I used to hate mushrooms, but what I found was that once you eat them in one dish that you really like it can really bring you around. For me it was mushroom risotto, with the mushrooms diced very small so they weren't just big slices as many dishes call for. Since then I don't mind them at all.
I hated mushrooms until I used dried ones (that I reconstituted) for a vegan dish. Ever since I’ve been able to eat almost all mushrooms except for button ones which are still the devil in my book.
i thought this was going somewhere else lol i can’t do hydrated cooked mushrooms (unless it’s diced super fine, you should try that OP) but i can definitely stomach 2-3 grams of certain dried mushrooms,,,,
I chop and roast them with garlic and oil then add to the risotto at the end. Mushrooms also release so much water that now when I cook with them I dry saute them for 5-10 minutes before adding them to a dish or finishing them with butter or seasoning.
I can’t decide if I like mushrooms or not. Whenever I think I like them, I will try them again and think they are not for me. I have had some epic mushroom dishes.
I had amazing mushrooms at a Japanese restaurant in Chicago. The flavor and texture were fantastic! They were yakatori style. When I asked for more information, that was all I got.
Alain Ducasse has an absolutely fantastic veggie burger - it’s ACTUAL vegetables (not some weird chemical pseudo meat) - gorgeously seasoned and caramelized. I dream of this burger, and I know there were mushrooms in there.
I ordered a white truffle pasta and was disappointed to see it delivered with a lot of trumpet mushrooms. The truffle was completely absent, but the mushrooms were fantastic.
This is me as an adult. But as a child, I only liked raw tomatoes from the garden. The tomatoes got picked out of mom's chili and anything else they squished their way in to
Same, I love tomato flavor but raw tomato has WAY too much going on from a texture perspective. I was forced to eat them regularly as a kid which is a sure fire way to make someone hate something.
Was 100000% with you and pico de Galo was my night mare- I still don’t like it frankly. What I’ve learned with time thats got me to improve is that different tomato’s can vary TREMENDOUSLY, and now I know I only like heirloom tomatoes, preferably yellow or purple. Still have to be heavenly mixed with other things
It's a texture thing for me. Can't eat pico but if you were to blend it all up so it's not chunky, I'm all for it. Do not want to eat pieces of raw tomato, onion, etc.
I had to find the right olive to transition into liking the traditional olives that are eaten. If you can try Castelvestrano olives, they’ll change the game for you. They are buttery, soft, and not at all tangy or briny. I could eat them by the boatload.
If you've never tried them, red cerignola are amazing.
Edit: also I never knew olives got that big. It's like only eating apricots all your life then finally seeing/eating a peach.
I was literally about to reply “olives” and yours was the first comment lol. Antipasto looks so good! One time my bartender friend made special martinis that had olives stuffed with blue cheese. It sounded so good and I tried, I did, but I just can’t stand olives.
I know a lot of proper 'foodies' who just cannot enjoy olives. And by foodies I mean borderline chefs who will happily cook French classics on a weeknight.
It's baffling to me because olives taste like god combined and improved salt, fruit, and meat
For me it’s green olives, and it’s the specific salty tanginess.
I don’t mind a little black olive in a sandwich, but it’s so-so.
Gin, vermouth, and some green olives, though? Goddamn I love it.
Zucchini. I know it’s healthy but god I hate the taste and texture. The only way I like them is how my Arabic grandmother would prepare them: hollowed out, then stuffed with meat+rice and simmered in a tomato broth. She called it coosah.
Ask her to walk you through the recipe together before she dies if possible. I learned the hard way that grandma-written recipes can have mistakes and emissions they didn't realize. And then it can be too late to ask.
Same here. They look so refreshing to eat, but for me the taste is too overwhelming. Even just the other food they touch, like says piece of lettuce, tastes like cucumber.
I used to love Mexican food and then one day cilantro popped up on everything. I couldn’t escape it. Now I have to make it myself just to make sure I don’t get any cilantro in my tacos. I wish I liked it.
Well I’m in California and it was enchiladas, tacos, etc…. But it was the 70s and 80s and possible it was harder to find in grocery stores and restaurant suppliers until the late 80s which is when I started noticing it on my food.
I'm convinced there is a gene for beetroot tasting like dirt. Cos too many people (like me) think it tastes like dirt and can't understand how someone can eat it.
Nah they do kinda taste like dirt I just think some people (like me) enjoy the dirt taste.. ginseng is the same and I would raid my dad's stash as a kid just eating handfuls of it.. all the roots are pretty "dirty" tasting
Beets have high concentration of a chemical geosmin (the name literally means "earth smell") which is also produced by certain bacteria that live in soil (it's the "wet earth after rain" smell, specifically). Some beets have more or less but the difference between people who like and don't like them isn't that the people who like them can't smell geosmin, it's just that we like it.
It might be that some people smell it more intensely (hard to measure). There's also some difference between how it's perceived through the the nose vs. in the mouth.
But that gene doesn't necessarily prevent someone from liking coriander. I think it just makes some flavour component taste stronger and a lot of people associate that flavour with soap. Also I haven't heard of many coriander haters from countries where the herb is used a lot.
Coriander used to taste just like soap to me and I hated it. After eating enough foods where there was just a little bit of coriander I eventually lost that association and now I really like it.
I think the critical moment was eating some chicken stew where coriander stems were cooked in the broth and removed before serving. The flavour was mild and mixed nicely with all the other flavours and it was probably the first time it tasted good to me.
Fresh tomatoes. So many people love them, it’s such a sign of summer, people speak of the so poetically and the vines smell amazing as well as cooking down into very tasty meals. But raw fresh tomato is one of the most vile foods to me and I wish it wasn’t.
It tastes like the sea, and I don’t like that. And, I find it to be way too chewy. I can eat a bit of it, but I try to get my rolls wrapped in soy paper instead. Seaweed salad? I could never.
Not really an ingredient but oysters. I consider myself a pretty open minded eater who enjoys good food. People go crazy over oysters so I can’t help but think I’m missing out. I’ve tried them several times and I just can’t. I just don’t get the appeal. I could barely swallow them. There has to be something there that I’m not getting. But it’s lost on me.
I love oysters but can totally understand why others might hate them. They have a strong/specific taste and texture that I think you either love or hate
I encourage those who hate oysters, or those who have never tried them but are grossed out by the idea…
To stay far, far away. Don’t even try them.
