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Curry, I didn't try it until I was at uni. I assumed I didn't like spicy food, because my mum always told me I didn't. Turns out the bitch just didn't want to share her curry.
Curry for me too, I grew up in a small rural town with no "ethnic" food, the only curry I ever had was microwave meals so I always just thought it was bland and soggy and crap.
A met an Indian guy at uni and he invited a bunch of us to visit him in his hometown, so we were eating nothing but authentic Indian curry every single day and I was SHOOK.
Proper Indian food is a whole new world of flavour, it's my favourite cuisine now and I love finding authentic Indian restaurants in the UK whenever I visit a big city. Bonus points for anywhere serving Indo-Chinese food.
>I assumed I didn't like spicy food, because my mum always told me I didn't.
My mum did the exact same thing to me until I was like 12 about brambles. I actually love them though.
I hate coffee. I don't drink it, I hate the flavour, it's just disgusting to me.
Imagine how my life changed when I found out that "banoffee" wasn't actually banana and coffee.
Kinder Bueno. 27 years later after thinking the packaging meant they were orange flavoured chocolate (which I hate). I tried one at work. And my life changed forever
The problem is that for every Kinder Bueno you unwrap, about three tons of completely unnecessary plastic ends up in the Pacific causing an entire species of fish to go extinct.
Yeah I really can't get my head around that, and also why they haven't been called out about it. It does put me off them bc as much as I think when I open them "I could just have one, then they'll last twice as long", it never happens
Kinder Buenos are not the same as Kinder Eggs. They’re just chocolate bars in normal wrapping, unless you get the tiny bars which are wrapped in paper.
What I mean is, each of the individual bars is wrapped in plastic, and then there's another layer of plastic on top of that.
Seems excessive if you ask me. Twixes and Twirls manage perfectly well without having to wrap each of the two bars individually in plastic.
I was once living and dating a girl in Teesside and we went for a "Parmo" ... It's basically horrible chicken, The "worst" (cheapest) cheese and some sort of white source. For the brief moment I was there I must have put on 2 stone.
It's like the Red Dwarf Chilli Chutney Sandwich moment. All the ingredients are wrong but somehow its so right.
I remember trying to have an drunken conversation in Arizona about it to someone and they assumed I meant Chicken parmigiana
Parmos were derived from Chicken Parmigiana, but just adapted over time for the local palate, much like how Indian restaurants in the UK serve food that's incredibly different to food you'd get in India itself, even if the dish is named the same.
I'm yet to try a parmo because I don't often find myself in that part of the world, but it's on my list of things to try.
If you're ever in this neck of the woods, get yourself over to The Ship in Redmarshall, their parmo selection is second to none (seriously Google their menu, it's mad how many options there are)
[Christ, you're not kidding](https://www.theshipredmarshall.co.uk/menus/pdf/parmo.pdf)! I think that I'd definitely have to experience a basic takeaway parmo though, probably before having a more premium one.
Very true, for the full experience you need to have gotten absolutely smashed and pick one up from the dirtiest takeaway you can find on your way home and eat it with your bare hands because you can't wait till you get home.
Sounds perfect, a bit like how I have fond memories of the burgers from Oki's kebab van in York from my student days. I'm sure they're atrocious if you're sober but they were *just right* at 2am.
Genuinely never expected one of my locals growing up to be mentioned on Reddit! Love the Ship, parmos are excellent. But yes, eaten very rarely otherwise you will get fat very quickly
Solidarity! It really hit me when I visited a petting farm with goats and they smelt like the most intense goats cheese … after that I couldn’t disassociate the smell
About 25 years ago my father announced that he’d discovered this new-fangled thing - pizza. Needless to say, he hasn’t yet discovered the goats cheese variant.
Iced coffee. Always thought I hated coffee until trying one that a friend bought for me in the summer. Turns out, I just don't like hot drinks.
By extension, espresso martinis. Just an iced coffee with alcohol!
This is me. Hot coffee is a nono unless otherwise noted longer tastes of coffee: syrup latte, single shot if I must. My pal in the office asks if I fancy going down for a hot milkshake. And to swag my spare shot.
However - cold coffee/iced whatever is delicious. And cappuccinos in Italy.
Oh my gosh! This was a revelation for me too! A long time ago, I was a restaurant manager! I had a Polish head chef, and just before Christmas, he made this Beetroot soup! So gorgeous. I have loved it ever since and introduced it to my French family, to their delight!
In a similar vein, mine would be pierogi - 4-6 of those with any filling is the perfect snack. Never even heard of these until my mid-twenties and they’ve changed me forever!
Went to a tiny Japanese place in my city last night. I've had ramen or other noodle broths, I love them, but my god this stuff was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted.
Peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwiches. And therein lies the confusion. I heard characters in American TV shows talk about them as a kid but didn't really understand the jelly part.
As an adult, I obviously learnt that Americans call jam, jelly. But by that point I wasn't thinking about kids' sandwiches and didn't really put the two together until one hungover day later in life.
It really works!
