100 things to eat...

Back home after a long summer break and another exam behind me... lots of stories to tell, lots of recipes up my sleeve, but to ease my way back into blogging, I am picking up an idea I saw on my dear friend Jeanne's Cook Sister!. It's a list of 100 things to eat, some of which might be unthinkable for most, some of which are must-trys.

The originator of this "omnivore's 100" list suggests the following rules:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at Andrew's blog linking to your results.

See how much YOU score... although, sadly, there aren't any prizes!

1. Venison - try these recipes if you're new to venison... I guarantee you will love it!
2. Nettle tea - does wonders for your skin and is a natural diuretic, so if you suffer from high blood pressure, you might want to give this a try!
3. Huevos rancheros - or any Mexican breakfast. The ones at Bubby's in New York are a special treat.. yumm!
4. Steak tartare - try this recipe (excuse the pic, this was early blogging days!)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding – and I was there when they made it, too!
7. Cheese fondue - would it suprise you if i said we have this at least once a week during the winter?
8. Carp – traditional Christmas Day dinner in many an Austrian home
9. Borscht – hate beetroot, but would consider trying it. One day. When I am feeling very, very brave!
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - probably one of the earliest tastes of seafood, on our annual summer vacations in Italy!
12. Pho – planning to try that one soon. You gotta love Asian soups!!!
13. PB&J sandwich - It's true. Honest. And I am not ashamed!
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart – not doing that one again… at least not in London!
16. Epoisses – smelly cheeses are a favourite in my family… stinking bishop is high up on the list, too!
17. Black truffle - the winter variety being the only one worth writing home about. But I am addicted to truffles, so have become a bit of a snob in that respect ;-()
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes  - why???
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream – only when it tastes of real pistachios can you be sure that they know their stuff!
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries – spent my summer picking berries! Bilberries, strawberries… and my fingers and face a piece of abstract art!
23. Foie gras - recently discovered that they also make it in the Basque country (thanks to my good friend Sonia). It tastes the same and is much cheaper!
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese – topped with sliced onions, oil and vinegar. Still didn’t cover the taste enough ;-)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper. I licked one and didn’t taste anything for a week. Does that count? I love habanero sauce (in moderation) though!
27. Dulce de leche - oh yeah! I finally understand what condensed milk is for!!!
28. Oysters - fresh from the sea in Brittany, on its own or with raspberry vinegar and chopped shallots. Never try the tinned stuff or eat them cooked!
29. Baklava - I am not usually a fan of overly sweet stuff, but if it's done well, this is a real treat. Even though I never manage to eat more than a thumb's nail worth at a time!
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas - much prefer the peanuts, though!
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – no, but what an intriguing idea! I make my own sourdough, so that’s one to try soon!
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut – I am Austrian, remember? We practically LIVE off that stuff!
35. Root beer float – no idea what this is, but anything involving beer is a no-go for me!
36. Cognac with a fat cigar – didn’t light it, so I guess that's only half a point ;-)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat - somebody introduce me to this, please!
42. Whole insects – chapulines in Oaxaca. With lots of garlic and lime. Oh, and ant stew. At least I think they were whole.
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more – I have three kids! How else do you think I’d survive ;-) I particularly like island single malts, by the light of the fire. Best paired with Drageekeksi or chocolate in general... promise you'll try this!
46. Fugu (had to look at the definition… but anything potentially poisonous is off the list. Although I bit into an old-fashioned thermometer once, and survived)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel – which my Dad found on a field after a flooding. I can still hear my mum scream when she found them in the bathtub…
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - although I much prefer the cinnamon and apple version, but home-made is best!
50. Sea urchin – at Olivier Rollinger’s phantastic restaurant in Cancale, France!
51. Prickly pear – or nopalitos, as we call them. In salads, in tacos, they taste surprisingly good!
52. Umeboshi – mmmh! Sounds lovely to me!
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal. Do I have to find an excuse here? A burger and fries are still the best hangover cure. Although these days, I'd much rather have them at GBK or my favourite new burger venture in Kingston, Byron.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - but I am a Mojito gal!
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine – a staple in my student days… although I usually shudder at the thought of soggy fries!
60. Carob chips – we called it “monkey bread”… I haven't had the chips, though.
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - been there, done it, won't try again. The taste's ok, but there's a psychological barrier.
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst - why? If you want sausage and curry powder, try a Bosner!
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs. Next step if to prepare them at home, now that I know where you can buy them.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - churros con chocolate are a favourite of mine! For ultimate indulgance, try the, stuffed with cajeta, a sort of Dulce de leche (see 27) made from goat's milk!
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette. Despite being prepared by a Cordon Bleu-trained chef, the Andouillette I tried DID smell like pig's faeces. Can't compare the taste ;-)
71. Gazpacho.
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost – didn’t make it into my favourites ;-(
75. Roadkill - luckily, I've never hit anything with my car!
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini – hell yeah!
81. Tom yum – a favourite weekday dinner…
82. Eggs Benedict - or my own indulging version of it.
83. Pocky – although we call it Mikado. A favourite for making fruit skewers in the summer!
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant – many a time. Always up for it - if someone else foots the bill!
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash – silly question…
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab- one of my favourite maki orders at our local sushi place
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox - a staple breakfast in my family. Only ever with Hovmästarsås.
97. Lobster Thermidor. But much prefer my lobster just plainly cooked (from live) with home-made mayo and fries. call me old-fashioned.
98. Polenta – the most comforting food ever! Especially creamy, laced with blue cheese and spinach!
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Although I prefer a strong Italian espresso, preferrably Musetti.
100. Snake