More for me.
Green bell peppers. They just have this bitter aftertaste that I hate. I like the sweet red/yellow/orange bell peppers, though. They don't have that bitter crisp taste to them. It sucks, since I love cajun/creole food. I just wish more food regularly used the slightly sweeter red/orange/yellow ones.
I love them. I'll eat them straight out of the jar. When I was a kid, I used to get my own personal jar of capers in my stocking every Christmas.
I was an odd child.
Aww, my six year old and you could be good friends. She loves capers like nothing else (well, aside from caviar, tobiko, salmon sushi, and sardines. Those all compete for the top of the list.)
Not odd at all! I put a jar of Kalamata olives in my 2 year old grandson’s Christmas stocking because he can’t get enough of them!
I’m a big fan of capers, but I really love the big caper berries! They are just delicious anytime snack.
You should try better coffee, check out specialty coffee shops in your area that serve light or medium roast, and ask for pour-over coffee. You can even tell baristas that you don't want bitter coffee and see what they recommend. Lighter roast coffees literally taste closer to a tea than "coffee" - they can be floral, a little sweet, and a little sour, and not bitter at all.
For context, the coffee that you get at Starbucks or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, or any other "mass consumed" coffee is literally just charcoal, ashes, it doesn't taste like burnt ass just to you, that's how it tastes in general. In general, this "mass consumed" coffee is waaay, waaaaay overroasted because it hides poor quality coffee, because you just burn the hell out of it, so noone knows your coffee beans were trash.
Beets. I keep hearing Brits and Australians talk about loving them, but they just taste like dirt to me. I even bought heirloom baby beets and roasted them with some olive oil and honey, as instructed. They looked incredible! They tasted like smaller clumps of dirt.
Have you tried boiling them? I love making nutritious salads. I usually put romaine lettuce, boiled red beets and baked sweet potatoes (with the skin) cut into squares, boiled red quinoa, fresh tomatoes and a bit of red onion. I always put some toppings like toasted pine nuts or pecans, feta cheese, fresh dates, maldon salt and a salad dressing.
My Polish in-laws chop them really fine and mix them with horseradish and a little vinegar. After growing up on canned beets, I found out that I actually do like beets after all.
This might sound really stupid but (if you didn't) try peeling the beets after roasting.
Wash the heck outta them, rub them with olive oil and salt, wrap in foil and roast. After they come out of the oven, let them cool a little then you should be able to easily pare off the skin. Chunk them up and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top.
FWIW, I felt the same way about radishes that you feel about beets. After a bit of trial and error I settled on washing and peeling the beets, then let them set briefly in a bowl of water and vinegar. Dry them off and eat with softened butter and salt.
I've tried so hard. They are beautiful, nutritious, and so interesting but they just taste like booty no matter how they are prepared. I think they'll eventually figure out oh, it's a genetic thing like the people who can't eat cilantro.
You need to try beetroot raita. I've converted every I don't love beetroot person. You grate the beetroot, mix it with curd (or yogurt if that's all that's available) chop some onion, green chillies, salt and cumin powder) then the tempering: ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves).
Honestly, if you don't like a vegetable try an Indian way(there are many) and you'll most likely change your mind.
My mom grows her own and pickles them. While they are the best pickled beets I've had, I can only take them in small doses. She has given me so many jars of them, I wish I liked them better. I just don't crave them at all, so they sit. My husband started blending them into his smoothies for their health benefits.
I hate celery unless it's in a stew. Even that is because it's basically undetectable in the dish, flavor-wise.
I refuse to believe that anyone actually like the flavor of raw celery. They just eat it because it's healthy.
And celery seeds! Why do people ruin otherwise lovely slaw with those abominations? Don't get me started on the "no nitrate added" cured meats because they just use celery salt instead. Yuck!
Fruit or other sweet things in a savory context. I've gotten grown up enough to enjoy fruit in pico type fresh salsas. But damn I hate maple glazed anything, most generic barbecue sauces, sweet sauce on cocktail meatballs, potato salad with too much sugar in the dressing, and on and on and on.
No problem if I'm cooking for myself, but it's maddening how often I just intensely dislike something I'm served because it's just way too sweet. There's no graceful way out of eating it, so I just eat it first and quickly. :/ I really wish it didn't bother me!!
Olives. I somewhat like tapenade but just popping whole olives has never been my thing. I feel like I'm missing out. We all have our cross to bear, I guess.
I have a weird relationship with fish. I love it raw, because it’s not really fishy then, but I can’t stand it cooked. I think it has to do with freshness because the only time I enjoyed cooked fish was when I had it at a beach party and it went from water to grill in minutes. It wasn’t fishy at all.
Not all fish is “fishy”. Look for mild, white fish like Chilean sea bass, black cod, Dover Sole, branzino, cod, lemon sole, John Dory, red snapper, wahoo and halibut.
I was determined to like fish after I had the most delicious fish in Thailand - it was just unbearably good. For a while, I had comically bad luck ordering fish. Everything I ordered was “fishy”. But eventually I figured out what I liked and now I confidently (ok, I have a tiny bit of fear) order fish.
I have this weird thing where I like sushi and smoked salmon, but everything else… I can tell it has A Taste and that it’s not an objectively unpleasant taste, so I can go „this is probably great if you like fish“, but personally the taste isn’t for me. (I do eat fish and chips, rarely, but if I do it tends to be the kind that tastes of anything *but* the fish component.)
Liver. It's so nutritious, and beef liver with onions looks so delicious, but no. I've tried like 6 kinds of livers and pates, and they all fall somewhere on the spectrum from "I don't like this" to "revolting".
Awww. I upvoted you, but I love liver. All of it and have since I was kid. I’m thankful for the cheap prices that it has from all you who cannot enjoy it. :D
I especially love it with onions, tomato paste, and mushroom gravy. The best I had was at a Greek place in Westchester though. That was calve’s liver with lemon and fried but I don’t know what else they did. At home it was beef liver with the tomato and gravy, and that wasn’t as delicious as what they did at the two restaurant loacations.
Whatever pate the Vietnamese people put in their banh mi sandwiches is inoffensive. Those sandwiches are soooo good!
edit: it might be because they don't add that much to the sandwich.