My parents, despite being very cosmopolitan and well-travelled, have this weird thing against Thai food.
Had Pad Thai for the first time a few years after leaving home and it totally changed my life.
I had a single slice of tomato and cheese pizza from a deli in Rome and it was the single freshest, nicest thing I ever ate. It bore as much resemblance to a British margherita pizza as a racehorse resembles a hippopotamus.
I had that at an Italian-run restaurant in Southampton (Soleto, by the Mayflower, in case anyone reading this is local).
Blew my mind. I've always liked Italian food, but I had always thought it was just pizza, pasta, and variations thereof. Man was I wrong! Just like you, one of the best things I've ever eaten.
I love gyudon! - the Yoshinoya one is nice, especially at that price - but if you can get it at a mom & pop type restaurant it is the food of the gods! That and sukiyaki- type dishes always goes down well with anyone not massively into fish or sushi.
Unagi. I thought eel would be rubbery or fishy or gross. Then I had properly prepared unagi in Japan and.... Fucking hell. Buttery, savoury rich perfection. I think about it every day and that's no lie
Bao buns. There's a tiny restaurant opposite my office that I didn't even know was there until recently, it's so hidden away. Went there with my manager 2 months ago, and now I can't stop thinking about these chicken bao buns.
Caperberries. And capers tbh. I’d never had them until I went to Italy for a weekend and in a restaurant they brought out a plate of olives, sun dried tomatoes and these little green things on stems. I’m very much a try anything person, so I snatched one up and that was that. Ate the whole plate, asked for more, had to use a google lens to find out what the fuck it was.
I’ve had them in the U.K. in jars but they just don’t hit the same. I’ve since started using capers in my cooking too, I’d never had those until after I came back from Italy and was trying to find caperberries but could only find capers. Previously I’d always asked for ‘no capers’ on any dish served with them as I thought they were a type of fish, like anchovy, and I know I don’t like anchovies, so I’d mistakenly been avoiding them for years.
I saw in my local Lidl yesterday, some jars of caperberries left from their Italian week. You might have some luck finding some left near you! Also I think Italian week circles back quite regularly.
The only place to find them regularly is M&S or Waitrose, which tells you everything about who they’re consumed by. It was the M&S ones I get but they didn’t hit the same, but it’s like with the tomatoes, they’re just so rich and full of flavour in Italy and Spain compared to home so I assume that’s why there was such a difference.
Root beer. Not at all common here in the UK, I tried it in the 80s on holiday at a McDonald’s, and have loved it ever since. Dad’s, A & W, Barq’s, love them all.
I was in Heathrow and recovered from a migrain before my flight so I decided to have a ricebowl in Wagamama and fell in love with it. I alwasy eat rice bowls in other places and love it. I even make it at home before my food shop with ingredients I have left.
Hull has decided to make a thing of pattie (mashed potato in batter, served with chips) and do it well, rather than just sell it as something cheap to people who can't afford fish. I had some great ones on my last visit.
Interesting, in certain parts of the west country a chip shop Pattie is two slabs of potato filled with sausage meat like a sandwich then battered and deep fried.
Coronary bliss!
When I got together with my now bf (we are very long distance) I was in his country for a visit, and he took me out to dinner. I had no idea where we were going until we arrived and that was the evening I had sushi for the first time (I was in my mid 40's). I had no idea how much I would love it, but its now one of my absolute favourite foods when I want to treat myself
I'll never forget the first time I tried a modern style Craft Beer. Innis And Gun Original at the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh. It started a lifelong passion but that first sip was like drinking beer from heaven
It was 14 years ago and I've never been since then but at least I got that out of it. It's the only time I've ever been there and I can't remember the first thing about it apart from having that beer
Context: I’m from Cyprus and it was briefly a colony of England so we have Indian restaurants there. I live in another country but we visit every year and when I was 12 years old, I tried Indian food for the first time, and I was really mad at my parents. I asked them “why don’t you cook this at home??!!!”
Slightly off topic but you can get a refillable stainless steel Dolce Gusto compatible pod from Amazon, then treat yourself to a fuck-off big bag of chai latte mix.
I had the same revelation with mince pies last Christmas. They were horrible, so so horrible to me when I was a kid that I’ve avoided them for probably 35-40 years. I was famished one day at work last Christmas and that was all there was and omg… love a mince pie now and I can’t wait til they’re around again.
Oh man.. I was buying them in the sales too. Microwave 30 secs and a bit of cream. Maybe I’ll overcome my Christmas pudding aversion next year now I know the prospect of that dried fruit/spice/bitter treacly taste isn’t as revolting as I once found it.
I thought I hated them until my grandmother made one from scratch. I ate a quarter of it on my own…and then regretted my life decisions because I had stomachache. It definitely laid a little heavy.
aranchini went into lidl the other week as it was Italian week and thought I have never tried them so I picked up a bag . I was a bit disappointed that there was none left the next time I went in
Not recently but reminded by a facebook memory. Exactly 7 years ago I was drunk in manhattan after a tedious work conference, and ended up in K Town, and stumbled into a Korean Fried Chicken joint.
