# "You're gonna eat that?!?" Raw, aged or otherwise 'extreme' foods others consider 'gross' **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 2, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353 "2026-07-02T13:15:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/81 "2026-07-03T20:02:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Heck, cheese is rotten milk, when you get right down to it. I’ve read it was probably invented accidentally by ancient shepherds who tried keeping their animals’ milk inside sheep stomachs, kind of like wine sacks. The milk reacted with the rennet inside the guts, and _voila_, cheese formed! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/82 "2026-07-03T20:10:13Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > You would think a guy named @Chefguy would know every culinary trick in the book, as well as having invented a couple of his own. And you’d be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/83 "2026-07-03T21:01:19Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I do, however, enjoy the occasional pickled herring with sour cream. One wouldn’t normally associate the concept of pickling with fish, but herring fillets pickled in a vinegary wine sauce with onions and served with sour cream is really quite good as an occasional appetizer, though I couldn’t subsist on a steady diet of it. Fortunately it has a long shelf life even after being opened. I occasionally get a jar of pickled herring, but I prefer it with just wine sauce. I tried a jar with sour cream, but didn’t care for it. I usually eat the herring and onion on a Triscuit. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/84 "2026-07-03T22:31:54Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’ve never tried beef tongue, but I have heard it’s delicious. At some basque style restaurants, Pickled beef tongue is served first, along with the salad. I’d chop up the tongue and add it to the salad. Very nice. > [@terentii](#): > > I don’t get why haggis is derided by so many people who have never even tried it. Yes, it’s made with ovine sweetmeats and cooked inside a sheep’s stomach, but it tastes like spicy liverwurst. I guess this would put you off if you don’t like the taste of liver in any form, I have had it, and altho not a fan of liver, I rated it “Okay to try, but not a fan”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/85 "2026-07-03T22:33:33Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > I occasionally get a jar of pickled herring, but I prefer it with just wine sauce. I tried a jar with sour cream, but didn’t care for it. I usually eat the herring and onion on a Triscuit. I notice many recipes call for the herring and sour cream to be mixed together. That’s not how I eat it. I have the herring and onions on one side of the plate and the sour cream beside it. That seems to provide the best contrast of flavours. I find the creaminess of the sour cream nicely complements and mellows the sharp taste of the herring. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/86 "2026-07-03T23:02:10Z")
I have it only on special occasions like Hogmany and Robert Burns Day. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/87 "2026-07-03T23:13:53Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > > Heck, cheese is rotten milk, when you get right down to it. > > I’ve read it was probably invented accidentally by ancient shepherds who tried keeping their animals’ milk inside sheep stomachs, kind of like wine sacks. The milk reacted with the rennet inside the guts, and _voila_, cheese formed! Another Sardinian speciality! [https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/callu-de-cabrettu](https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/callu-de-cabrettu) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/88 "2026-07-03T23:34:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I don’t think I had ever tried beef tongue before I was served it in the cafeteria at the company where I worked in Moscow. I liked it fine, until I reassembled the slices on my plate and realized what it was that I was eating. I’ll still eat it today, but with some horseradish on the side. > > I don’t get why haggis is derided by so many people who have never even tried it. Yes, it’s made with ovine sweetmeats and cooked inside a sheep’s stomach, but it tastes like spicy liverwurst. I don’t really deride things I’ve never tried, which wouldn’t make a lot of sense, I just maintain that there are some foods I have no interest in trying based on what they are. This includes grasshoppers, snakes, haggis, and even beef tongue. I’ll consume eel and sea urchin in the form of sushi, but only when expertly prepared by a first-class sushi chef. The beauty of the presentation and the exquisite sense of flavour harmony makes all the difference. But even then I prefer more conventional sushi like otoro (fat tuna belly), yellowtail, and the like. And while I dislike the basic flavour of liver, there’s a spicy liverwurst that’s quite good on crackers and also makes decent sandwiches. And if I ever find a top-notch Jewish deli in the area, authentic Jewish-style chopped liver is to die for! The only time I’ve ever had it locally was on special occasions when an upscale local deli shipped it in from Moishe’s in Montreal. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2026, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/89 "2026-07-03T23:40:02Z")
