If you love these 8 “weird” foods, you’re rarer than 90% of people

In case your thought of consolation meals contains components most individuals side-eye, you’re my sort of eater.

I spent my twenties in luxurious F&B studying the best way to deal with taste with respect, whether or not it got here from a white-tablecloth tasting menu or a smoky avenue stall.

Over time I discovered one thing apparent that we are likely to neglect: your palate is a muscle.

It will get stronger with reps; the extra intentionally you style, the extra you discover, the extra you get pleasure from.

Right this moment I wish to speak about eight polarizing meals that have a tendency to separate a room proper down the center.

When you already love them, you’re not simply adventurous—you’ve educated your palate in ways in which pay dividends far past dinner:

1) Natto

What’s sticky, stringy, and smells like a locker room in case you left the door closed too lengthy? Natto—fermented soybeans—scares individuals earlier than it even will get to the desk.

The primary time I had it was at a enterprise lodge in Tokyo: A colleague grinned as I stirred the packet ninety occasions (sure, that’s a factor) till the beans went shiny and webby, then tucked it over sizzling rice with a crack of mustard.

One chunk and I understood why it’s a breakfast staple there.

Natto is unapologetically funky, however it’s additionally nutty, savory, and oddly comforting as soon as your mind catches up.

Consider it like blue cheese’s plant-based cousin: A little bit chaotic on the nostril, extremely rewarding on the palate.

If you wish to prefer it, change the context: Pair natto with acquainted textures and aromatics—heat rice, chopped scallions, toasted nori—then add a splash of tamari and a dab of karashi mustard to brighten it, and take three bites earlier than you resolve.

Most meals with a robust aroma mellow after your senses calibrate.

Past style, loving natto is an train in tolerance for ambiguity. That mindset travels properly into the remainder of life.

2) Durian

Durian is polarizing in a means few components are.

You’ll see “No Durian” indicators in Southeast Asian lodges as a result of the aroma clings like a reminiscence.

The primary time I cracked one open on a damp night time market run in Kuala Lumpur, the seller called it “the king of fruits” and handed me a custardy pod.

The scent stated onion-almond-vanilla-gas station, however the style stated crème brûlée with a touch of garlic.

I went again for seconds.

Right here’s the best way to get into it with out scaring your self off: Begin with a small piece of an excellent selection, eat it barely chilled, and pair it with one thing crisp and clear—unsweetened iced tea works wonders.

Let the feel be what it’s: buttery, pillowy, decadent.

You’re not chewing a lot as letting it soften.

Durian is a reminder that nice taste usually lives previous our consolation perimeter.

When you can love a fruit this divisive, you’re already higher at separating sign from noise in different elements of your life—work, relationships, all of it.

3) Pungent tofu

I tasted pungent tofu at an evening market in Taipei the place the air was mainly an fragrant impediment course.

This deep-fried sq. of fermented tofu arrived with pickled cabbage and a chili-garlic dip.

The scent? Barnyard.

The chunk? Crispy shell, custard middle, clear end.

The dissonance is the purpose.

In case your mind says no, break it into steps: Eat the pickle first to prime your palate with acid, then dunk the tofu aggressively within the sauce.

Textural distinction is your good friend right here; the crunch leads, the funk follows.

If yow will discover a model braised in a spicy broth as an alternative of fried, strive that too—the warmth softens the perimeters.

What I really like about pungent tofu is the humility it teaches, that not each good factor seems to be or smells like a hero.

A few of the greatest experiences require a little bit religion and loads of open-minded chewing.

4) Huitlacoche

I used to be in Oaxaca when somebody insisted I strive huitlacoche—corn smut—folded right into a hand-pressed tortilla with a sprinkle of salt and epazote.

It’s earthy, inky, and delicately candy, like mushrooms assembly roasted corn in a again alley.

When you’re curious, search for it in tacos or quesadillas first.

The tortilla grounds the flavour, the warmth coaxes out its pure sweetness, and even skeptics are likely to nod after a number of bites.

When you’re cooking at dwelling, sauté it with onion and garlic, end with lime, then spoon over rice or polenta.

Having fun with huitlacoche is a tiny masterclass in reframing; we label it a “blight,” but it tastes like luxurious.