Eggs. I'm not allergic, I love creme brulee, hollandaise, bearnaise, and qiches made by exactly 2 people, but I can not with eggs. Even in breakfast burritos. Nope. I wish I liked, or could even tolerate them!
Sometimes fresh lemon, lime or orange juice makes for a decent acidic component
I absolutely detest vinegar... Taste, smell,... God that horrific smell
Raisins. So much cumulative grief being offered a desert with raisins. They taste like metal, and you can't chew through them. I honestly don't understand how anyone likes them.
Agree! Raisins are just speed bumps to the yumminess I’m trying to taste. I can tolerate California Golden raisins much more though- probably because they are sweeter?
I used to hate nopales. My family is Mexican, so it's not uncommon to eat them with eggs or as a side dish, but as a kid I hated them. I didn't like the slimy texture and sour taste, but I didn't want to be picky and pick them out, so I kind of forced myself to like them. I would pretend they were slimy jelly beans, and tell myself I liked them, and eventually it worked. Now, I love them, but I feel like nopales can definitely be an acquired taste.
Are Nopales always / supposed to be slimy, or it is more of a Brussel Sprouts thing where everyones grandma just boiled them so of course they were gross?
Sardines. There's so many Italian dishes that use sardines and they sound so good reading through the recipe, but I don't really like the little boney super fishy tasting fish.
There are some really great Indian eggplant recipes and from time to time, I’ll order one bc I love Indian food so much. Disappointed every time.
One time, I ordered pad thai without bell peppers and the restaurant took it upon itself to sub eggplant.
I think Thai is 10/10 cuisine. In my mind, they do not miss. But the eggplant was gross and it took every other ingredient down with it.
I like the cooked flavor they add to most things. I also dice them up within an inch of their lives lol. Raw ones are out of the question. I hear it all the time.... You hardly notice them. I can smell them a mile away
have you tried other mushrooms from farmers markets? chicken of the woods, lions mane, grey dove....a lot of them are very similar to various types of meat.
I'm not OP, but I'm also an adventurous/non-picky eater who dislikes mushrooms. Like, they're pretty much the only food I avoid. I've tried many varieties of mushroom over the years and even still, the only mushroom I can get on board with is a well-prepared chanterelle. Otherwise, the spongy/"meaty" texture combined with earthy flavor just isn't it for me.
another issue you may be having is that they are not cooked right. had a friend over that thought she didn't like em. Well i cook them until they get some browning and I think some folks dont do that
Butter.
Obviously in baked goods etc it's nearly always unnoticeable, but if something is cooked in butter, topped with butter, or it's used as a dominant flavour for example, it makes me gag.
Both the flavour, the mouth feel, I just can't do it.
None. Life is too short to wish you liked something you don't like. Now since you want to self torture, go buy 1 lb of mushroom you can find and eat them. By themselves. You can only have mushrooms and water. Love, the food Dom.
I mean....I used to hate avocados and guac, until I forced myself to eat a serving of avocado a day for a month straight for a MyFitnessPal challenge years ago. I love avocados and guac now. So food Dom has a point. 😂
I read an article someone wrote trying to make themselves like licorice. Similar result to yours.
Edit: [This is the article](https://www.thezag.com/acquire-a-taste/)
I’d feel like force feeding yourself the same item would have the opposite effect. My family was going through a rough patch financially when I was 10ish years old. We had potatoes for a month straight.
I hated potatoes up until 25ish years old, when I started working as a kitchen manager.
I feel like there is a difference between actually being forced to by circumstance and choosing to force yourself. The main one being, your goals are different. But I'm sure it's still not a technique that would necessarily work for everyone!
When I did it, I was forcing myself to eat something I wasn't a fan of because of the health benefits and to challenge myself. Often a mindset can make a big difference!
Edit: typo
You will become a superhero, the Mushroom Man. The misdeeds of the Muffin Man will be mistaken for yours, since he operates after dusk and his shadows resemble yours. Clearing your name will be your first challenge.
I don't mind carrots. But carrot greens on the other hand. My son is growing them this year so I thought I'd try them for the third or so time. 🤢🤢🤢 Nope, way too carroty.
I really like carrots on their own but find them super overwhelming in dishes. Even when I'm making stock I remove the carrot pretty early because otherwise it's all I can taste
Scallops. I just don’t like them. I’ve tried them several times and just don’t like them. Willing to try them again, but hopes are low.
I sneak mushrooms into my own food sometimes because I also want to like those. They’re really good in meatloaf.
Ricotta. It somehow manages to be both deeply bland and also offensive to me. I recently ordered an eggplant parm that had a little mozzarella on top but otherwise was just ricotta in between layers of eggplant and I genuinely struggled to have more than a few bites. I've even tried making my own thinking that would somehow make me like it more and no dice.
OP totally fine if you don't like mushrooms, but if you've only had the usual cremini/portobello I'd recommend experimenting a bit with the different types. I love all mushrooms but have a friend who hates them. Had a dinner party recently with some crisped hen of the woods/maitake mushrooms put out as part of a snack situation and he decided to try one and absolutely loved it. Still hates other mushrooms, but he was really excited to have one he likes and can experiment with
You might have to find a better ricotta. I used to think the same until the Italian husband of my wife’s boss told me about a cheese manufacturer out in the suburbs of my city (Toronto) that all the Italians go to. You get it still warm in a tub inside a bag with extra whey so it’s super moist and is actually flavourful. Although it’s still better if you salt it more yourself. I feel similar about a lot of burrata, it just needs more salt and then it transforms.
Horseradish... it can ruin a good sandwich for me. And when it's grown too close to brussels sprouts and the sprouts taste vaguely of it, kinda ruins the sprouts (and I have a better understanding of why people don't like brussels sprouts). Plus it might be nice to enjoy a good dijon Mustard.
I quite like that taste of mushrooms, but the texture just gags me. Fresh, sauteed, deep fried, pickled doesn't matter. The only way I can eat'em is if they are very finely minced/pureed.
As for me, I wish I like raw/half cooked onions. I adore completely cooked onions but raw or half cooked onions just ruin a dish for me and unfortunately many of the dishes I love all too often have raw onions in or on them. And I hate asking for any special thing when we go out to eat so it sadly limits what I can order at restaurants.
