For tonight, my blog contribution consists of the Omnivore’s Hundred, a list of one hundred foods every good omnivore should try at least once in their life. Created by Andrew Wheeler of Very Good Taste, and as seen on Chocolate and Zucchini, copied from Raccoon and Lobster, and brought to you by the letters N, O, and M.
To participate
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. [AS IF!!!! Then my blog name wouldn't be true]
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
Andrew has also published a FAQ answering some of the more obvious questions that come up from seeing this list.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
5. Crocodile – I’m counting this because I’ve had alligator, tastes like chicken.
6. Black pudding – Ronnie counted blood tofu, so I am going to as well.
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart - I can almost say I did this in Mexico to make it more hardcore but the dude was totally not there when I remembered!
16. Epoisses – I suck at cheeses.
17. Black truffle – You’ve never had a burger until there’s fois gras and truffle on top.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - I’ve had some super sweet Japanese pear wine… tasted like syrup ugh.
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes – I think I get extra points for growing them.
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras – moar please.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese - love this stuff, want to make but too scared.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper – does putting them in a salsa count? I’m counting it.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters – big ones, little ones, cooked ones, raw ones, and even oysters the size of a fist.
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda – oh wow this looks delicious, do want.
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - eww, sourdough, why ruin the clam chowder that way?
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut – welcome to scandihoovia also known as minnesota.
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea – I’m a tea snob, creams do not go in teas. That’s just so… British.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O Shots
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail – hmm I just realized that I didn’t post my oxtail stew…
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects – I swallowed a bug once accidentally. Then I burped real loud.
43. Phaal – very intrigued, would love to try.
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu – I wish.
48. Eel – Mom used to buy these live and stir fry them. So good.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut – What’s the hype? They’re not that good.
50. Sea urchin – a few times I’ve tried this… I think I like it?
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini – I prefer vodka. Gin tastes like pine trees.
58. Beer above 8% ABV – Once at Buster’s on 28th, I had a flight of 5 beers, 4 of which were above 8%… I was so wasted.
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads – mmm, innerds.
63. Kaolin – bwuh? [I left Ronnie's bwuh there, because... bwuh?]
64. Currywurst – I’m pretty sure I’ve had every kind of wurst there is to wurst.
65. Durian – mmm, stinky feet smell with rotten onion texture, how do you not like it?
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake – moar please.
68. Haggis - Just had this recently at L’Ecosse in Minneapolis. I would highly recommend it. And maybe order 2… because sharing 1 sucks.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini - I’ve had them separate of each other… but eating them together? Interesting…
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost – I am cheese fail.
75. Roadkill - ok cleetus.
76. Baijiu – hahaha Sean calls this Chinese moonshine.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong - I’m going to say yes because last time I was in China, we did a tea house tour and tasted like 40 different teas… I’m pretty sure we covered this one.
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky – I got some in my pantry right now!
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant – *sob*
85. Kobe beef – remember from up above I mentioned a burger with fois gras and black truffles on top? Well, it was a kobe beef patty. It also had braised short ribs on it.
86. Hare - one of my favorites.
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano – I keep ordering this and struck out every time.
96. Bagel and lox
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake – tastes like chicken.
That is a total of 74, I tied you Ronnie dammit.
Ronnie’s additions to the list:
101. Jamon Iberico – mmmmm spanish bacon…. do want.
102-104. Tripe. Tongue. Trotters. – yum, I don’t care for tripe that much but I love a good tongue taco.
105. Marrow
106. Wild mushrooms
107. Huitlacoche - Ronnie this looks disgusting, but I’d try it. I wonder if I can find it at that Asian/Mexican supermarket.
108. Natto – I bet this isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.
109. Bitter Melon – ehhh it’s ok, and kind of refreshing in a way, but I still don’t think I’ll go out of my way to eat it.
Lets add a few more shall we?
110: Lutefisk – who doesn’t want a big glob of lye soaked fish? I still need to try this, and it’s not like it’s hard to get in MN.
111: Fermented Tofu – this is tofu fermented in white wine… I kind of love it.
112: Thousand year old egg – black eggs, ends up in a lot of episodes of andrew zimmern bizarre foods. Yeah it’s gross if you eat it as is, you gotta prepare it with something, then it’s pretty delicious.
113: Salted Duck Egg – Super high in cholesterol but oh man it’s worth it. The yolk is like roe. The white I can care less about.
114: PORK BELLY – I mean seriously, how do you make a culinary must-eat list and not include pork belly.
115: Shark fin soup – kind of a delicacy is it not? I don’t condone cutting fins off of sharks, but I do want to punch them sometimes.
116: Geoduck – they look so gross but they taste so good.
117: Chicharrones – basically pork rind, but if you’ve never had the skin of a perfectly cooked pig, you are not living life my friend.
I leave you with a picture of some roasted pork with the skin on. Crispy and delicious. Excuse the crappy iPhone picture, this is served at Mandarin Kitchen in Bloomington MN.
I can’t believe you insulted gin. You are dead to me.