I’m at 60. There are a few things on there that I just won’t try (I’m alcohol-intolerant, so nothing alcoholic; from what I gather the main appeal of fugu is the risk-taking aspect; and squirrel smells so foul when cooking that I can’t fathom how anything eats them). Then there are a fair number that I just have no idea what they are. And then there are some things I’m really looking forward to trying if I ever find them (I expect I would quite like haggis, for instance).
I think the most exotic foods on the list that I’ve tried are rattlesnake, alligator, and morels. The reptiles were in a sausage, and therefore pretty much just tasted like sausage. The morels were fun to find (we gathered them in an aunt’s forest), but I thought they tasted disgusting (I’m not all that fond of ordinary mushrooms either). Not on the list, but I’ve also had bear (I liked it, though that might have been largely psychological), and I’ve almost certainly had groundhog at Gramma’s house a few times, though it was never presented as such.
I loved Hostess Fruit Pies so much when I was a kid that I used to get them for Christmas. I have tried them a few times in the last few years, and either they are not nearly as good as they once were or my tastes have gotten more sophisticated. Or both. I have eaten most of the things on that list. One I have yet to try is fugu. When I lived in Japan I wanted to try it, but I could never get a Japanese person to go with me, and I was intimidated to try it alone. I have never seen it here in the U.S.
Oh, a note for people who say they haven’t had pig intestines:
you may not have had callos, but if you’ve had chorizo, salami or pepperoni with a natural “skin” rather than synthetic and haven’t peeled them perfectly (and if you’ve had fried chorizo, it won’t have been peeled), you’ve had pig intestines. I can’t vouch for other sausage varieties.
Durian - haven’t had the chance but would try if I could
Eel - pass
Fugu - haven’t had the opportunity not do I want to
Haggis - haggis isn’t a food, it’s a dare
Kangaroo - pass. Roo was always my favorite character.
Nettle Tea - why?
Octopus - I’ve had squid. Didn’t like it a bit, so pas on this
Pocky - I generally dislike all things Japanese
Rabbit Stew - might as well be squirrel
Sea Urchin - low-tide garbage
Snail - pass
Snake - I don’t care if it does taste like chicken
Squirrel - road kill
Sweetbreads - I won’t eat organ meats under any circumstances
Umeboshi - never heard of it
So my previous count was in error. I am at 84. Can’t say I liked all 84, of course. Some of them are fit only for pigs, and some are worse than that.
I just got back from grocery shopping with some cottage cheese so I could try this cottage cheese and pineapple thing. It’s not bad. Has the salty and sweet thing that was mentioned. The texture contrast is a little strange between the lumpy cottage cheese and the stringy chunks of pineapple, but I might not have diced the pineapples into small enough pieces. I’ll be sticking with my potato chips and cottage cheese though. Thank goodness I bought some chips as well.
Alas, I’m still at 88 since I forgot to list that I’ve never tried fugu.
Note that Nava is talking about the Spanish style of chorizo, not the Mexican style. The Mexican fresh style of chorizo is (usually) squeezed out of its casing before being fried.
Also, if you’ve had hot dogs in natural casings, you’ve had sheep intestines.
Still, eating them as a thin membrane surrounding a sausage is quite a different experience than chowing down on a plate full of chitterlings. I’ve made chitterlings myself once and, man oh man, even after scrubbing them through three times, the house smelled like a barnyard when cooking them. I definitely prefer tripe to chitlins.
Damn, thought it was going to be more than that. Mine are under the cut (in bold), and I’ve put things I’m not sure about (but THINK I might have had) in italics. The list climbs to 42 if you count the things in italics.
I’ve eaten 67 of those things, though two of those are somewhat conditional: I’ve had “shark” in the form of shark fin soup, and “chicken and waffles” in that I’ve had chicken and I’ve had waffles. As far as I know, there is no way to combine them in a dish. If there is, then I’m down to 66.
I’ve not had goat’s milk as milk, but have had it as goat’s milk cheese, but I assume that doesn’t count.
I counted having had fried liver, or a kidney dish in Paris (“rognons de veau”), as “sweetbreads” from knowing that’s what it means, not from what the dish was called.
Nine of the things there I don’t even recognize as food names: Bellini, Currywurst, Frito Pie, Pavlova, Phaal, Som Tam, Umeboshi and Zucchini flowers. Will have to look them up.
There is indeed. It’s a southern thing, getting a little more popular in the north thanks to, I’d wager, Travel Channel type food tourism shows.