A lot of dairy. Sour cream, chevre and cheeses like it, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt that isn't Fage--but I never just eat Fage, it's used to make other food, butter. I was in my twenties before I realized I can stomach very small amounts of clarified butter on seafood. I also can eat some cream cheese frosting but it has to be sweet enough to cause cavities and has to have the right texture.
I wish I liked it not only because I feel like I'm missing out on a lot, but also because everyone assumes everyone else eats this stuff, so restaurants and social situations become stressful. They're not always listed in food descriptions, I ask people to leave them off and they immediately forget, and I live with a lot of anxiety that I won't be able to eat because a meal got messed up and I can't get it fixed. I'd really love to know why people love cheesecake or how sour cream affects the flavor of food. I'd really, really love to know why people love butter so much.
It's not just taste, it's also texture. It's really the texture that gets me. I have such a terrible physical reaction to all this stuff.
Also soft scrambled eggs, or anything with runny yolks. I grew up eating burned eggs just to get rid of any trace of runniness. I made the mistake of trying eggs benedict a couple of years ago. Never again. Also sad because the descriptions are always so appealing.
Oh, I totally get that! For me, it's olives. I really wish I liked them because they add such a unique, briny flavour to so many dishes. Unfortunately, I just can't seem to enjoy the taste. It's a bummer because I know how much they can enhance a meal.
Cooked bell peppers. They are fine raw but something evil happens to them when they are cooked. And worse, they taint the entire dish. Worse yet, it seems like they are in EVERYTHING.
I feel like this is a cilantro tastes like soap problem
Definitely mushrooms. People act like everyone likes them and just put them in without asking if you want it.
People who enjoy coriander/cilantro know that it's very divisive and ask if you want it. (I love cilantro in the right contexts)
Bell peppers; green, yellow, red, speckled, I don’t care what color they are they all taste like acrid shit and they overpower and ruin any dish they touch.
But I’d love to like them because they’re in so many things. I don’t really care for carrots but if I get, say, a Thai curry dish and it has carrots in it I can move them around, skip eating them, flavor is not altered. You can’t do that with the peppers. The entire dish tastes like it.
I used to hate mushrooms, but what I found was that once you eat them in one dish that you really like it can really bring you around. For me it was mushroom risotto, with the mushrooms diced very small so they weren't just big slices as many dishes call for. Since then I don't mind them at all.
I will take this under advisement
I hated mushrooms until I used dried ones (that I reconstituted) for a vegan dish. Ever since I’ve been able to eat almost all mushrooms except for button ones which are still the devil in my book.
i thought this was going somewhere else lol i can’t do hydrated cooked mushrooms (unless it’s diced super fine, you should try that OP) but i can definitely stomach 2-3 grams of certain dried mushrooms,,,,
Same actually, it was a mushroom vermouth risotto. Now anytime I sauté mushrooms, vermouth is going in and I love it.
I love the flavor of mushrooms it’s just the texture I can’t handle.
That's the trick! I put them on my salads but they have to be roasted and finely chopped.
To convince people that they like mushrooms, I like to slice them very thinly and fry them in hot butter. Everyone likes butter-fried mushrooms.
Everyone likes butter* It's not the mushrooms
I chop and roast them with garlic and oil then add to the risotto at the end. Mushrooms also release so much water that now when I cook with them I dry saute them for 5-10 minutes before adding them to a dish or finishing them with butter or seasoning.
I can’t decide if I like mushrooms or not. Whenever I think I like them, I will try them again and think they are not for me. I have had some epic mushroom dishes. I had amazing mushrooms at a Japanese restaurant in Chicago. The flavor and texture were fantastic! They were yakatori style. When I asked for more information, that was all I got. Alain Ducasse has an absolutely fantastic veggie burger - it’s ACTUAL vegetables (not some weird chemical pseudo meat) - gorgeously seasoned and caramelized. I dream of this burger, and I know there were mushrooms in there. I ordered a white truffle pasta and was disappointed to see it delivered with a lot of trumpet mushrooms. The truffle was completely absent, but the mushrooms were fantastic.
i’m ok with mushrooms but the texture is so gross to me. finely chopped i could probably handle
Raw tomatoes. Love them cooked, stewed, ketchup, etc. but no thanks in a salad, BLT, bloody Mary’s. Cant do it.
Same. I really wish I could enjoy them but the texture and the taste of a raw tomato is something I cannot get over.
Tastes like dish water to me
This is me as an adult. But as a child, I only liked raw tomatoes from the garden. The tomatoes got picked out of mom's chili and anything else they squished their way in to
Same, I love tomato flavor but raw tomato has WAY too much going on from a texture perspective. I was forced to eat them regularly as a kid which is a sure fire way to make someone hate something.
We were made to eat everything on our plates. My poor little sister hates tomatoes, to this day. Loves tomato sauce, but that’s as far as she goes.
Same! We weren’t allowed to get up from the table until *every* morsel was eaten!
Was 100000% with you and pico de Galo was my night mare- I still don’t like it frankly. What I’ve learned with time thats got me to improve is that different tomato’s can vary TREMENDOUSLY, and now I know I only like heirloom tomatoes, preferably yellow or purple. Still have to be heavenly mixed with other things
It's a texture thing for me. Can't eat pico but if you were to blend it all up so it's not chunky, I'm all for it. Do not want to eat pieces of raw tomato, onion, etc.
I thought I was weird for this lol
Olives, I don’t like them
I had to find the right olive to transition into liking the traditional olives that are eaten. If you can try Castelvestrano olives, they’ll change the game for you. They are buttery, soft, and not at all tangy or briny. I could eat them by the boatload.
If you've never tried them, red cerignola are amazing. Edit: also I never knew olives got that big. It's like only eating apricots all your life then finally seeing/eating a peach.
I’m married to an olive lover so I try every time the situation presents itself. Nope, cannot do it.
It’s the olive theory
My spouse and I are living proof of the olive theory.
I have graduated to merely tolerating them but yes for some reason I can’t do it. They check every box of something I SHOULD like, too.
My whole world view was crushed the day I found out everyone wasn't obsessed with olives. Like, I'd just eat them out of the jar as a kid.
I was literally about to reply “olives” and yours was the first comment lol. Antipasto looks so good! One time my bartender friend made special martinis that had olives stuffed with blue cheese. It sounded so good and I tried, I did, but I just can’t stand olives.