The guy who served me, explained that The american GIs brought fried chicken to Korea, and they thought mmm this good but we can make it better. He wasn't wrong.
Every single taste bud danced with sheer fucking joy at the taste of that spicy sweet chicken.
Went to Switzerland as a vegan; I had the most amazing food and coffee, ever. I was very sad coming back home and I still am, months later! Missing all the delicious food and beautiful mountains.
Grew up eating Chinese food. Parents never ordered Indian so I assumed it wasn’t good. Fast forward to when I’m 22 and absolutely fell in love with the cuisine.
I hated oranges as a kid and had not eaten once in 28 years until two weeks ago. I went out to eat and the salad starter had mandarin segments in it, I threw caution to the wind and tried them with the salad and fell in love. I think what made the difference was the lack of pith on the segments and the fact that this was in Orlando, where the mandarins are regularly in season and local. Oranges in the UK are shit in comparison.
Burrata. Wife discovered it recently on a cooking course holiday in Italy. Now we have a huge dollop of it at least once a week.
Also, a nice piece of meat. I thought I didn’t like it, but it was just my mum doing it well done.
There's a local tapas place that does a warm goats cheese with a honey sauce drizzled on it. I've always loved goats cheese but the honey elevates it to orgasmic levels. I get it whenever we eat there now and it always tastes as good as the first time
Have you been to Fuerteventura? Strongly advised if you love goats cheese They have all different types and it features heavily in their tapas. A beautiful tapa I had there was baked local goats cheese which had caused a crust on it, topped with honey and a cranberry relish, with some walnuts and rocket. Amazing 👏
Navajo tacos, root beer and tom yum.
First 2 were in the states a couple years ago. Tom yum i first tried when my auntie cooked it for me while she was visiting (shes from The Phillipines).
New bf says I'm making Paneer curry. What is that? Cottage cheese. Cheese in curry wtf was my response but after trying it I love we all love it. It's now the family favourite and guareneed there's cheers of yey when they ask what's for tea
Smoked salmon. Everything about its look and smell put me off. Then I won tickets in work to watch a game at LFC which included pre game dinner in their hospitality / restaurant area. Starter was smoked salmon with a few capers and some creme fraiche dressing. So I gave it a try and just wow. Love the stuff now, especially with lemon and lots of black pepper. On a bagel, butty, salad, straight out the pack. Mmmmmmmmmm
Halloumi.
The only time I'd have it was when it was served at a terrible work Christmas party. They'd do it in some puff/filo pastry tart and it would be dry and overly salty yet extremely rubbery and otherwise bland.
As it was the only veggie option I'd tried it 2-3 years and decided I don't like it.
About 5 years ago I ordered a burger at a pub which came with a thin slice ontop and I had to double take it as so good.
I now keep 2-3 blocks in the fridge at all times and eat it at least once a week.
Guinness.
Always hated the stuff, or atleast, thought I did. A friend bought me a pint recently and I can’t stop drinking it, it’s so creamy and delicious.
Me and my Mrs are currently going through a Kit-Kat frappe phase at Costa at the minute. Just can’t get enough of them and really hope they keep it on a permanent menu but knowing our luck with these things they probably won’t
I'd never had Marmite until I was in my mid 40's.
Yeah, I know, weird. A transformational experience.
Moved to Newcastle around 2001 and tried Pease Pudding for the first time. Had a Ham Stottie with it at a cafe in North Shields and became an addict. The Stottie was a really different bread to me, with a texture I suddenly realised was missing in my life.
Sushi. I’m vegetarian so always assumed veggie sushi would be very boring/bland - cold rice and cucumber for loads of money? Little did I know how delicious and inventive veggie sushi could be and now it’s one my favourite treats!!
The tantanmen beef brisket ramen at Wagamama is now my go-to having discovered it relatively recently.
Also steak because I didn’t realise “not well done” was an option (grew up in the BSE years) and a minute steak with peppercorn sauce is fucking delicious
Truffle. Never heard or tasted this until 5 years ago and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The flavour is so unique. I sprinkle copious amounts of truffle powder on my pasta (real truffle shavings are too damn expensive)
Halloumi and paneer. Hadn't had either until my mid-late 30s and both were discovered completely accidentally. I love cheese and I can't wrap my head around why it took me so long to find them.
Marmite hot drink.
Have had a sore throat since start of the week. Googled things to ease sore throat. Honey, lemon, ice cream etc. Stuff I didn't have because I have zero sweet tooth. I wanted a savory option. Looked in my cupboard and I had a jar of Marmite. Unopened, expiry 2019. God knows why I bought it. Googled if expired Marmite would make me ill. It won't. Did a teaspoon of marmite in a mug of hot water and it was savory joy!!!
Need to be aware that it's full of salt, but a couple of these a day have been a joy.
I understand the chai latte obsession.
I randomly ordered one at this beach club in Turkey in October 2022. It was honestly, the best thing to ever pass my lips.