I have been wondering under which heading this list was originally composed... surely it couldn't be "must-try-before-you-die" (very much doubt that spam would qualify for that) or "...and if that didn't gross you out, why not try..." (truffles and foie gras are much too good to feature in that category).

I'd like to see a list compiled of the 100 happiest food moments and I'd start it off with: Eating apples from your own tree. Anyone living in a big city will appreciate that thought and I count myself lucky to have two apple trees in the garden of our new house. Despite the backaches cause by picking up the rotten apples half-eaten by hungry parakeets (yes, we have our own flock of 10 or so coming to visit us every night) and despite all their blemishes, they're a wonderful treat! Recipes involving apples to follow very soon!

Comments

[Kit]

Welcome back, Johanna!

Parakeets in your back garden? Wow London has become exotic! I thought of doing this list, but my total wasn't nearly impressive enough, so I didn't end up posting it!!

Glad you had a good holiday - my mother has just had a week's walking trip to Austria and had a lovely time - wonderful weather and swimming in lakes instead of rainy old England.

[Sascha]

Welcome back!

Ad #35: root beer has nothing to do with beer. My two boys, aged 7 and 9 love this stuff - essentially ice cream in soda - even though I would never try it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream_soda#Root_beer_float

Alles Liebe,
Sascha

[Carolie]

A root beer float is delicious! Root beer is a soft drink with a very distinctive spicy flavor (like ginger ale -- not alcoholic), and a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a lovely counterpoint to the carbonation and spice of the root beer. It's an old fashioned dessert my parents and grandparents enjoyed. One alternates sips through a straw with spoonsful of the ice cream with a little root beer.

As for carob, I thought it was a chocolate substitute...you call it monkey bread? I'm confused!

[Jeanne]

Impressive - but then I expected nothing less :) And I'm going to make you some vodka jelly next time you visit, LOL!

Those ring-necked parakeets are a scourge - total alien invaders that escaped from a crate at an airport (so they think) and are now breeding like rabbits in West London...

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Perfect list. I guess I don't need to be "tagged" to play along, in which case I just might in a few days...

[Scott at Realepicurean]

You inspired me; I've posted my list too.