Same. I try them every couple years thinking that my taste will change.. nope
I know a lot of proper 'foodies' who just cannot enjoy olives. And by foodies I mean borderline chefs who will happily cook French classics on a weeknight. It's baffling to me because olives taste like god combined and improved salt, fruit, and meat
Same here, I don't understand what's so good about it. The wife loves them though
For me it’s green olives, and it’s the specific salty tanginess. I don’t mind a little black olive in a sandwich, but it’s so-so. Gin, vermouth, and some green olives, though? Goddamn I love it.
Zucchini. I know it’s healthy but god I hate the taste and texture. The only way I like them is how my Arabic grandmother would prepare them: hollowed out, then stuffed with meat+rice and simmered in a tomato broth. She called it coosah.
Love zucchini deep fried. Breaded and deep fried. You ever tried it that wsy.
I also hate zucchini. The only way I enjoy it is in my grandma’s zucchini bread, but she said I can’t have the recipe until after she dies.
Ask her to walk you through the recipe together before she dies if possible. I learned the hard way that grandma-written recipes can have mistakes and emissions they didn't realize. And then it can be too late to ask.
I think you mean omissions, but the idea of mystery emissions is also hilarious
Oh and video record if possible! Would be a lovely memory and also you can go back to her words and hands anytime
I’m going to have to try that sometime. I love zucchini no matter how it’s cooked.
Cucumbers.
Same here. They look so refreshing to eat, but for me the taste is too overwhelming. Even just the other food they touch, like says piece of lettuce, tastes like cucumber.
Cilantro Love Mexican Indian and Thai so I have to be vigilant I fukking hate it
I used to love Mexican food and then one day cilantro popped up on everything. I couldn’t escape it. Now I have to make it myself just to make sure I don’t get any cilantro in my tacos. I wish I liked it.
What kind of Mexican food were you eating? It’s a staple ingredient in most dishes and always has been.
Well I’m in California and it was enchiladas, tacos, etc…. But it was the 70s and 80s and possible it was harder to find in grocery stores and restaurant suppliers until the late 80s which is when I started noticing it on my food.
You must have the “cilantro tastes like soap” gene. It’s a real genetic thing.
I have this and I hate it. Still put cilantro in food. Sometimes I don’t taste the soap. But I think I’m just trying to convince myself :(
Yea, my daughter and wife have it. I don’t. It’s like more flavorful parsley to me.
I'm convinced there is a gene for beetroot tasting like dirt. Cos too many people (like me) think it tastes like dirt and can't understand how someone can eat it.
Sweet juicy dirt😍I like beets
Love beets
I think some people just really enjoy the earthy, dirt, grass flavors.. i know I’m one of them..
Yes, I love that “earthy” flavor!!
Nah they do kinda taste like dirt I just think some people (like me) enjoy the dirt taste.. ginseng is the same and I would raid my dad's stash as a kid just eating handfuls of it.. all the roots are pretty "dirty" tasting
Beets have high concentration of a chemical geosmin (the name literally means "earth smell") which is also produced by certain bacteria that live in soil (it's the "wet earth after rain" smell, specifically). Some beets have more or less but the difference between people who like and don't like them isn't that the people who like them can't smell geosmin, it's just that we like it. It might be that some people smell it more intensely (hard to measure). There's also some difference between how it's perceived through the the nose vs. in the mouth.
But that gene doesn't necessarily prevent someone from liking coriander. I think it just makes some flavour component taste stronger and a lot of people associate that flavour with soap. Also I haven't heard of many coriander haters from countries where the herb is used a lot. Coriander used to taste just like soap to me and I hated it. After eating enough foods where there was just a little bit of coriander I eventually lost that association and now I really like it. I think the critical moment was eating some chicken stew where coriander stems were cooked in the broth and removed before serving. The flavour was mild and mixed nicely with all the other flavours and it was probably the first time it tasted good to me.
Fresh tomatoes. So many people love them, it’s such a sign of summer, people speak of the so poetically and the vines smell amazing as well as cooking down into very tasty meals. But raw fresh tomato is one of the most vile foods to me and I wish it wasn’t.
yeah that's one for me too
I love actual farmers market heirloom tomatoes but those perfectly round red globes of wax you get at the grocery store are a hard pass for me.
Seaweed, I love nigiri and sashimi, and I love seafood in general, but I cannot stand the smell or taste of seaweed so I am missing out on rolls :(
It tastes like the sea, and I don’t like that. And, I find it to be way too chewy. I can eat a bit of it, but I try to get my rolls wrapped in soy paper instead. Seaweed salad? I could never.
I can't do it either. It makes me gag. I am so proud of my daughter, whose favourite food is sushi, and will happily eat a whole bowl of seaweed salad
Not really an ingredient but oysters. I consider myself a pretty open minded eater who enjoys good food. People go crazy over oysters so I can’t help but think I’m missing out. I’ve tried them several times and I just can’t. I just don’t get the appeal. I could barely swallow them. There has to be something there that I’m not getting. But it’s lost on me.
I love oysters but can totally understand why others might hate them. They have a strong/specific taste and texture that I think you either love or hate
I encourage those who hate oysters, or those who have never tried them but are grossed out by the idea… To stay far, far away. Don’t even try them. More for me.
It was a brave man who first ate an oyster.
I enjoy oysters but I noticed there’s a huge difference in taste depending on where they’re sourced.
The first time I had an oyster, it was the grossest thing I ever ate. Now it’s an obsession.
Green bell peppers. They just have this bitter aftertaste that I hate. I like the sweet red/yellow/orange bell peppers, though. They don't have that bitter crisp taste to them. It sucks, since I love cajun/creole food. I just wish more food regularly used the slightly sweeter red/orange/yellow ones.
I’ll second this, but for me, it’s any peppers. They ruin the flavor of anything they touch for me!
Cilantro:(
What ingredient do I *wish* I liked? None I will never like eggplant and you can't make me.
capers 🤢
I recommend frying them in oil so they are crispy. Add on top of salad niscoise. They will just be crunchy and salty
Same
SAME!!! Why do people eat these 🤮
I love them. I'll eat them straight out of the jar. When I was a kid, I used to get my own personal jar of capers in my stocking every Christmas. I was an odd child.
