UKH

When did you last eat something for the very first time? What was it? How did you come to eat it?

I have just had caper berries for the first time. Taste like capers (salt, sour; hint of bitterness).

Prior to that, it would be on a visit to Japan about 10 years ago. I ate *everything*!
At 25 I had starfruit. A disappointment.
I was 22 when I tasted my first avocado. It blew my mind.
I was 21 when I first had tuna (from a tin).
I had camel at 24 and donkey at 22.

Mmmm, food.

In reply to JJL:

I tried a bit of swan last week. Very nice. Similar in texture to golden eagle

In reply to JJL:

My mam was a bit unadventurous with food, ate things that she grew up with and didn't really go in for trying 'new' stuff, especially when it looked a bit 'iffy', and those prejudices got passed down to me a bit. I remember her seeing cottage cheese in a deli counter once and saying 'uuuurgh', that looks horrible!

So I only tried stuff like that once I'd left home. God it's nice. Smelly cheeses, Humous...absolutely amazing.

Meat always had to be burned to a crisp. I only realised in the past 2 years how awesome a really good piece of rare fillet steak is.

Fresh squid and Oysters in San Francisco.

I've got to stop now. I'm drooling on the keyboard.

In reply to ThunderCat:

Had swan only the once, many years ago, very nice. Lack of golden eagles here in Wales, but I shall certainly bear it in mind if one mistakenly lands in my garden.

In reply to JJL:

I remember being at a mates wedding reception, on the 'strangers who don't know each other' table.

One of the courses consisted of Sharon fruit?...I tried to break the ice by saying "Mmmm, I've never tried this before but I have to say it does actually taste like Sharon"

Cue an icy stare from woman in front of me who as it turns out was called Sharon.

In reply to Moley:


Do it. They taste especially nice if you beat them to death with a peregrine falcon

In reply to JJL:

I'm not sure about your claim to have tasted capers - which like olives are always presented treated / transformed. So, you may just have tasted a bunch of acid-preservatives, only the texture is unique. Olives are a similar case - I recommend you taste one 'au nature' for a memorable first (and last) time.

In reply to JJL:
Saturday, I had cinnamon ice cream

In reply to JJL:
Today I tried some of my dogs 'High Life'.
I'm sure my hair is more shiny and I'm full of vitality.

In reply to JJL:

Bavarian Mini Brie with Chili from Aldi, today; bit gooey, nice rind, not enough chili. 3/5.

In reply to JJL:

I've recently discovered that sushimi and sushi are really good. Wish i hadn't - its costing me a fortune.

In reply to JJL:

Soya icecream last friday. I picked it up by mistake but it is really nice and doesn't turn me into Bob Fleming so I would buy it again.

In reply to JJL:

At a conference in Seville just over a year back, the first day at a welcome event I was dodging the weird looking stuff on the buffet, a few days later at a restaurant we asked for a taster menu and someone had to eat something from the very odd selection they'd brought out. I started by re-trying muscles (no better than last time) then the very odd little clams (like muscles not great) then I tried the octopus and it was surprisingly nice.

My exe, who's adventures into the world of seafood got as far as battered cod, once ordered scallops while out at a posh restaurant with work, thinking that they were potato products. She ate them and was surprised how nice they were but this still didn't encourage her to be any more adventurous with seafood.

In reply to JJL:

I randomly bought a food dehydrator last week so made some beef jerky, since then I've also made dried salmon and bacon. The salmon is great.

In reply to ThunderCat:


You need a copy of the endangered species list to chomp your way down

In reply to Dave the Rave:

I have eaten both dog food (quite nice actually) and cat food (completely vile - fishy gritty texture) in my poor days.

In reply to balmybaldwin:


Make your own.

Mackeral sushimi with vinegared rice. Mmmmmmmmmm

In reply to JJL:

Tennessee whiskey-flavoured crickets, last Thursday. Reminded me of something, only I can't remember what. It wasn't whiskey...

In reply to gethin_allen:


Ha! I have the exact counterpoint experience - I thought I was getting succulent shellfish and was dismayed by battered potato.

Growing up in Middlesex hey.

In reply to JJL:

Recently travelled in S. America and fell in love with ceviche. My new favourite tapas/starter.

In reply to ThunderCat:


I think swan is a bit more gamey than golden eagle. Reminds me more of condor.