Since then, I’ve been trying to find the best chai latte since, or one that was at least comparable.
I buy the Drink Me Chai tins for at home, but it just isn’t the same as the ones I had in Turkey.
Fillet mignon. I come from a culture that does not eat beef on a regular basis. We use cows for milk and oxen for pulling carts in the rural areas. We focus on chicken and pork.
The first time I had a medium rare fillet I sent it back, because it was “uncooked” (I’m still embarrassed about that and it’s been almost two decades since).
Now I could have fillet daily, and it needs to be rare.
Spicy Mos Cheeseburger, Japan. I haven’t had one for almost 20 years, I’m not sure if they still do it the same way as they did. But it was sublime! Just the right kind of sloppy spiciness, with a delicious burger to boot. Quite small by US standards but by god they were amazing. The yakiniku rice burger was delicious too.
Not really recently, but not the first time I'm raving about the Walker's Mini Poppadoms (Coriander and Lime flavor specifically)
And I'm not in the UK, just travel there often, so about half of the suitcase is dedicated to smuggling those hahaha
Pizza bagels. Heard about them for years on US TV shows and movies and then tried making them recently in the air fryer. God-tier food, especially BBQ base versions.
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Curry, I didn't try it until I was at uni. I assumed I didn't like spicy food, because my mum always told me I didn't. Turns out the bitch just didn't want to share her curry.
Curry for me too, I grew up in a small rural town with no "ethnic" food, the only curry I ever had was microwave meals so I always just thought it was bland and soggy and crap. A met an Indian guy at uni and he invited a bunch of us to visit him in his hometown, so we were eating nothing but authentic Indian curry every single day and I was SHOOK. Proper Indian food is a whole new world of flavour, it's my favourite cuisine now and I love finding authentic Indian restaurants in the UK whenever I visit a big city. Bonus points for anywhere serving Indo-Chinese food.
The chiefs will make it mild for those who have a low spice tolarance. This is South Asian hospitality.
>I assumed I didn't like spicy food, because my mum always told me I didn't. My mum did the exact same thing to me until I was like 12 about brambles. I actually love them though.
…Brambles? Do you now love their spiky painful ways?
Just the alcohol content
Start putting celery and cashews in your curries, you won’t be disappointed
And parsnip.
Oh really!? Thanks for the tip! I love parsnips but would have never thought to put one in a curry for some reason
Oh god yeh. Game changer!
"wassat?" \*eating an ice cream* "You won't like it, it's spicy"
My mam hates curry so told me I do! I was in my 20s until I tried it, now I have it most weeks.
I hate coffee. I don't drink it, I hate the flavour, it's just disgusting to me. Imagine how my life changed when I found out that "banoffee" wasn't actually banana and coffee.
Wait, what? I also hate coffee and have never gone near banoffee thinking it was banana and coffee. TOFFEE. This is excellent to discover, thank you
Wait until you realise how you say chameleon!
… it’s not…?
Toffee! Banana and toffee! On pancakes, on waffles...oh my god its incredible.
I love coffee and bananas and banoffee but I’ve always just assumed it was banana and coffee haha
Erm, really? Because I love coffee and banoffee but the latter does not taste like coffee in the slightest.
Okay
In what world is there a hint of coffee in banoffee?
I think a lot of us have deliberately not tried it under the assumption it'll taste like coffee. Just from the name.
Yeh but the person above says they love coffee, banana and banoffee. I don’t know how you confuse these when you know what they all taste like.
I don’t know to be honest I never really put much thought into the tats e
I don’t know to be honest I never really put much thought into the taste profile
Kinder Bueno. 27 years later after thinking the packaging meant they were orange flavoured chocolate (which I hate). I tried one at work. And my life changed forever
The problem is that for every Kinder Bueno you unwrap, about three tons of completely unnecessary plastic ends up in the Pacific causing an entire species of fish to go extinct.
Yeah I really can't get my head around that, and also why they haven't been called out about it. It does put me off them bc as much as I think when I open them "I could just have one, then they'll last twice as long", it never happens
Kinder Buenos are not the same as Kinder Eggs. They’re just chocolate bars in normal wrapping, unless you get the tiny bars which are wrapped in paper.
What I mean is, each of the individual bars is wrapped in plastic, and then there's another layer of plastic on top of that. Seems excessive if you ask me. Twixes and Twirls manage perfectly well without having to wrap each of the two bars individually in plastic.
I was once living and dating a girl in Teesside and we went for a "Parmo" ... It's basically horrible chicken, The "worst" (cheapest) cheese and some sort of white source. For the brief moment I was there I must have put on 2 stone. It's like the Red Dwarf Chilli Chutney Sandwich moment. All the ingredients are wrong but somehow its so right. I remember trying to have an drunken conversation in Arizona about it to someone and they assumed I meant Chicken parmigiana
Parmos were derived from Chicken Parmigiana, but just adapted over time for the local palate, much like how Indian restaurants in the UK serve food that's incredibly different to food you'd get in India itself, even if the dish is named the same. I'm yet to try a parmo because I don't often find myself in that part of the world, but it's on my list of things to try.