Beef tongue is not common - there’s only one per animal, and it’s relatively small - but it’s far from unusual, at least in terms of taste and texture. It’s surprisingly tender when prepared correctly, with a mildly beefy taste. I love beef tongue. It’s one of those childhood comfort foods for me. Unfortunately, my wife developed an aversion to it (at least the way I prepare it) during one of her pregnancies, so in the last 30+ years, I think I’ve only made it twice. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/90 "2026-07-04T00:18:16Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Authentic Jewish-style chopped liver is to die for! Yes! 🥰 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/91 "2026-07-04T00:23:13Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Another Sardinian speciality! > [https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/callu-de-cabrettu](https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/callu-de-cabrettu) I’m guessing here that sheep and goat stomachs work equally well, but produce different kinds of cheese? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/92 "2026-07-04T02:28:48Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Long story short, you can’t ship it to America and expect it to still be good. And also, you have to open the can under water. That’s not exactly true. It’s a canned food and considered to be at its peak 6 months to a year after canning, easy to get to America in that time by sea (most airlines won’t carry it). It does keep fermenting in the can, though, and heat during transit can really accelerate that process. I’ve been in the presence of a can opened under water and was instantly gagging from ten feet away and had to retreat. Several others in the area retched. The water mitigates but does not remove the threat and you’ve got take it out of the water at some point to eat it (but why?). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/93 "2026-07-04T03:32:54Z")
I read somewhere that it should be treated as a condiment. You don’t eat a spoonful of it in the same way that you don’t eat a spoonful of mustard or wasabi. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/94 "2026-07-04T03:46:55Z")
Aha, his version of “Cailles en Sarcophage” from “Babette’s Feast”! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/95 "2026-07-04T03:47:20Z")
When I see hard-boiled eggs in a jar, like in a dive bar, they make me think of Rocky Mountain oysters. Uncooked they look like just what they are: bull testicles. They’re usually deep-fried or very thinly sliced and sauteed. But nope, not gonna do that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/96 "2026-07-04T03:56:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I tried bacalhau (dried salted cod) when we lived in Portugal. It’s prepared a number of ways and is the national dish. Didn’t care for it. I’m pretty sure it’s one of those things that you have to grow up with, like gefilte fish or lutefisk. I had the Italian version of that (almost the same name) recently. The version i had was reconstituted and mashed and had more mayonnaise in it than i really like. It’s fine. Bland, not terribly appealing, but i see the appeal as a cheap protein & calorie dense food. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/97 "2026-07-04T04:05:16Z")
Am I a bad person for thinking of that pivotal, classic scene from “This Is Spinal Tap” and that it could come about in this manner? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tZrqC5LL_oo/hqdefault.jpg "Spinal Tap Drumers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZrqC5LL_oo) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/98 "2026-07-04T04:15:07Z")
YouTuber EmmyMade tried balut, and when she tasted liver, that really freaked her out. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/99 "2026-07-04T13:08:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous, but this was debunked in the 1800s when one lover of the fruit consumed a bunch of them in a public display and (to everyone’s surprise) didn’t keel over dead. George Washington Carver was a famous agronomist that popularized the eating of tomatoes. He also popularized the eating of peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353/100 "2026-07-04T13:19:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous, but this was debunked in the 1800s when one lover of the fruit consumed a bunch of them in a public display and (to everyone’s surprise) didn’t keel over dead. The “poison apples” myth was also propagated by deaths linked to tomatoes but actually caused by acidic tomatoes leaching lead from pewter dishes used by the wealthy, and also by their botanical relationship to the nightshade family, many species of which are poisonous. Tomatoes were also shunned when first bright to Europe because their blood-red colour was associated with evil and witchcraft. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-gonna-eat-that-raw-aged-or-otherwise-extreme-foods-others-consider-gross/1031353.md?page=6)