That very same mindset shift—discovering worth the place others see flaws—interprets superbly to artistic work and problem-solving.

5) Bitter melon

Bitter melon is strictly what it appears like, and that honesty is a part of its magnificence.

I grew up taught to chase sweetness as a result of bitter flavors took longer to like.

Now I organize them on goal as a result of they wake me up.

In a stir-fry with garlic and black bean, bitter melon looks like a palate reset button as a result of it’s bracing, natural, and interesting.

To make mates with it, slice it skinny, salt it, and rinse to mood the chunk; pair with assertive flavors—ginger, garlic, fermented black beans—and one thing fatty like tofu or avocado to spherical the perimeters.

I additionally prefer it in a shiny, brothy soup with tomatoes because the acidity performs referee.

Bitter is the flavour of grown-up resilience. You be taught to understand it the identical means you be taught to handle tough days—by leaning in, respiration by, and letting the complexity present you one thing new.

6) Marmite and Vegemite

When you grew up with these yeast extracts, you most likely love them; in case you didn’t, your first spoonful may really feel like a prank.

I didn’t perceive the enchantment till a chef good friend handed me toast unfold with an nearly imperceptible layer of Marmite, topped with avocado and lemon.

It tasted like somebody turned up the umami on the complete dish.

The hot button is dosage—we’re speaking whisper-thin, not peanut butter thick.

Deal with it like liquid seasoning in strong kind, stir a pea-sized quantity into vegan gravy, mix it right into a mushroom soup, or unfold a smidge on toast underneath tomatoes.

Abruptly the whole lot tastes extra savory, extra alive.

What’s highly effective right here is how small inputs drive large outputs.

A little bit intentionality—a brush of a factor most individuals dismiss—can rework the entire.

7) Kombucha SCOBY

You’ve most likely sipped kombucha.

Consuming the SCOBY—the rubbery symbiotic tradition that ferments the tea—appears like a dare.

I believed so too till somebody sliced a SCOBY into ribbons, marinated them with soy, ginger, and sesame, and flashed them in a sizzling pan.

The end result tasted like citrusy noodles with a faint apple-cider twang.

When you’re SCOBY-curious, begin with texture by slicing it skinny.

Give it a task: Jerky, “noodles,” or a minced addition to dumpling filling.

Acid and aromatics are important—lime, garlic, chili, scallion.

The SCOBY is a canvas greater than a soloist; your seasonings paint the image.

Loving this one is peak food-nerd vitality, and I respect that; it’s additionally a reminder that almost all “waste” in our lives is a failure of imagination.

With a little bit creativity, byproducts grow to be merchandise.

8) Nopales

Lastly, let’s speak nopales—cactus paddles—some of the versatile components I’ve discovered to cook dinner with.

Individuals get nervous concerning the slime, however in case you blanch or dry-sear them correctly, you get a young, shiny, barely tangy vegetable that performs properly in salsas, scrambled tofu, tacos, and salads.

I like them grilled arduous, sliced into strips, and completed with lime and cilantro.

If prep is the barrier, right here’s the transfer: Purchase contemporary paddles which are already trimmed, blanch in salted water with a slice of onion for a couple of minutes, then rinse or go straight to a ripping-hot cast-iron pan and char each side to maintain the feel snappy.

Salt, acid, and fats deliver it dwelling—assume olive oil, lime juice, a pile of herbs.

Nopales are on a regular basis proof that “unfamiliar” isn’t the identical as “unfriendly.”

The underside line

Most individuals keep away from robust, unusual, or slippery flavors as a result of they’re wired to belief what’s acquainted, however familiarity is trainable.

The extra I’ve labored in meals—and the extra I’ve paid consideration to what’s really occurring on my tongue—the much less I’ve used phrases like “gross” and the extra I’ve requested higher questions.

What does it remind me of, how does it change with warmth, acid, or fats, and what’s the third chunk like after my senses calm down?

When you love even a few the components on this listing, you’ve already completed the reps most folk skip.

You’ve constructed a palate that may maintain complexity with out flinching. You’ll be higher at making an attempt new issues, studying nuance, and recognizing worth the place others gloss over it.

Palates develop, curiosity compounds, and peculiar is simply undiscovered.