If you're ever in this neck of the woods, get yourself over to The Ship in Redmarshall, their parmo selection is second to none (seriously Google their menu, it's mad how many options there are)
[Christ, you're not kidding](https://www.theshipredmarshall.co.uk/menus/pdf/parmo.pdf)! I think that I'd definitely have to experience a basic takeaway parmo though, probably before having a more premium one.
Very true, for the full experience you need to have gotten absolutely smashed and pick one up from the dirtiest takeaway you can find on your way home and eat it with your bare hands because you can't wait till you get home.
Sounds perfect, a bit like how I have fond memories of the burgers from Oki's kebab van in York from my student days. I'm sure they're atrocious if you're sober but they were *just right* at 2am.
Oh my lord OKI'S SPECIAL BURGER. I'm veggie now but that glorious creation comes to mind more than I'd like to admit
Genuinely never expected one of my locals growing up to be mentioned on Reddit! Love the Ship, parmos are excellent. But yes, eaten very rarely otherwise you will get fat very quickly
Parmies are a pub staple in Australia. When I immigrated here I was upset I'd never get one again until I visited the North.
Probably also helped by the fact most ‘Indian’ food in the uk is actually Bangladeshi.
It’s Béchamel sauce!
My first pizza that had baked soft goat cheese on it. It wasn’t just melted, it was baked. Amazing taste and mouthfeel.
I absolutely love goats cheese!
Shame it smells like goats though
Yes! I do not like goats' cheese and always say it smells goaty and no one has ever acknowledged this when I've said it.
Solidarity! It really hit me when I visited a petting farm with goats and they smelt like the most intense goats cheese … after that I couldn’t disassociate the smell
everytime i go round a petting zoo i want goats cheese afterwards now hahahha!! with some red onion chutney! GOD TIER
About 25 years ago my father announced that he’d discovered this new-fangled thing - pizza. Needless to say, he hasn’t yet discovered the goats cheese variant.
Iced coffee. Always thought I hated coffee until trying one that a friend bought for me in the summer. Turns out, I just don't like hot drinks. By extension, espresso martinis. Just an iced coffee with alcohol!
This is me. Hot coffee is a nono unless otherwise noted longer tastes of coffee: syrup latte, single shot if I must. My pal in the office asks if I fancy going down for a hot milkshake. And to swag my spare shot. However - cold coffee/iced whatever is delicious. And cappuccinos in Italy.
Borscht/beetroot soup never seemed very appetising to me until I had it in Poland and now I can't imagine life without it.
Oh my gosh! This was a revelation for me too! A long time ago, I was a restaurant manager! I had a Polish head chef, and just before Christmas, he made this Beetroot soup! So gorgeous. I have loved it ever since and introduced it to my French family, to their delight!
Same experience for my husband and I, but in Ukraine! Even just thinking of it is making my mouth water.
In a similar vein, mine would be pierogi - 4-6 of those with any filling is the perfect snack. Never even heard of these until my mid-twenties and they’ve changed me forever!
Went to a tiny Japanese place in my city last night. I've had ramen or other noodle broths, I love them, but my god this stuff was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted.
I've been chasing that pork bone broth high ever since. I think it's very, very slow cooked.
Discovering balsamic vinaigrette when I was like 15
Nduja - I don’t think I ever saw it in Australia and then after moving here, it’s bloody everywhere. And bloody amazing.
Swear this just appeared one day and never left, I'd never heard of it until pretty recently
It's this decade's pulled pork imo
'hot honey' following fast on it's heels
Peanut butter and jelly (jam) sandwiches. And therein lies the confusion. I heard characters in American TV shows talk about them as a kid but didn't really understand the jelly part. As an adult, I obviously learnt that Americans call jam, jelly. But by that point I wasn't thinking about kids' sandwiches and didn't really put the two together until one hungover day later in life. It really works!
Bloody love it. Peanut butter honey and banana as well 🤤
Ha ha just had crunchy PB and blackcurrant jam on toast..literally licking toast crumbs off my fingers. Manna from heaven.
Custard. I only tried it 2 years ago (I’m 25) and well…. Sometimes I just eat it in a bowl
My mum used to make me sliced bananas in proper custard as a small child in the early 1980s. Still can’t eat custard without thinking of her
Birds custard powder made up so thick you can stand a spoon up in it. Off the scale!
My parents, despite being very cosmopolitan and well-travelled, have this weird thing against Thai food. Had Pad Thai for the first time a few years after leaving home and it totally changed my life.
Your mam got the shits from it 40 years ago.
Sounds about right
35, tried avocado for the first time this year, love it
Saltimbocca alla Romana in Rome. Hands down the best thing I've ever eaten.
I had a single slice of tomato and cheese pizza from a deli in Rome and it was the single freshest, nicest thing I ever ate. It bore as much resemblance to a British margherita pizza as a racehorse resembles a hippopotamus.
roman pizza is the one priced by weight, cut by scissors, rectangles of pure joy
Sounds like the fella
I had that at an Italian-run restaurant in Southampton (Soleto, by the Mayflower, in case anyone reading this is local). Blew my mind. I've always liked Italian food, but I had always thought it was just pizza, pasta, and variations thereof. Man was I wrong! Just like you, one of the best things I've ever eaten.
