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What foods have you only started to eat in later life?

(62 Posts)
Sazz1006 Thu 03-May-18 14:44:44

At the tender age of 61, I have started to eat beetroot for the first time in my life! I think I was put off by the vinegary stuff being put on our school dinner plates with mashed potatoes that stained the potatoes pink and have never eaten it until recently.
The other things I really would like to like and am revving myself up for trying are boiled or poached eggs. They look so tempting but I just can’t bring myself to eat egg white! I quite enjoy scrambled egg or the occasional omelette.
Anyone else liking a type of food for the first time?

lilypollen Fri 04-May-18 18:27:13

Since getting married, I've always enjoyed a very varied diet of mainly 'healthy' food. Over the past 5 years I've used butter and double cream in my cooking, rather than the alternatives. Not to excess but it does make a helluva difference to certain dishes.

Lindylou51 Fri 04-May-18 17:43:46

Olives it is for me too!! Clearly there are a few fellow Gransnetters who have developed a liking for these in later life. However, I only like the black ones and have yet to mature into liking green olives.

NonnaW Fri 04-May-18 15:58:59

2 years ago I had my first taste of oysters and they were delicious! Also just got round to trying quinoa which I enjoyed, but had avoided mainly because it had a kind of “worthy” label.

bmacca Fri 04-May-18 15:58:18

I used to think that I wouldn't like passion fruit because it looked "slimey" but when I actually had some I realised how much I love it

maryhoffman37 Fri 04-May-18 15:49:15

The only things I don't like (beyond my vegetarian and GF diet) are beetroot, pineapple and goat cheese. The first makes me sick, the second hurts my mouth and I can't bear the smell of the third. I doubt I'll be changing my preferences about those three any time soon.

hildajenniJ Fri 04-May-18 12:19:44

I'm famous in my family for trying anything once. Most of the time I'll have it again. Like so many other older people I find that now there are things I can't eat, cooked tomatoes being top of the list. My mother never bought celery and it wasn't until I started dating my DH that I tasted it. His mother used to boil it as a vegetable, it is delicious.

Bathsheba Fri 04-May-18 12:04:47

Oh yes, olives, avocados and celeriac have all found their way onto my shopping list in recent years. Hated olives and avocados when I was younger, and I don't think I'd even heard of celeriac until the last decade or so. Pesto is another addition, but I don't use it as often as I'd like because it has to be used quite quickly once opened, and I do get fed up with throwing away half a jar sad.

Marmight Fri 04-May-18 11:42:03

Fennel & celery. Used to hate them but obviously my taste buds have changed in advanced age!

Eloethan Thu 03-May-18 22:17:11

Olives, halloumi, tofu, smoked salmon, avocados, watercress, beetroot

GrandmaMoira Thu 03-May-18 22:10:53

There's lots of foodstuffs that weren't around when we were young but I enjoy. These include: pesto, halloumi, hummus, couscous, quinoa, lentils, garlic, cumin, peppers, sea bass, kale, flagolet beans and more. We didn't even have pasta or rice when I was a child.
I am no longer able to tolerate anything too hot and spicy or strong coffee. I used to eat white sliced bread but really dislike it now. I eat much less red meat now.

lemongrove Thu 03-May-18 21:20:09

Nuts! grin
Not a comment on this thread I hasten to say.

NanKate Thu 03-May-18 21:09:33

Couscous and I have had so much of it in salad pots from M and S, that I would happily never eat it again. I am cous coused out ?

seacliff Thu 03-May-18 20:48:20

I've only been eating Halloumi for about 5 years, just love it.

Also baby spinach in a salad, Greek Yoghurt, pine nuts, edamame beans, sugar snap peas.

Jalima1108 Thu 03-May-18 20:28:08

avocados
We do eat avocados regularly but DS reminded me that I used to make them eat avocados when they were young 'because they are good for you'!
He had a name for them which I couldn't possibly repeat on here grin

Maggiemaybe Thu 03-May-18 20:26:00

Oh, and fatty meat. envy

Maggiemaybe Thu 03-May-18 20:24:52

All the things that I’ve discovered relatively recently. Quinoa, avocados, sweet potatoes, cheese strings, harissa, salted caramel, flavoured gins (particularly salted caramel and flavoured gins grin). To be honest, I’ve always eaten anything apart from offal and whelks, and I’m not going to be tempted by either of them anytime soon.

Chewbacca Thu 03-May-18 19:40:47

I've found the opposite as I've got older. I used to eat anything and everything; never was a fussy eater. But since my 60s, I found that food I used to enjoy, I can no longer abide. I suspect that I'm a nightmare to cook for because the list of foods I no longer like is fast outstripping the list of those that I do. fruit, carrots, beetroot, peppers, offal, pork, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, sardines ........

SueDonim Thu 03-May-18 19:03:28

grin Paddyann! Thankfully, there were no hairs - or horns - in it! I drew the line at an ox tail, though.

It is indeed flavoursome. I made a spag bol with the mince. It came out akin to the bolognaise you'd get in a good Italian restaurant.

I also bought a braising cut that was new to me. It made an excellent meal and enough left over for stovies!

paddyann Thu 03-May-18 18:27:01

known locally as Hairy Coo beef SueDonim its excellent meat great flavor and texture .

SueDonim Thu 03-May-18 18:19:37

I think I've tried most things as they've become available. I'm not hugely fond of fish so haven't tried all the varieties available nowadays.

I've eaten pretty much most kinds of fruit and veg and I have a bottle of kefir in the fridge to try.

Otherwise, my most recent experiment has been with beef from Highland cattle. It was excellent. It's produced locally and is no more expensive than supermarket equivalents.

Willow500 Thu 03-May-18 17:33:39

Definitely olives - I eat loads of them now. Also cheddar cheese - I never ate cheese for years but like nothing better than crusty bread, an apple and large chunk of cheese!

MillieBear Thu 03-May-18 17:28:48

Hummus, preferably by the bucket load! grin

Nanabilly Thu 03-May-18 17:19:22

Raspberries and spinach.

shysal Thu 03-May-18 17:04:55

Figs. Always thought they looked unappetizing, but they are delicious!

TerriBull Thu 03-May-18 16:56:03

Avocados, Rocket, Sweet Potatoes, Leeks, Nectarines in the summer by far my favourite fruit these days, porridge, only because it fills me up for 3 hours or so, I'm not actually that mad on it, Greek Yogurt, Cous Cous.