# Weird-Sounding Food That Is Surprisingly Good. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2017, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449 "2017-08-23T11:22:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/1 "2017-08-23T11:22:57Z")
I have a couple of examples of this. More recently, I have been into Sushi at a local supermarket. And some time back, I finally got the courage to try the eel. And you know, it really isn’t that bad. It has these spiny fibers in it, that may get lodged in my intestines. But what are you going to do? My mother was Polish, and she got me started on a lot of Polish food. They have this soup called czardnina, which is basically duck blood soup. I was grossed out by it as a child. But as I got older, I realized, it really isn’t that bad. Do any of the rest of you have examples of foods that sound gross, but are really not that bad? :):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/2 "2017-08-23T11:42:51Z")
Hog jowls and pig’s feet used to get grossness laughs on _The Beverly Hillbillies_, but they are actually scrumptious fatty goodness. Chicken foot stew is good too, but you have to beware of tiny bones as you eat. Spit those out like watermelon seeds. Oh wait, I usually eat the watermelon seeds…when I can find any. Damned seedless melons, damned peaches without fuzz…grumble, grumble… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/3 "2017-08-23T11:48:40Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I They have this soup called czardnina, which is basically duck blood soup. I was grossed out by it as a child. But as I got older, I realized, it really isn’t that bad. _Czarnina_ or _czernina_ (without the “d”) is something that never quite did it for me. I never did really glom to the sweet & sour nature of it. That said, I did like Polish _kiszka_/_kaszanka_, which is a blood sausage–similar to black pudding. Most of my American friends think it’s pretty gross, but I love it. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/4 "2017-08-23T13:13:10Z")
> [@](#): > > …blood sausage–similar to black pudding… Yeah, blood sausage can be excellent. A friend of mine was having trouble getting through her first experience with it, until I told her to think of turkey stuffing (cumin). Squid in ink. Really tasty with rice. I think people react better nowadays to squid and octupus, but the ink might be too much for some. Grilled pork ears. An odd sensation at first, for sure. Gelatinous on the outside and the cartilage on the inside crunches as you crush it between your molars. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/5 "2017-08-23T13:36:55Z")
I tried haggis last weekend. Turned out to be pretty good. Same for white pudding and black pudding. I grew up eating beef tongue. I especially liked the texture of the pieces with the taste buds. Haven’t seen it in awhile, though. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/6 "2017-08-23T13:40:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I tried haggis last weekend. Turned out to be pretty good. Same for white pudding and black pudding. > > I grew up eating beef tongue. **I especially liked the texture of the pieces with the taste buds.** Haven’t seen it in awhile, though. The food that tastes you back. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/7 "2017-08-23T14:10:49Z")
Many people tell me they won’t eat guacamole because of both the name and the appearance (It’s green!). ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/8 "2017-08-23T14:35:26Z")
A couple weeks ago I made Hapukapsasupp, an Estonian pork, sauerkraut, and barley soup. Beef and kimchee stew is also something that sounds weird but is very good. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/9 "2017-08-23T14:36:15Z")
Thai fish maw salad (Yum Sam Krob) is delicious. Thai grilled pork neck is also even deliciouser:) ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/10 "2017-08-23T20:15:51Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Many people tell me they won’t eat guacamole because of both the name and the appearance (It’s green!). My sister and BIL love soft crabs but just the idea of it makes me queasy. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/11 "2017-08-23T20:19:39Z")
When a friend said he was grilling some romaine lettuce, I privately had some doubts. Turns out, it’s pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/12 "2017-08-23T21:37:28Z")
Welsh Rabbit doesn’t really contain lagomorphs. It’s not [“Rarebit,”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_rarebit#Origin) either. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/13 "2017-08-23T22:01:55Z")
Kimchi always sounded gross to me…til I tried it. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/14 "2017-08-23T23:27:54Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > My sister and BIL love soft crabs but just the idea of it makes me queasy. But the chef cuts off the eyes and genitals! What more do you want? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/15 "2017-08-24T00:09:31Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I grew up eating beef tongue. I especially liked the texture of the pieces with the taste buds. Haven’t seen it in awhile, though. Have you been to [Gershon’s](https://www.gershonsdeli.com/)? Their tongue sandwich is supposed to be good. My Dad eats tongue regularly. I used to like it as a kid but not so much anymore. I do love eel – it’s my favorite sushi. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/16 "2017-08-24T00:26:31Z")
In much of Africa, the basics that go into a sauce are peanuts, bananas and unsweetened cocoa. Wonderful with chicken stewed into it, on rice of other staple. Think banana split, without the icecream ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/17 "2017-08-24T00:29:42Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I have a couple of examples of this. > > More recently, I have been into Sushi at a local supermarket. And some time back, I finally got the courage to try the eel. And you know, it really isn’t that bad. It has these spiny fibers in it, that may get lodged in my intestines. But what are you going to do? Speaking of eel, there’s unagi pie, which is a specialty mainly of Hamamatsu in Japan, which produces a lot of unagi eel. The unagi pies aren’t like British eel pies, but are more like fried sugar cookies made with powdered eel mixed into the flour. There isn’t any particularly fishy taste, or anything to suggest you’re eating eel (which makes me wonder what the point even is?) Anyway, they’re yummy, and you can scroll down a bit on [this page](http://www.washokulovers.com/blog/shizuoka-prefecture-washoku-lovers/) for a photo. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/18 "2017-08-24T00:59:14Z")
I’m another haggis lover. Also white pudding…but not black. Don’t really care for food made out of blood. I like innards, especially sweetbreads and grilled kidney. And I’m HUGE on tripe, which you can get stewed with chiles in dim sum houses and braised in garlicky marinara in some Italian places. But the best thing is _mitteleuropa_ tripe soup, which I first tried in a Polish diner in Brooklyn. Here’s my favorite home method: > **[Tripe Soup Or Flaczki Recipe](http://www.grouprecipes.com/20545/tripe-soup-or-flaczki.html)** > > This is the way my mother(Irish/English) and mother-in-law(Polish/Ukrainian) made Tripe Soup. Often my mother would make Tripe in a cream sauce. As a child I never understood what "Tripe" was and I enjoyed what I had placed in front of me. The... Local Dominicans also make a tripe soup, but those Polacks have the magic hands… ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/19 "2017-08-24T01:04:45Z")
Turn out that pickled herring, which I had never planned to eat in my entire life, is REALLY good with vodka and pickled tomatoes. , ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449/20 "2017-08-24T01:24:53Z")
ANYTHING Russian tastes great with icy cold vodka. Try the marinated wild mushrooms! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-sounding-food-that-is-surprisingly-good/794449.md?page=2)