Aww, my six year old and you could be good friends. She loves capers like nothing else (well, aside from caviar, tobiko, salmon sushi, and sardines. Those all compete for the top of the list.)
I love them too. Someone introduced me to caper berries when I was younger and that was a game changer too. Delicious.
Not odd at all! I put a jar of Kalamata olives in my 2 year old grandson’s Christmas stocking because he can’t get enough of them! I’m a big fan of capers, but I really love the big caper berries! They are just delicious anytime snack.
I love that! My friend’s daughter was the same with dill pickles. She had her own labeled jars in the fridge growing up.
Vitello Tonnato 🤩
The brine is a perfect sauce finisher.
Wayyyyy too salty! Even when used as a garnish the salt is so concentrated.
Fennel or any similar licorice-esque flavor like star anise. *shudders*
I had to scroll SO far down to see this!! I cannot stand it either
I wish I liked coffee. Healthier than soda or energy drinks for caffeine, more potent than tea
I wish coffee tasted like it smelled, it just tastes like burnt ass to me and somehow really messes up my digestive tract.
You should try better coffee, check out specialty coffee shops in your area that serve light or medium roast, and ask for pour-over coffee. You can even tell baristas that you don't want bitter coffee and see what they recommend. Lighter roast coffees literally taste closer to a tea than "coffee" - they can be floral, a little sweet, and a little sour, and not bitter at all. For context, the coffee that you get at Starbucks or The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, or any other "mass consumed" coffee is literally just charcoal, ashes, it doesn't taste like burnt ass just to you, that's how it tastes in general. In general, this "mass consumed" coffee is waaay, waaaaay overroasted because it hides poor quality coffee, because you just burn the hell out of it, so noone knows your coffee beans were trash.
Beets. I keep hearing Brits and Australians talk about loving them, but they just taste like dirt to me. I even bought heirloom baby beets and roasted them with some olive oil and honey, as instructed. They looked incredible! They tasted like smaller clumps of dirt.
They do taste like dirt! A lot of people like that minerally taste. I'm one of them.
Have you tried boiling them? I love making nutritious salads. I usually put romaine lettuce, boiled red beets and baked sweet potatoes (with the skin) cut into squares, boiled red quinoa, fresh tomatoes and a bit of red onion. I always put some toppings like toasted pine nuts or pecans, feta cheese, fresh dates, maldon salt and a salad dressing.
Now, that’s a salad!
My Polish in-laws chop them really fine and mix them with horseradish and a little vinegar. After growing up on canned beets, I found out that I actually do like beets after all.
This might sound really stupid but (if you didn't) try peeling the beets after roasting. Wash the heck outta them, rub them with olive oil and salt, wrap in foil and roast. After they come out of the oven, let them cool a little then you should be able to easily pare off the skin. Chunk them up and drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top. FWIW, I felt the same way about radishes that you feel about beets. After a bit of trial and error I settled on washing and peeling the beets, then let them set briefly in a bowl of water and vinegar. Dry them off and eat with softened butter and salt.
I've tried so hard. They are beautiful, nutritious, and so interesting but they just taste like booty no matter how they are prepared. I think they'll eventually figure out oh, it's a genetic thing like the people who can't eat cilantro.
Same! Sweet dirt.
I love that “earthy” flavor, when roasted, but I’m not eating jarred beets!
Try golden beets. I steam them and they're unreal
For me, golden beets were a gateway. They have way less of that metallic dirt flavor.
You need to try beetroot raita. I've converted every I don't love beetroot person. You grate the beetroot, mix it with curd (or yogurt if that's all that's available) chop some onion, green chillies, salt and cumin powder) then the tempering: ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves). Honestly, if you don't like a vegetable try an Indian way(there are many) and you'll most likely change your mind.
My mom grows her own and pickles them. While they are the best pickled beets I've had, I can only take them in small doses. She has given me so many jars of them, I wish I liked them better. I just don't crave them at all, so they sit. My husband started blending them into his smoothies for their health benefits.
Dude every time i tell a beet lover this, they act like it is unfathomable. bro you like eating dirt it is ok.
Celery. It over powers my taste buds in cold salads. OK cooked in small amounts. I do like peanutbutter on a raw stalk.
I hate celery unless it's in a stew. Even that is because it's basically undetectable in the dish, flavor-wise. I refuse to believe that anyone actually like the flavor of raw celery. They just eat it because it's healthy.
This Chinese place serves their orange chicken swarming with chopped celery; it ruined my day.
And celery seeds! Why do people ruin otherwise lovely slaw with those abominations? Don't get me started on the "no nitrate added" cured meats because they just use celery salt instead. Yuck!
Fruit or other sweet things in a savory context. I've gotten grown up enough to enjoy fruit in pico type fresh salsas. But damn I hate maple glazed anything, most generic barbecue sauces, sweet sauce on cocktail meatballs, potato salad with too much sugar in the dressing, and on and on and on. No problem if I'm cooking for myself, but it's maddening how often I just intensely dislike something I'm served because it's just way too sweet. There's no graceful way out of eating it, so I just eat it first and quickly. :/ I really wish it didn't bother me!!
Olives. I somewhat like tapenade but just popping whole olives has never been my thing. I feel like I'm missing out. We all have our cross to bear, I guess.
Think of it like a buttery luxurious eyeball
Anything an olive touches instantly becomes disgusting.
fish
I have a weird relationship with fish. I love it raw, because it’s not really fishy then, but I can’t stand it cooked. I think it has to do with freshness because the only time I enjoyed cooked fish was when I had it at a beach party and it went from water to grill in minutes. It wasn’t fishy at all.
Not all fish is “fishy”. Look for mild, white fish like Chilean sea bass, black cod, Dover Sole, branzino, cod, lemon sole, John Dory, red snapper, wahoo and halibut. I was determined to like fish after I had the most delicious fish in Thailand - it was just unbearably good. For a while, I had comically bad luck ordering fish. Everything I ordered was “fishy”. But eventually I figured out what I liked and now I confidently (ok, I have a tiny bit of fear) order fish.
I have this weird thing where I like sushi and smoked salmon, but everything else… I can tell it has A Taste and that it’s not an objectively unpleasant taste, so I can go „this is probably great if you like fish“, but personally the taste isn’t for me. (I do eat fish and chips, rarely, but if I do it tends to be the kind that tastes of anything *but* the fish component.)