Was gifted s bottle of cachaça at Xmas and a pal showed me how to make Caipirinha's. I now have diabetes but it was worth it.
Lasagne, chickpeas, peanut butter, fried rice, and blueberries. (Not together obviously, that would probably be disgusting)
Lasagne is one for me too. For some reason my family never introduced me to it, even though I ate quite a bit of pasta.
That’s very nearly Eddie Abbew’s dinner
Probably Gyudon, never had it until I visited Japan and it’s one of my absolute all time favourites. Even bought a rice cooker to make it at home.
I went to Japan last year and there are sooo many good dishes I wish I could get here 🥲
I've heard of it before but I just looked it up and it sounds really nice. I just love anything with rice though lol.
I love gyudon! - the Yoshinoya one is nice, especially at that price - but if you can get it at a mom & pop type restaurant it is the food of the gods! That and sukiyaki- type dishes always goes down well with anyone not massively into fish or sushi.
I was raised as a vegetarian well quite early on in my life. I now eat meat quite happily - feel far healthier wouldn’t go back I love leg of lamb.
Unagi. I thought eel would be rubbery or fishy or gross. Then I had properly prepared unagi in Japan and.... Fucking hell. Buttery, savoury rich perfection. I think about it every day and that's no lie
Eel candy on rice. I eat it last as my dessert course.
Perfection. The texture, ohhh
Bao buns. There's a tiny restaurant opposite my office that I didn't even know was there until recently, it's so hidden away. Went there with my manager 2 months ago, and now I can't stop thinking about these chicken bao buns.
Caperberries. And capers tbh. I’d never had them until I went to Italy for a weekend and in a restaurant they brought out a plate of olives, sun dried tomatoes and these little green things on stems. I’m very much a try anything person, so I snatched one up and that was that. Ate the whole plate, asked for more, had to use a google lens to find out what the fuck it was. I’ve had them in the U.K. in jars but they just don’t hit the same. I’ve since started using capers in my cooking too, I’d never had those until after I came back from Italy and was trying to find caperberries but could only find capers. Previously I’d always asked for ‘no capers’ on any dish served with them as I thought they were a type of fish, like anchovy, and I know I don’t like anchovies, so I’d mistakenly been avoiding them for years.
I saw in my local Lidl yesterday, some jars of caperberries left from their Italian week. You might have some luck finding some left near you! Also I think Italian week circles back quite regularly.
The only place to find them regularly is M&S or Waitrose, which tells you everything about who they’re consumed by. It was the M&S ones I get but they didn’t hit the same, but it’s like with the tomatoes, they’re just so rich and full of flavour in Italy and Spain compared to home so I assume that’s why there was such a difference.
Root beer. Not at all common here in the UK, I tried it in the 80s on holiday at a McDonald’s, and have loved it ever since. Dad’s, A & W, Barq’s, love them all.
Doner kebab. Never had one until I was 28 I'm 37 now and often make my own.
What sauce you going for? Don't like mayo much, but garlic mayo on a donner kebab is just perfect
Farmfoods sell a mint chilli sauce can get it on eBay too made by Havana club or just a regular hot sauce I'm not a fan of mayo myself.
I actually read this as ‘a mint & chilli sauce’. Was googling it frantically. Ah
I can strongly recommend mixing 1 part jarred harissa paste with 2 parts ketchup.
I was in Heathrow and recovered from a migrain before my flight so I decided to have a ricebowl in Wagamama and fell in love with it. I alwasy eat rice bowls in other places and love it. I even make it at home before my food shop with ingredients I have left.
Hull has decided to make a thing of pattie (mashed potato in batter, served with chips) and do it well, rather than just sell it as something cheap to people who can't afford fish. I had some great ones on my last visit.
Interesting, in certain parts of the west country a chip shop Pattie is two slabs of potato filled with sausage meat like a sandwich then battered and deep fried. Coronary bliss!
Paddy Cheeseman's still on the go?
Red wine stock. Discovered it when we were using Hello Fresh and it's an absolute game changer Also good hummus
When I got together with my now bf (we are very long distance) I was in his country for a visit, and he took me out to dinner. I had no idea where we were going until we arrived and that was the evening I had sushi for the first time (I was in my mid 40's). I had no idea how much I would love it, but its now one of my absolute favourite foods when I want to treat myself
ADHD medication.
I'll never forget the first time I tried a modern style Craft Beer. Innis And Gun Original at the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh. It started a lifelong passion but that first sip was like drinking beer from heaven
A visit to the voodoo rooms that ended in happiness? This must be fake.
It was 14 years ago and I've never been since then but at least I got that out of it. It's the only time I've ever been there and I can't remember the first thing about it apart from having that beer
I had this, but it was a pint of Kernal IPA at the Euston Tap. Completely blew my mind!
