Last week, my boyfriend made a trip to Los Angeles and brought me back a large container of curried jackfruit from Bharat Bazaar/Samosa House. This, by the way, is one of my favorite foods ever. I've tried to replicate it at home and have not come close. (If you know their recipe, please tell me!) Anyway, as I bit into each succulent piece of jackfruit, I took pleasure not only in the taste, but also the mouthfeel.
The curried jackfruit is made with canned green jackfruit, so it's slightly unripe. The texture is somewhat fibrous like a pineapple, but the feel is silky like hearts of palm. The young seeds are firm, smooth, and slippery, which makes a wonderful contrast against the fibers of the jackfruit flesh. This is a food that I love to eat slowly and savor.
For me, eating is more than a necessity; it's also a pleasure. Some more of my favorite foods by mouthfeel are:
• Pulpy citrus fruit
• Hearts of palm
• Canned green jackfruit
• Gelato
• Goat cheese
• Avocados
Share yours here! Which foods give you the best mouthfeel?
(Image: Chris Johns for National Geographic. Buy the print at the National Geographic Print Store.)
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Egads, that picture creeps me out!
Packham pears, beef brisket, glutinous rice balls, meaty prawns, crusty bread.
dried apricots
Scallops. Rice pilaf. Raspberries. Bavarian cakes. Angel hair pasta.
And I agree, that picture is scary.
Wow, I'm surprised at the comments about the photo being scary! Sorry guys - it's one of my favorite National Geographic photos of a geisha training how to eat slippery foods with chopsticks without smudging her makeup. Didn't mean to freak anyone out.
Juicy mangoes, cherries and oatmeal.
...and the pic IS scary!
Custards, beef brisket, pop rocks!, soft scrambled eggs, chilequiles.
Oh, and I didn't find that photo creepy, just exotic. Figured it was Japanese.
i like the picture, but then tofu is one of my favorite mouthfeel foods (most people would probably disagree?). almonds. certain apples, like honeycrisps. fresh mozzarella and crusty bread.
water chestnuts! the perfect crunchy foodstuff.
Rice pudding... crusty French bread... really rich pears... mostly rice pudding. :)
Almonds, brie, cherries, and super-thinly-sliced prosciutto.
I think what's odd about the photo is that it is more about the make-up than the food.
Ripe avocados and salmon sashimi.
salmon roe.
warm cake.
jelly krimpets - mainly sticking my tongue into the jelly bit
flan
papadam
How has nobody mentioned solid dark chocolate yet?! Chocolate is one of few things that is solid at room temp but melts at body (mouth) temp. My favorite way to eat dark solid chocolate is to put a piece on my tongue and let it dissolve slowly without biting it with my teeth or "worrying" it too much with my tongue. That way the liquid chocolate is so much more intense.
maki sushis :D
Sharp cheddar cheese sliced incredibly thin - I love how it melts immediately. The taste and sensation work wonderfully together.
Strangely that's why I like those listerine strips.
Tapioca, udon soup/noodles, mochi, oysters, scallops, fried tofu or sauteed silken tofu, angel hair.
Fun post!
fudge
fried tofu
buttered toast
creme brulee
avocado
flaky fish
anything crunchy! I used to HATE anything creamy and soft, but I can appreciate it now, my love of crunch still remains!
Strangely though, I cant stand water chesnuts, cottage cheese or cashews for their mouthfeel. Ewww...
umi budo
salmon roe
ooo good question! hard to come with my answers though. what comes to mind immediately though is: dried apricots. and tobiko. my answers make it sounds like i squishy foods though, and i typically don't.
avocados
chewy candy like licorice (mmm the black kind)
I think we all take potato chips for granted.
I can't believe that no one has said ice cream yet. I love the melty soft with cold sensation. I'm not a big fan of things that are crunchy. And I prefer, if possible, not to mix my textures. Eating something soft like yogurt with crunchy hard like granola really bugs me.
water chestnuts and macintosh apples - not together, but they have almost identical textures.
really rich ice cream.
over easy fried eggs.
risotto.
not-too-cripsy bacon with a perfect amount of fat.
lindt truffle balls at slightly warmer than room temperature. I swear those things are mixed by Willy Wonka's waterfall.
Jicama fruit! So crispy, wetly satisfying.
Mochi ice cream. Smooooth, with a little resistance.
Irish style steel cut oats. Kinda 'underdone' feel.
Smoothies made with heavily seeded berries always have that nice crunch.
The pop and subsequent flooding of mouth with fat and flavor of a good, charcoal grilled brat (on a challah-style bun.) Creme brulee (silky custard, sugar shards.) Grapes.
Again, fried tofu! I love it when it's crispy on the outside, soft and puffy on the inside, and soaks up all the flavour of the marinade/sauce. There's a place near me which makes a pad thai with tofu skin, and it's just so spongey and saturated with flavour.
Also, celery remoulade - the crunch plus the mouthwatering tartness.
And a good, creamy soup, like the cream of mushroom I just made :)
A carbonated beverage
Kidney beans
Canned mandarin oranges
The ribs of romaine lettuce
Carmel corn
ooh, this is fun! I agree with Salmon Roe and water chestnuts, but would also add prawn crackers (I love the way they fizz on the tongue), and lychees. especially lychees...spongy, gelatinous but firm and chewy. and so tasty!
Mochi
fresh cherries, warm chewy chocolate chip, and a strange fondness for stale cheese puff thingies, how they have that tough resistance. I leave a bag open sometimes on purpose.
Kate (NC) sometimes I do the same thing with a bag of liccorice: leave it open for a few days until they are REALLY hard and chewy. Delish.
plain carbonated water
avocado
over-medium fried egg
toasted nori strips
non-crispy bacon with extra fat
baked tofu that has been in the fridge overnight....ahhh
soaked almonds
So hungry now!
i love chewy & crunchy things:
crisp apples
fresh cherries
tapioca pearls!
mochi
fresh crispy nori wrapped around rice
i also like fresh creamy tofu, rice pudding, peanut butter!, soft serve ice cream... i used to hate soft textured fruit like bananas and avocado, but have managed to get over it because i love their taste!
SPAM! SPAM! SPAM!
I also love tofu in my mouth. Brie cheese and cherry butter on a slender slice of really great bread. I love cheese sandwiches with apples or tomatoes. I don't think any food makes me happier. A great tomato bisque -- has to be really fresh. Tiramasu, of course -- oh, and baklava. Tiramasu because of the soft layers and baklava for the flaky, but really honey dewy layers.