New & NowValentine's Day
All the Foods We Thought Were Sexy Since 2009
There are so many—and also not enough—words for describing food: some generic (delicious, tasty, gross), some specific (salty, brown, caramelized, fishy), some figurative (beautiful, glorious, heart-warming), some literal (hot, cold, starchy, chocolatey), some banned (luscious, indulgent, meltingly-tender, toothsome).
And then there are some that are downright silly. Since Food52's birth in 2009, we've been occasionally describing food as "sexy," which might be one of the most subjective adjectives of all time. Is silken tofu sexier than firm? Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sexy? What about if it's almond butter? It depends on the circumstances—and on whom you ask.
In honor of Valentine's Day, the year's sexiest holiday (or is it?), we've compiled a list of foods that we've described as sexy and unsexy over the years. Some will make sense to you (figs stuffed with cheese and dipped in chocolate) and others (turkey breast, cabbage, scrambled eggs), not so much.
Beauty is in the eye of beholder.
The hot list:
- Coconut milk (“Coconut milk is one sexy, dreamy canned good.”)
- A tangle of grassy pea shoots
- Beefsteak tomatoes
- Asparagus (...but also cabbage)
- Figs stuffed with cheese and dipped in dark chocolate
- A perfectly ripe nectarine
- A Chioggia beet
- Meals for two
- A cross-sectional view of a sandwich piled high with Tetris-like precision
- Brie (bake it and it’s Red Carpet-sexy)
- A back-pocket recipe (“A pantry recipe sounds sad and desperate, but a back-pocket recipe sounds competent and a little sexy, the sort of thing that Brooke Shields would make after putting on her jeans.")
- Roasted vegetables (but in our defense, we were just quoting Francis Lam)
- Turkey breast
- Galettes (Phyllis Grant said: “Galettes are sexy and beautiful and oozy. They are not for people who have problems with mess.”)
- Ricotta (“It looks like a sexy cloud.”)
- "A sexy little pan sauce"
- Maialino's Olive Oil Cake
- Scrambled eggs ("One of the most glorious, indulgent, and straight-up sexy meals of all time.")
- Refried beans, when made with the right spice combo
- Chicken liver ragu
- Poached pears (sexy and slinky)
- Naked Chocolate Ice Cream for Lovers
- Madeira Tart
And not so sexy:
- Butter pecan ice cream
- A turnip
- Tapioca pudding
- Cauliflower (“the least sexy crucifer of them all”)
- Cast-iron skillets
What, in your opinion, is the sexiest (or least sexy) food? Share with us in the comments!
Comments (8)
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over 1 year ago Donna Collins
Very juicy, very sweet, very red watermelon (with seeds)
about 2 years ago Calvin James
anything with pineapples is automatically sexy.
- CJ from BAPUL
about 2 years ago cirra
Tapioca in rich coconut milk with fresh ripe mango? Definitely sexy!
about 2 years ago amysarah
amysarah is a trusted home cook.
I object to tapioca as intrinsically unsexy. My childhood love of it was very unsexy (thank god,) even if we called it "fish eye pudding." But as an adult, I'd say it can have a rather sensual mouth feel. Consider Thomas Keller's famous Oysters & Pearls: caviar and oysters atop a tapioca sabayon. That ain't no nursery food.
about 2 years ago [email protected]
Crudo!
about 2 years ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
ZOODLES! Not really. I am just starting trouble :-)
Savory cinnamon is though
about 2 years ago Lindsay-Jean Hard
Lindsay-Jean is a Community Editor at Food52.
I apologize, dearest turnip, for my thoughtless words.
about 2 years ago Allie
Avocado! I never had one until I was an adult, and "this is sexy!" was the thought...
Showing 8 out of 8 comments