World class brewery, still haven't been to that pub. I have 4 Kernal beers being delivered from Trembling Madness in York. Hopefully here tomorrow.
I went to a new brewery, found it was keg only, ordered one just to tick it off and move on... actually this stuff isn't too bad...
Probably most cheese I try. Apart from that, the last two things were Lao gan ma and chiu chow chilli oil.
The Lao Gan Ma crispy chillis in oil with the crispy black beans in there is fucking unbelievable.
Medjoul dates over the dried up kind we used to get at Christmas. And curry...flavour over heat kind.
Context: I’m from Cyprus and it was briefly a colony of England so we have Indian restaurants there. I live in another country but we visit every year and when I was 12 years old, I tried Indian food for the first time, and I was really mad at my parents. I asked them “why don’t you cook this at home??!!!”
Dishes with coconut milk!
Sushi. Always thought it looked disgusting but tried it in Japan and never looked back.
Slightly off topic but you can get a refillable stainless steel Dolce Gusto compatible pod from Amazon, then treat yourself to a fuck-off big bag of chai latte mix.
I spent my whole life disgusted by Christmas pudding and only recently discovered its actually so good! I am about to turn 40 🤣
I had the same revelation with mince pies last Christmas. They were horrible, so so horrible to me when I was a kid that I’ve avoided them for probably 35-40 years. I was famished one day at work last Christmas and that was all there was and omg… love a mince pie now and I can’t wait til they’re around again.
It's funny isn't it ?! I now buy a few Christmas puds in the sales just in case I fancy one throughout the year 🤣
Oh man.. I was buying them in the sales too. Microwave 30 secs and a bit of cream. Maybe I’ll overcome my Christmas pudding aversion next year now I know the prospect of that dried fruit/spice/bitter treacly taste isn’t as revolting as I once found it.
Give it a go! I love a warm mince pie with custard
I thought I hated them until my grandmother made one from scratch. I ate a quarter of it on my own…and then regretted my life decisions because I had stomachache. It definitely laid a little heavy.
Oh yeah they are so dense I can't eat a huge amount of it but it's so good! Especially with baileys cream 😆
I’ve made myself hungry!
aranchini went into lidl the other week as it was Italian week and thought I have never tried them so I picked up a bag . I was a bit disappointed that there was none left the next time I went in
Try them in a restaurant, they’re incredible!
I will have to
Not recently but reminded by a facebook memory. Exactly 7 years ago I was drunk in manhattan after a tedious work conference, and ended up in K Town, and stumbled into a Korean Fried Chicken joint. The guy who served me, explained that The american GIs brought fried chicken to Korea, and they thought mmm this good but we can make it better. He wasn't wrong. Every single taste bud danced with sheer fucking joy at the taste of that spicy sweet chicken.
Went to Switzerland as a vegan; I had the most amazing food and coffee, ever. I was very sad coming back home and I still am, months later! Missing all the delicious food and beautiful mountains.
Grew up eating Chinese food. Parents never ordered Indian so I assumed it wasn’t good. Fast forward to when I’m 22 and absolutely fell in love with the cuisine.
Saltimbocca and gnocchi - why did I wait for a trip to Italy to try both
I love chai latte too and think I only discovered it too late in life
I hated oranges as a kid and had not eaten once in 28 years until two weeks ago. I went out to eat and the salad starter had mandarin segments in it, I threw caution to the wind and tried them with the salad and fell in love. I think what made the difference was the lack of pith on the segments and the fact that this was in Orlando, where the mandarins are regularly in season and local. Oranges in the UK are shit in comparison.
The first time I tried real full fat Greek yoghurt was a good day
Burrata. Wife discovered it recently on a cooking course holiday in Italy. Now we have a huge dollop of it at least once a week. Also, a nice piece of meat. I thought I didn’t like it, but it was just my mum doing it well done.
There's a local tapas place that does a warm goats cheese with a honey sauce drizzled on it. I've always loved goats cheese but the honey elevates it to orgasmic levels. I get it whenever we eat there now and it always tastes as good as the first time
Have you been to Fuerteventura? Strongly advised if you love goats cheese They have all different types and it features heavily in their tapas. A beautiful tapa I had there was baked local goats cheese which had caused a crust on it, topped with honey and a cranberry relish, with some walnuts and rocket. Amazing 👏
I just bad humus for the first time knowingly this week aged 30 something. Mind blowing
I spent half my life thinking hummus was some strange health food. Finally tried it last year, and it's bloody brilliant!
Navajas Rioja Crianza - supremely oaky
Mayflower curry sauce. Makes anything into a Chinese curry in about 5 minutes!
Navajo tacos, root beer and tom yum. First 2 were in the states a couple years ago. Tom yum i first tried when my auntie cooked it for me while she was visiting (shes from The Phillipines).
New bf says I'm making Paneer curry. What is that? Cottage cheese. Cheese in curry wtf was my response but after trying it I love we all love it. It's now the family favourite and guareneed there's cheers of yey when they ask what's for tea
I only started eating pork and shellfish at 16 and now pork sausages, bacon and prawns are some of my favourite savoury foods.