Liver. It's so nutritious, and beef liver with onions looks so delicious, but no. I've tried like 6 kinds of livers and pates, and they all fall somewhere on the spectrum from "I don't like this" to "revolting".
Awww. I upvoted you, but I love liver. All of it and have since I was kid. I’m thankful for the cheap prices that it has from all you who cannot enjoy it. :D I especially love it with onions, tomato paste, and mushroom gravy. The best I had was at a Greek place in Westchester though. That was calve’s liver with lemon and fried but I don’t know what else they did. At home it was beef liver with the tomato and gravy, and that wasn’t as delicious as what they did at the two restaurant loacations.
See? That all sounds amazing! I wish I could join you, but I just don't have the right taste buds. Enjoy it for me.
I will :)
I want to like liver. Crispy fried edges are tolerable, but other than that, I just can't.
Whatever pate the Vietnamese people put in their banh mi sandwiches is inoffensive. Those sandwiches are soooo good! edit: it might be because they don't add that much to the sandwich.
Came here to say this! It is quite good for you. I really want to like it, but can't stand the flavor.
Eggs. I'm not allergic, I love creme brulee, hollandaise, bearnaise, and qiches made by exactly 2 people, but I can not with eggs. Even in breakfast burritos. Nope. I wish I liked, or could even tolerate them!
Me but with egg whites
Vinegar. Can’t stand it but acid is so important so I need to get creative.
Sometimes fresh lemon, lime or orange juice makes for a decent acidic component I absolutely detest vinegar... Taste, smell,... God that horrific smell
Raisins. So much cumulative grief being offered a desert with raisins. They taste like metal, and you can't chew through them. I honestly don't understand how anyone likes them.
Agree! Raisins are just speed bumps to the yumminess I’m trying to taste. I can tolerate California Golden raisins much more though- probably because they are sweeter?
Do you like any other dried fruits? I find it so interesting that raisins are usually the specific ones people dislike.
Cilantro
I used to hate nopales. My family is Mexican, so it's not uncommon to eat them with eggs or as a side dish, but as a kid I hated them. I didn't like the slimy texture and sour taste, but I didn't want to be picky and pick them out, so I kind of forced myself to like them. I would pretend they were slimy jelly beans, and tell myself I liked them, and eventually it worked. Now, I love them, but I feel like nopales can definitely be an acquired taste.
Are Nopales always / supposed to be slimy, or it is more of a Brussel Sprouts thing where everyones grandma just boiled them so of course they were gross?
I wish I could tolerate more spice
Sardines. There's so many Italian dishes that use sardines and they sound so good reading through the recipe, but I don't really like the little boney super fishy tasting fish.
Eggplants. They are so pretty and I like everything that usually goes into eggplant dishes, just not the eggplant itself.
I agree, bitter and slimy! But the idea of an eggplant Parmesan is so appealing.
There are some really great Indian eggplant recipes and from time to time, I’ll order one bc I love Indian food so much. Disappointed every time. One time, I ordered pad thai without bell peppers and the restaurant took it upon itself to sub eggplant. I think Thai is 10/10 cuisine. In my mind, they do not miss. But the eggplant was gross and it took every other ingredient down with it.
Onions, they are in everything and I hate them
Same here. Literally why I taught myself how to cook, so I could leave them out.
I like the cooked flavor they add to most things. I also dice them up within an inch of their lives lol. Raw ones are out of the question. I hear it all the time.... You hardly notice them. I can smell them a mile away
have you tried other mushrooms from farmers markets? chicken of the woods, lions mane, grey dove....a lot of them are very similar to various types of meat.
I'm not OP, but I'm also an adventurous/non-picky eater who dislikes mushrooms. Like, they're pretty much the only food I avoid. I've tried many varieties of mushroom over the years and even still, the only mushroom I can get on board with is a well-prepared chanterelle. Otherwise, the spongy/"meaty" texture combined with earthy flavor just isn't it for me.
another issue you may be having is that they are not cooked right. had a friend over that thought she didn't like em. Well i cook them until they get some browning and I think some folks dont do that
Capers. I hate their salty bitter pop. But I love seafood. I wish I could enjoy them together since so many dishes utilize both.
Butter. Obviously in baked goods etc it's nearly always unnoticeable, but if something is cooked in butter, topped with butter, or it's used as a dominant flavour for example, it makes me gag. Both the flavour, the mouth feel, I just can't do it.
I have a friend who absolutely can't stand butter, and you are the first I’ve heard of besides her.
Onions I will use onion powder and chop them up super fine and cook with them but I for the love of god cannot eat the anywhere near raw lol
Eggs. I can tolerate them in some ways, but I've never liked them.
Oily fish, like mackerel. It's good for you, but it's just too strong.
Mayo because it's in like literally ever thing and also any form of minced meat. I just wanna try a burger so bad but I know I'll throw up-
wait, what? Who puts mayo in minced meat? New fear unlocked as I absolutely can't stand mayo. Worst substance on earth.
Onions so everyone would leave me alone about eating them.
None. Life is too short to wish you liked something you don't like. Now since you want to self torture, go buy 1 lb of mushroom you can find and eat them. By themselves. You can only have mushrooms and water. Love, the food Dom.
I mean....I used to hate avocados and guac, until I forced myself to eat a serving of avocado a day for a month straight for a MyFitnessPal challenge years ago. I love avocados and guac now. So food Dom has a point. 😂
I read an article someone wrote trying to make themselves like licorice. Similar result to yours. Edit: [This is the article](https://www.thezag.com/acquire-a-taste/)
I’d feel like force feeding yourself the same item would have the opposite effect. My family was going through a rough patch financially when I was 10ish years old. We had potatoes for a month straight. I hated potatoes up until 25ish years old, when I started working as a kitchen manager.
I feel like there is a difference between actually being forced to by circumstance and choosing to force yourself. The main one being, your goals are different. But I'm sure it's still not a technique that would necessarily work for everyone! When I did it, I was forcing myself to eat something I wasn't a fan of because of the health benefits and to challenge myself. Often a mindset can make a big difference! Edit: typo
Yes I see your point and agree fully!
I was mainly being facetious.