It wouldn’t have been on my list until about two weeks ago, when I ordered it at a fantastic Chicago brunch place. I wasn’t expecting much, just like waffles. I got the best piece of fried chicken I’ve ever had.
Huh. You know, that rings a bell. To my surprise, I encountered fried chicken pieces at a hotel brunch buffet spread in Baltimore about a month ago, along with the more usual corned beef hash, eggs benedict, quiches and omelettes - and yes, pancakes, french toast and waffles too. I did partake of a few fried chicken wings, but not of the waffles (I had home fries with eggs). but wouldn’t have thought of them being on the same description on a menu.
More than I expected, considering I’m not a particularly adventurous eater and have been vegetarian or pescetarian-who-eats-fish-to-make-it-easier-for-other-people for most of my adult life. Some of them I just happen to have not had; what’s unusual about Key Lime Pie?
Wimpy used to do root beer floats, and McDonald’s did for a while. At least in London and Essex. I loved them. I haven’t seen it for maybe twenty years in the UK. I think even the American burger joint at Piccadilly Circus doesn’t have it.
Sushi does not mean raw fish. It is the name for the style of cooked rice.
Being alcohol-intolerant might not be compatible with consuming haggis. (Disclaimer: I’ve never eaten it either). It’s my understanding that even the Scots generally take several belts of scotch before tackling the haggis.
Biscuits and Gravy
[RIGHT]11. Black Pudding[/RIGHT]
Black Truffle
[RIGHT]13. Borscht[/RIGHT]
Calamari
Carp
Caviar
Cheese Fondue
Chicken and Waffles
Chicken Tikka Masala
[RIGHT]20. Chile Relleno
Chitlins[/RIGHT]
Churros
Clam Chowder
[RIGHT]24. Cognac[/RIGHT]
Crab Cakes
[RIGHT]26. Crickets
Currywurst[/RIGHT]
Dandelion Wine
Dulce De Leche
Durian
Eel
Eggs Benedict
Fish Tacos
Foie Gras
Fresh Spring Rolls
Fried Catfish
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Plantain
[RIGHT]39. Frito Pie[/RIGHT]
Frogs’ Legs
[RIGHT]41. Fugu[/RIGHT]
Funnel Cake
Gazpacho
Goat
Goat’s Milk
[RIGHT]46. Goulash[/RIGHT]
Gumbo
[RIGHT]48. Haggis[/RIGHT]
Head Cheese
Heirloom Tomatoes
Honeycomb
Hostess Fruit Pie
Huevos Rancheros
Jerk Chicken
Kangaroo
Key Lime Pie
Kobe Beef
Lassi
Lobster
Mimosa
[RIGHT]61. MoonPie[/RIGHT]
Morel Mushrooms
[RIGHT]63. Nettle Tea[/RIGHT]
Octopus
Oxtail Soup
Paella
Paneer
Pastrami on Rye
Pavlova
[RIGHT]70. Phaal[/RIGHT]
Philly Cheese Steak
Pho
[RIGHT]73. Pineapple and Cottage Cheese[/RIGHT]
Pistachio Ice Cream
[RIGHT]75. Po’ Boy[/RIGHT]
Pocky
Polenta
Prickly Pear
Rabbit Stew
Raw Oysters
Root Beer Float
S’mores
Sauerkraut
Sea Urchin
Shark
Snail
Snake
Soft Shell Crab
[RIGHT]89. Som Tam[/RIGHT]
Spaetzle
Spam
[RIGHT]92. Squirrel[/RIGHT]
Steak Tartare
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweetbreads
Tom Yum
Umeboshi
Venison
Wasabi Peas
Zucchini flowers [/spoiler]
So that’s 79 that I know I’ve had and 21 that I think I have not had. I don’t like alcohol so stuff like cognac, absinthe, and bellini are not likely to be tried anytime soon. I have tasted dandelion wine at a farm so, yay me. Similarly, I’ve tasted a mimosa, but did not drink the entire thing.
I have no idea what some of the items are, and it is quite possible I’ve tasted them and simply don’t know them by name.
Is moon pie different than Moon Cake? I’ve had moon cake!
What is a frito pie. I assume it has something to do with Fritos, but pie?
The basic version is a bag of Fritos slit up the side. You then ladle in a bunch of chili and shredded cheese and eat with a fork while walking around a County Fair. The formal version is a casserole of the same ingredients.
I think even the American burger joint at Piccadilly Circus doesn’t have it.