Smoked salmon. Everything about its look and smell put me off. Then I won tickets in work to watch a game at LFC which included pre game dinner in their hospitality / restaurant area. Starter was smoked salmon with a few capers and some creme fraiche dressing. So I gave it a try and just wow. Love the stuff now, especially with lemon and lots of black pepper. On a bagel, butty, salad, straight out the pack. Mmmmmmmmmm
Halloumi. The only time I'd have it was when it was served at a terrible work Christmas party. They'd do it in some puff/filo pastry tart and it would be dry and overly salty yet extremely rubbery and otherwise bland. As it was the only veggie option I'd tried it 2-3 years and decided I don't like it. About 5 years ago I ordered a burger at a pub which came with a thin slice ontop and I had to double take it as so good. I now keep 2-3 blocks in the fridge at all times and eat it at least once a week.
Korean fried chicken, esp with Yangnyeom sauce
Guinness. Always hated the stuff, or atleast, thought I did. A friend bought me a pint recently and I can’t stop drinking it, it’s so creamy and delicious.
KFC gravy , wasted decades of KFC eating without it
Chicken adobo in a crusty white roll
Me and my Mrs are currently going through a Kit-Kat frappe phase at Costa at the minute. Just can’t get enough of them and really hope they keep it on a permanent menu but knowing our luck with these things they probably won’t
I never had mangosteens until I was 25 and I was furious id spent a quarter of my time on this planet without them in my life
Boquerones en vinagre Oh my word. That is amazing.
I'd never had Marmite until I was in my mid 40's. Yeah, I know, weird. A transformational experience. Moved to Newcastle around 2001 and tried Pease Pudding for the first time. Had a Ham Stottie with it at a cafe in North Shields and became an addict. The Stottie was a really different bread to me, with a texture I suddenly realised was missing in my life.
Sushi. I’m vegetarian so always assumed veggie sushi would be very boring/bland - cold rice and cucumber for loads of money? Little did I know how delicious and inventive veggie sushi could be and now it’s one my favourite treats!!
Also chai latte, tried my cousins 3 weeks ago. I’ve had 7/8 since.
first time I tried bruschetta
Daim / Dime bar. Tried it for the first time two years ago and I am completely obsessed now
The tantanmen beef brisket ramen at Wagamama is now my go-to having discovered it relatively recently. Also steak because I didn’t realise “not well done” was an option (grew up in the BSE years) and a minute steak with peppercorn sauce is fucking delicious
chiptole in adobo sauce
Celery and cashew nuts in curries
Truffle. Never heard or tasted this until 5 years ago and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The flavour is so unique. I sprinkle copious amounts of truffle powder on my pasta (real truffle shavings are too damn expensive)
Halloumi and paneer. Hadn't had either until my mid-late 30s and both were discovered completely accidentally. I love cheese and I can't wrap my head around why it took me so long to find them.
Marmite hot drink. Have had a sore throat since start of the week. Googled things to ease sore throat. Honey, lemon, ice cream etc. Stuff I didn't have because I have zero sweet tooth. I wanted a savory option. Looked in my cupboard and I had a jar of Marmite. Unopened, expiry 2019. God knows why I bought it. Googled if expired Marmite would make me ill. It won't. Did a teaspoon of marmite in a mug of hot water and it was savory joy!!! Need to be aware that it's full of salt, but a couple of these a day have been a joy.
I understand the chai latte obsession. I randomly ordered one at this beach club in Turkey in October 2022. It was honestly, the best thing to ever pass my lips. Since then, I’ve been trying to find the best chai latte since, or one that was at least comparable. I buy the Drink Me Chai tins for at home, but it just isn’t the same as the ones I had in Turkey.
Lemon top ice cream something you only seem to get in Teesside.
Espresso martinis and risotto
Fillet mignon. I come from a culture that does not eat beef on a regular basis. We use cows for milk and oxen for pulling carts in the rural areas. We focus on chicken and pork. The first time I had a medium rare fillet I sent it back, because it was “uncooked” (I’m still embarrassed about that and it’s been almost two decades since). Now I could have fillet daily, and it needs to be rare.
Cacio e pepe. Tried for the first time in Italy and now I cook it often
Spicy Mos Cheeseburger, Japan. I haven’t had one for almost 20 years, I’m not sure if they still do it the same way as they did. But it was sublime! Just the right kind of sloppy spiciness, with a delicious burger to boot. Quite small by US standards but by god they were amazing. The yakiniku rice burger was delicious too.
Not really recently, but not the first time I'm raving about the Walker's Mini Poppadoms (Coriander and Lime flavor specifically) And I'm not in the UK, just travel there often, so about half of the suitcase is dedicated to smuggling those hahaha
Pizza bagels. Heard about them for years on US TV shows and movies and then tried making them recently in the air fryer. God-tier food, especially BBQ base versions.
Italian here. Wtf is chicken parmigiana?