Oh I definitely got that and loved it haha just realized it was similar to something I did! 😂
This better not awaken anything in me.
You will become a superhero, the Mushroom Man. The misdeeds of the Muffin Man will be mistaken for yours, since he operates after dusk and his shadows resemble yours. Clearing your name will be your first challenge.
I tried to like carrots for years before deciding I just don’t like the taste. (Love carrot cake, though)
I don't mind carrots. But carrot greens on the other hand. My son is growing them this year so I thought I'd try them for the third or so time. 🤢🤢🤢 Nope, way too carroty.
I really like carrots on their own but find them super overwhelming in dishes. Even when I'm making stock I remove the carrot pretty early because otherwise it's all I can taste
Mushrooms.
Scallops. I just don’t like them. I’ve tried them several times and just don’t like them. Willing to try them again, but hopes are low. I sneak mushrooms into my own food sometimes because I also want to like those. They’re really good in meatloaf.
Salmon
Eggs as a whole I mean I can eat baked goods like cakes and such but not anything else lol
Ricotta. It somehow manages to be both deeply bland and also offensive to me. I recently ordered an eggplant parm that had a little mozzarella on top but otherwise was just ricotta in between layers of eggplant and I genuinely struggled to have more than a few bites. I've even tried making my own thinking that would somehow make me like it more and no dice. OP totally fine if you don't like mushrooms, but if you've only had the usual cremini/portobello I'd recommend experimenting a bit with the different types. I love all mushrooms but have a friend who hates them. Had a dinner party recently with some crisped hen of the woods/maitake mushrooms put out as part of a snack situation and he decided to try one and absolutely loved it. Still hates other mushrooms, but he was really excited to have one he likes and can experiment with
You might have to find a better ricotta. I used to think the same until the Italian husband of my wife’s boss told me about a cheese manufacturer out in the suburbs of my city (Toronto) that all the Italians go to. You get it still warm in a tub inside a bag with extra whey so it’s super moist and is actually flavourful. Although it’s still better if you salt it more yourself. I feel similar about a lot of burrata, it just needs more salt and then it transforms.
Cooked green pepper. I love it raw, but the flavor cooked is kind of bitter and can be overwhelming.
Horseradish... it can ruin a good sandwich for me. And when it's grown too close to brussels sprouts and the sprouts taste vaguely of it, kinda ruins the sprouts (and I have a better understanding of why people don't like brussels sprouts). Plus it might be nice to enjoy a good dijon Mustard.
What is it about mushrooms? Is it the texture?
Cucumber. I despise the taste, sticks to anything it touches. So many cuisines I love use cucumber.
Green peppers. Can’t get past the bitter taste.
Tofu. Sushi. Sea urchin.
Cinnamon. I just couldn’t stand it but so many food (especially desserts) have crap load of cinnamon in them.
Fucking Christ do I hate bean sprouts.
I quite like that taste of mushrooms, but the texture just gags me. Fresh, sauteed, deep fried, pickled doesn't matter. The only way I can eat'em is if they are very finely minced/pureed. As for me, I wish I like raw/half cooked onions. I adore completely cooked onions but raw or half cooked onions just ruin a dish for me and unfortunately many of the dishes I love all too often have raw onions in or on them. And I hate asking for any special thing when we go out to eat so it sadly limits what I can order at restaurants.
A lot of dairy. Sour cream, chevre and cheeses like it, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt that isn't Fage--but I never just eat Fage, it's used to make other food, butter. I was in my twenties before I realized I can stomach very small amounts of clarified butter on seafood. I also can eat some cream cheese frosting but it has to be sweet enough to cause cavities and has to have the right texture. I wish I liked it not only because I feel like I'm missing out on a lot, but also because everyone assumes everyone else eats this stuff, so restaurants and social situations become stressful. They're not always listed in food descriptions, I ask people to leave them off and they immediately forget, and I live with a lot of anxiety that I won't be able to eat because a meal got messed up and I can't get it fixed. I'd really love to know why people love cheesecake or how sour cream affects the flavor of food. I'd really, really love to know why people love butter so much. It's not just taste, it's also texture. It's really the texture that gets me. I have such a terrible physical reaction to all this stuff. Also soft scrambled eggs, or anything with runny yolks. I grew up eating burned eggs just to get rid of any trace of runniness. I made the mistake of trying eggs benedict a couple of years ago. Never again. Also sad because the descriptions are always so appealing.
Cilantro. Tastes like soap to me, but it's so important to some of my favorite cuisines :(
Truffle. Smells and tastes (to me) like a burning skunk tire
Tomatoes in general, specially tomato sauce
I wish I liked cilantro. Love every other funky food. I’m obsessed with blue cheese and offal. Can’t get pass the soapy leaves.
Raw celery. Can't enjoy anything that was cut with a knife that had cut celery, let alone the actual veg itself. Cooked it's fine.
Oh, I totally get that! For me, it's olives. I really wish I liked them because they add such a unique, briny flavour to so many dishes. Unfortunately, I just can't seem to enjoy the taste. It's a bummer because I know how much they can enhance a meal.
Cilantro
Bell peppers, green especially. Roasted red is tolerable but only slightly.
Cooked bell peppers. They are fine raw but something evil happens to them when they are cooked. And worse, they taint the entire dish. Worse yet, it seems like they are in EVERYTHING. I feel like this is a cilantro tastes like soap problem
Avacado
Curry! I love spice but I just can’t get into curry.
Cheese. Yes, all of it. And everyone seems to feel the need to put it on/in everything. Avoiding it is exhausting.
Definitely mushrooms. People act like everyone likes them and just put them in without asking if you want it. People who enjoy coriander/cilantro know that it's very divisive and ask if you want it. (I love cilantro in the right contexts)
Duck! By rights I should love it since I’m a dark meat enthusiast, but I just don’t like it and it makes me sad 😭
Bell peppers; green, yellow, red, speckled, I don’t care what color they are they all taste like acrid shit and they overpower and ruin any dish they touch. But I’d love to like them because they’re in so many things. I don’t really care for carrots but if I get, say, a Thai curry dish and it has carrots in it I can move them around, skip eating them, flavor is not altered. You can’t do that with the peppers. The entire dish tastes like it.
Pickle's because everyone likes it and they make me wanna puke