we become more fussy, but our tastes change as we grow older. I have never had a very sweet tooth and as I have got older I enjoy sweet things less and less and, eating out, tend to have a starter and main course but pass on the dessert. If I snack I will look for something savoury rather than sweet.

I also think we have more dislikes because we have had opportunities to taste more foods and know what we like and what we do not.

I’m a savoury over sweet as well now which I never thought would happen as I loved cakes and puddings as a child.

Whenever DH and I go out for a meal we agree to share a starter and a pudding with whatever we each want for a main as we can rarely do 3 courses each as we get older! Occasionally we choose a main each and he’ll choose a sweet and I’ll go for cheese and crackers which we also share.

annsixty

Sadly, there are few if any, 'working class' people living in my immediate area or in the few groups I belong to.
I am in complete agreement with your comment but I can't really seek out particular sectors of society as I wouldn't know where to look.
Friends just happen to be middle class.
Almost all of my adult life has been spent with mixed groups, after all, I'm working class myself and proud to be so.
This morning, when talking to a young woman in JL customer services, I had a lump in my throat on hearing her pronounced Liverpool accent.
It's my home town and I'm super proud because it's the people who make it a very special city.
We chatted for ages about the changes and I felt a terrific bond.
I certainly don't aspire to be anything other than working class. A false veneer isn't my bag.