In reply to JJL:
I am 25 and never had a baked potato :|

About five years ago I hit a snake with a stone in Spain, cut off 1/3 of it and grilled. Tasted like a chicken. Biggest disappointment in my life...

I really hate snakes and always kill those f.. Probably because it's one of very few creatures who can be dangerous to me. Anybody else?

In reply to nutme:


F*ck me, that's one of the most pig-ignorant things I've ever read on here.

In reply to JJL:

I don't really like French food. But today I eat at Patisserie Valerie. I had a cheese butty, apple pie and a coffee. It cost £8. I don't really like French food or London.

In reply to JJL:

I recently had a bottle of beer brewed in the Lake District I have never had before

In reply to dale1968:

On Monday I had melon and kiwi fruit ice cream. Tasted like neither but was really good.

In reply to JJL:

I tried some Fennel today. Really weird - it actually tastes like liquorice, and quite sweet. I'm not sure of any meals I've ever thought would be improved with liquorice however, so not a massive revelation in my life.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Its amazing in coleslaw. I think it goes well with fish too.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Try some white fish baked with it

In reply to JJL:

Sushi when I first started seeing Mr Marsbar. I wasn't convinced by raw fish, but I tried it and it was quite nice.

Squirrel on back to basics camp. Not great but better than starving.

Other than that I can't think of anything, I grew up eating all kinds of food. My dad wasn't born here and my mum is quite rebellious.

In reply to JJL:

Had some fries just before Christmas.... won't be eating them again!

In reply to Indy:

I tried Buffalo Wings yesterday in the middle of nowhere Illinois. Tasted like chicken.

In reply to JJL:

I've had pork dripping on toast lots of times but never on a crumpet before yesterday. Unbeatable combination.

In reply to JJL:
It must have been sushi... a few years ago, only. It became a regular favourite.

If you're into camel and donkey and other odd meats, you have got to go visit South Africa and indulge in Warthog, Elephant, Crocodile and Guinea-fowl in the right season (when they don't have worms) and Ostrich... although you can probably get that, here. (Also, there's absolutely heavenly rock all over the place.)

(I loath snakes. I grew up in the Cape, in South Africa, where 999 out of 1000 snakes are all Pofadders, which will lie lazily in your path and bite you, should you surprise it, and is also mortally venomous. The other 1 is likely mortally venomous too but it will run away before you get there. I'd never kill one in cold blood, however, or at all, could I help it. They were there first.)

In reply to JJL:

A couple of weeks ago - Halva - didn't like it!


Chris

PS I had never heard of the stuff but apparently it is common.

In reply to JJL:

A few years ago I had tripe. More a textural than a taste experience.

In reply to JJL:

I was buying some St Agur but accidentally picked up a tub of St Agur Creme, which appears to be liquid blue cheese. Revolting. Can't find a use for it.

In reply to JJL:

Snakefruit and jackfruit this year. The grrengrocer was selling them and I'm a sucker for a new type of fruit.
Liked them both but had a mild allergic reaction to the jackfruit ;-/

In reply to balmybaldwin:


When it's good, it's really good, when it's bad, it doesn't bear thinking about. I actually prefer Sashimi, but outside of a couple of fairly expensive restaurants, I've not been brave enough to source that in the UK.

In reply to Chris Craggs:


Halva varies wildly, there are two main sorts - the gluey stuff and the powdery stuff. I don't like the gluey stuff myself but I love the powdery sort. A shop nearby used to sell the most wonderful sunflower seed variety with coconut and chocolate added, it was a million times better than bog standard Holland & Barrett versions.

In reply to Clarence:

This was 'proper' Greek stuff, sesame apparently.

I didn't like the taste or the texture - and don't have a sweet tooth - so its no more Halva for me,


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I recently ate calfs brains which were quite like a super smooth, light (greyish) omelette. An omelette piped into the pattern of a brain! On Boxing Day we had a game of trivial pursuit where if you got a question wrong you had to spin a roulette thing with shot glasses in each segment. Except they were filled with insects. Dry, edible ones from amazon. Crickets, locusts and meal worms. They were grim to be honest. Good fun though. Even my mother got involved and had a shot of worms.

Lamb's fries are next.

