We're proud to say that we've covered several of the foods on The Atlantic's "must try" list (tempeh and cardoons come to mind). Which ones have you eaten?
This is not a list of far-out exotic foods you have to travel to the ends of the Earth to find. We think the point of this list is to highlight some common foods that may have a bad rap (like okra or anchovies, both pictured above) or simply might be unfamiliar to you.
• Read the full list: 12 Foods You Should Try at Least Once, from The Atlantic
One food we do take exception with: South Carolina Mustard Barbecue. To us, that's a dish, not an ingredient or a food you can experiment with in your own kitchen. Kind of like saying, "You need to try peaches, mozzarella cheese, and, oh, my mother's famous moose lasagna."
Otherwise, we definitely earmarked a few items we're eager to try, and there are links to articles to give you more information.
Related: 5 Exotic Foods We Want to Try (Plus 5 We Really Don't)
(Images: Flickr members davitydave and House of Sims, licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I've only had canned anchovies and I love them but would love to try some freshly caught and appropriately prepared ones. My mom used to make cardoon when I was a kid and I didnt' care for it but who knows, I may like it now. Most of the foods on the list I've tried and like!
I LOVE okra! And eel! I definitely have some things on the list left to try though!
How does one prepare okra? The Chinese lady at my farmer's market always has it, but I don't know what to do with it and have heard it can get slimey.
The only way I cook okra is sliced in rounds, rolled in cornmeal, and fried in a very small amount of oil. AFAIC, that's the ONLY way to cook it. ;)
It's also used as a veggie-plus-thickener in gumbo, but I don't recall that I've ever had a gumbo containing okra--it's usually too spicy for me.
Add to that list Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs (swoon) and venison
Mmmmmm, eel. One of my favorite foods of all time. But then, I have too many bad memories of eating crappy, cafeteria fried okra...so no, no thanks on that one.
There are things here I want to try, like the squash blossoms, but a lot of them (fresh fish, currants) I can't get. And for what it's worth, honey bees around here LOVE the "weedy clover you can find in your backyard"--and yes, it makes tasty honey.
I've had everything on the list except cardoons. Does anyone know where to get them in Chicago?
i would agree and say okra is pretty much only good fried because it is so slimy. im a southern girl and i haven't really seen it any other way.. besides boiled yuck
I've never even seen a cardoon (in real life; I've heard of them). Strangely I have never had a zucchini blossom. And I never ate eel in any recognizable form (I've had it in sushi). I wanted to try smoked eel in Amsterdam last spring but it was expensive!!!
I HATE tempeh, one of the few foods I truly despise.
If ever you need a convincing reason to try okra... give my mom's okra recipe a whirl:
http://sustainablediet.blogspot.com/2009/07/gumbo-success.html
I don´t understand why anchovies are in an special category separated from other blue fish?!?!?!
After living in the US for 3 years I missed the most blue fish. Don´t understand why US don´t like it being tastier, healthier, cheaper... and then it ends used for fishing or as meal for Salmons, piglets, etc... Pitty
Salut!!!
Bluefish is delicious fresh out of the water or smoked, but it does deteriorate quickly and gets that fishy quality that a lot of people don't care for in oily fishes--much stronger than salmon. It's not a fish I would ever buy in a shop. I only eat it when it is right out of the water.
Mmm, okra.. Always good fried.
If you put it in your gumbo, only add it 30-60 minutes before serving or it will get too mushy.
What a random list of "must try's" Okra and anchovies were about all I agreed with. And am I wrong, but isn't 99% of honey you get at any old grocery store clover honey? People seek out tupelo or orange blossom or some really unique good honeys...but clover honey? eh. To each their own I guess.
I will say for okra though if ya'll not sure about it do try it. Its good but don't you dare put it in my gumbo. Yuck.
As a kid, I always asked my mom to get me a bag of dried anchovies at the Asian grocer and ate them by the handful. I've eaten plenty of eel in my day, too, mostly at sushi restaurants, but I think my grandmother prepared it at some point, too. (There's really no way of telling what she made that I ate since she prepared many traditional—and what Americans consider exotic—Filipino dishes.) And I've eaten plenty of okra in my day—mostly the fried kind. Lastly, zucchini blossoms are great fried and eaten in tacos, which the Mexican side of my family does.
Clover honey is okay, but doesn't strike me as a must-have honey. Perhaps lavendar or orange blossom, but clover is pretty much all over the place in California, where I live.
Oh, and for those that want to try tempeh in a non-Asian dish, I can't recommend this recipe for tempeh sausage crumbles enough—it's great on top of buttered toast with wilted spinach. The key to cooking tempeh is letting it simmer in water to reduce its inherent bitterness. And all of the strong spices really punch it up a lot!
I've had the squash blossoms (mine from my butternut and crookedneck squash plants), clover honey, tempeh (not a fan), eel, and okra.
I've never seen fresh currants before and everything else is uninteresting to me. It's a pretty random list.
My favorite preparation of okra is pickled okra (as opposed to pickled cucumber).
You can buy jars of it at the grocery store - I like Texas Pete brand.
And okra belongs in gumbo! It's one of the standard ingredients.
Zucchini blossoms - I look at flowers, not eat them. Cardoons: since I detest celery, I wouldn't ever try this.
Currants: absolutely LOVE currant jelly. Clover honey: just as good as wild honey. Both are SO much better than store bought. Feta: love every cheese I've ever tried. Tempeh: probably would not try. Bluefin: I'm a midwest beef eater. Keep your fish. Eel: ditto bluefin. I won't eat rattlesnake either. But, raccoon is good if it's fixed right. Anchovies: ex-husband ate these his pizza. I could rarely finish my half because the oil from the fish permeates the entire thing. Pasta Germe de Grano: love all kinds of pasta. S.C. mustard bbq: not per se. We bake our ribs in mustard before grilling and adding our BBQ sauce. Okra: had it; hated it; will never eat it again.
Do dried currants count? I've had the honey, anchovies, feta, and eel, but eel the Dutch way- smoked. Its one of the most delicious foods I've ever tried. My dad and I used to share an eel when I was a kid.
Zucchini blossoms were a very popular restaurant dish a couple of years back here in Australia.
@williamsweyr You might be interested in the eel, if you've not had it. It is not very 'fishy', and in fact the first time I had it (prepared as kabayaki, cooked with sweet sauce) it reminded me a lot of bbq pork.
--A Cajun restaurant in Seattle used to have big jars of pickled okra on the table to snack on while waiting for the meal. So very very good, and you avoid the slime (which I don't mind but others do). (I so miss that restaurant. Volterra, the Italian restaurant that replaced it, is quite good, but...)
--In Germany they sell fresh red currants as rote Johannisbeeren, and I live on them all summer. I'd always thought of them as too tart to eat by themselves, but they're not. They're just on the edge of too tart... Mix them into quark and there is nothing better. And, ok, sprinkle some sugar on top if you must. But they're really really good.
I love quiabo, i have this in my backyard!