Lists

From Tripe to Twinkies, the Foods We Haven't Tried (Yet)

October 30, 2015

Tripe. Crab cakes. Any red meat whatsoever. Baked Alaska.

What do those foods have in common? They're all on the list of foods I still haven't eaten, either because I haven't had the opportunity or because I don't really want to.

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There is simply no way to try all the foods (though when I asked Ali if she had tried escargot, foie gras, caviar, Baba au Rhum, a Pop Tart... she said yes to every single item until the game got old and I gave up).

And that's a good thing: Having a running list of new foods to try is what keeps eating exciting and inspiring.

From strawberry milk to haggis, here are of the foods on our team's "Have Not Tried List":

Amanda Hesser:

  • Lamb brains
  • Yak milk
  • I feel like there are a million snack foods I haven't tried, mostly because I lived a fairly food-sheltered life as a kid. Our snacks were carrot sticks. So by the time I could eat snack food, I was mostly past the stage of being super interested.

Merrill Stubbs:

  • I've never tried Vegemite because I once tried Marmite and didn't like it. That was years ago, though. Since I like every other version of umami it's probably time for a do-over. 
  • I have also never had chop suey, Spam, Fruity Pebbles, strawberry milk, that cheese with maggots in it, or blowfish. Do I need a reason? 

Kenzi Wilbur:

  • Brain 
  • Blood pudding 

Ali Slagle:

  • I've only been to McDonald's once. 
  • I haven't had a lot of British and/or Scottish foods, like haggis, but I think I'm okay without it.
  • Quince

Kristen Miglore

  • I've wondered if I could eat dog. I think I could.

Bridget Williams

  • Guinea pig
  • Doritos shell tacos from Taco Bell

Samantha Weiss-Hills:

  • Insects. I would be down.

Leslie Stephens:

  • All the future sausages I was going to eat before I decided to go anti-sausagetarian on Monday.
  • The "love knots" my grandma made for my dad when he was growing up; I have the recipe, but they're deep-fried and I'm afraid of blowing up my apartment.
  • Any and all street food in Singapore—actually all street food, period. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Amanda Sims:

  • Have never tried blintzes. Are they savory or sweet? Confusing. 
  • Nor cashew cheese, nor Soylent, nor pickled potatoes

Lindsay-Jean Hard:

  • I'd like to try durian, buuuut I'm really sensitive to bad smells, so I'm not sure if I could get past its offensive aroma.

Taylor Rondestvedt:

  • I really want to try reindeer because we have my great-great grandmother's recipe (she was Sami, and it's a delicacy).
  • Also, blood sausage. I've never tried it, but the whole idea sort of gives me the willies, even though i know it's supposed to be good. 
  • I have also never eaten a Twinkie

Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm:

  • Matzo ball soup! My great grandmother was Jewish, but, sadly, my family never carried on any culinary traditions. 
  • I've also never had Rice Krispie treats, is that weird?

Caroline Lange:

  • I will almost certainly never eat an oyster, but I am endlessly curious. Is it like making out with a shellfish?

What foods are on your "Must Try" or "Will Never Try" list? Tell us in the comments!

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • JAC
    JAC
  • Allyn
    Allyn
  • ElisabethTheViking
    ElisabethTheViking
  • HalfPint
    HalfPint
  • Noreen Fish
    Noreen Fish
I used to work at Food52. I'm probably the person who picked all of the cookie dough out of the cookie dough ice cream.

9 Comments

JAC December 31, 2015
Wow! I've eaten almost all the foods you haven't but I still haven't touched brains, bugs, cheese with maggots & one or two others. The one the threw me was dog! Kristen Miglore you made me Gasp! Then I ran to hug my puppy!
 
Allyn November 2, 2015
Blood sausage is sooooo delicious. We ate a fair amount on our honeymoon in Scotland and now buy it frozen as an occasional treat. Tried haggis, thought it was fine. I tend to try most things, including century eggs in China, but brains and bugs are pretty firmly on my NO WAY list.
 
ElisabethTheViking November 2, 2015
Define "delicacy"... Reindeer is anything but. It's delicious, don't get me wrong, but to the Sami people of Northern Norway, reindeer is a staple, not a delicacy. They eat reindeer at any and all meals, dried, stewed, cured...

I gave both natto and vegemite a decent second try. They're not for me. A good whale steak, on the other hand ;)
 
HalfPint November 2, 2015
Would like to try haggis and natto. But it may be the case that I probably won't.
 
Sarah J. November 2, 2015
I've had natto on okonamiyaki, but I probably wouldn't do it again.
 
Noreen F. November 1, 2015
I watched my grandma make blood sausage once (I think I was about 8) and decided that I could never eat it. Strangely, this was AFTER watching the whole pig-butchering process without turning a hair.
 
Henry J. October 31, 2015
Durian is an amazing concept. Malaysians and Singporeans either love it or hate it. I bet it is available in Indonesia, so give it a try.
 
BrooklynBridget October 30, 2015
Ordering in blood sausage from my Irish relatives immediately, team. Too bad Halloween will have passed
 
Sam1148 October 30, 2015
Vegimite should applied vaffer thin. Like just a smudge on toast.