In reply to JJL:

In japan at the moment and eating loads of crazy stuff. Most of it I have no idea what it is. Had crocodile which tastes like chewy chicken! They also eat raw chicken here. Had raw heart, liver, thigh and breast the other week. doesn't taste like chicken!

In reply to Philip:


Prairie Oysters next?

In reply to ByEek:


I had some by mistake earlier this year - it was in a sort of vegetable broth, and was remarkably good. I'd have it again, but wouldn't go out of my way to make it myself.

In reply to Turdus torquatus:

Liquid blue cheese? Pasta sauce or pizza topping if you don´t want to do the sensible thing and bin it.

CB

In reply to Removed UserBwox:


I think if I ever had the urge to eat tripe again, I would just chew on a rubber band until my urge dissipated.

In reply to JJL:

Haribo, maybe a couple of years ago.
F*cking disgusting.

Can't think of anything else I've had for the first time since I was 23 in East Africa, and had crocodile, wildebeest, hartebeest, ostridge, gazelle, shark etc.

Not yet had the opportunity to try cat or dog, turtle, those fermented eggs with a chick that's just ready to hatch, or whale or dolphin, but I wouldn't hesitate.

In reply to snoop6060:

Oohh, I've never had brains either (but always suck the spinal cord out of chops -I imagine it's the same stuff) or any kind of insects. Lambs fries though are absolutely delicious. I could seriously eat testicles every day and not get fed up.

In reply to JJL:

Had some mealworm falafels the other week. Nice enough.

In reply to JJL:


The first year I went to Chamonix at 22yrs old I ate quantities of wholemeal macaroni - sold as dog food in 5kg sacs. Not v radical in fact but I couldn't get anyone else to share my passion !

In reply to JJL:


I'd recommend the panda cub pate to start, followed by turbot smoked over singed Sumatran tiger fur then a white Rhino steak - served rare Not sure what to have for pud though...

In reply to JJL:

Just remembered I had a Ginsters Spicey Chicken Slice at Sheffield railway station a couple of months ago. I was hungry but it was truly revolting - deffo a "never again" moment,

Chris

In reply to nutme:


You're trolling, right?
jk

In reply to JJL:

My mate got to try snails in garlic butter for the first time. He wasn't too impressed and even more so when he asked where I got them. I replied "I picked them off the garden wall"

Dahl curry tonight. Got a really healthy recipe and got ingredients today. Never had it before. I m going to try cooking with Kale in it soon, again never tried.
Kind of started to make my food now rather than processed, gets you away from your old routine dinners.

In reply to JJL:

I can't remember what the last 'new' thing I ate was, it's kind of hard to say anyway. Is a new type of cheese 'new' or a new variety of spud?

Probably the last totally unfamiliar thing I was introduced to was cassava in Uganda a few years ago. You can get it in the local supermarket now.

Or that green fractal cauliflower whatever that's called but I don't think it counts since it basically just looks odd.

I was introduced to a *lot* of relatively unusual (in a British context) foods as a child so while it's often 20+ years since I last tried it I've almost always tried it or something very similar before.

jk

In reply to JJL:

I *made* sushi for the first time recently - not as tricksy as I'd thought. I *ate* Earl Grey chocolate covered almonds last night (I've eaten almonds and chocolate and drunk lots of Earl Grey before). Can't think of anything properly leftfield.

In reply to JJL:

Probably garlic stems in a stir-fry a few weeks ago.

Not very dramatic - basically somewhere in the leek / spring onion / garlic / chive sort of area - but quite nice.

Oh, it had chinese dried sausage in as well, which is a bit more unusual.

In reply to Philip:

Chicken, hey? my fries had a lamby taste. As I said never again.

In reply to Turdus torquatus:

I shared your initial reaction but by the end of the tub I was a complete convert. Thanks for reminding me - one for this weekend's shopping list!

In reply to jkarran:


Romanesco? I wasn't that taken with it either

In reply to Just Another Dave:

Whale is pretty average tasting. Certainly not worth killing the magestic creature for.

D

In reply to Dauphin:
I've really liked whale steaks the couple of times I've had it, like a cross between liver and an excellent rare steak and its probably the most recent major food type I hadn't had before. Had burbot soup this weekend, though not the first time. A friend has seal in the freezer but I'm still waiting for the dinner invite.