What foods you don't ever want to see on your plate?

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Just goes to show you that everyone's tastes are different. I love liver, and liver sausages. I really don't like the rind on bri, camembert, and similar washed rind cheeses. But that's Ok, because it's relative to the way my taste and odor receptors are configured in my body. Everyone has the receptors, but they are like fingerprints, unique in configuration to everyone. And they are what determine how particular foods taste to each of us.

I love wintergreen, but hate most mints. My DW can tolerate mints, and used to love them, but has always hated wintergreen. My oldest son loves maple syrup, as do I. His and my DW's don't like maple syrup (how can you not like real maple syrup!:ohmy:? It's just the way, litteraly, that we are built.

Oh, and BT, your idea sounds really good. I might just have to try it. Thanks, buddy. I'd share a peanut or two with ya, but my arms aren't long enough. I call the peanut, the nut of friends because usually, there are two in the shell, one for me, and one for a friend.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I suspect the distaste for brie, when it's described as musty or mushroomy, is similar to the problem with cilantro. In cilantro, the offender is aldehydes that are also present in soap, lotions, and some bugs. Or mangos, that some people describe as tasting like pine needles (how do they know?) or dirty sweat socks. (I'm a little with them there. Mango has just enough of that to put me off, even though I can eat them.) Blue cheese tastes too much like bread mold for some.

It appears to be mostly genetic. All of those things present a balance of flavors. Their appeal is actually the thing that haters hate about them. Why eat brie and not just cream cheese? Because of the flavor that the haters hate. With brie, the balance of mushroom/must is the intentionally cultivated flavor developed in balance with the sweet dairy flavor. But if something upsets the balance, it triggers an alarm that it's rotten. With blue cheese, it's obvious. It actually is moldy, and to like it, you have to taste the balance against the dairy, which is rather acidic, another potential alarm, and therefore there seem to be more blue haters than brie haters. Cilantro's unique appeal is the stinkbug flavor that likers don't connect to the bug or to soap, any more than they connect blue with bread mold, because they are able to taste it in balance with the green flavor. (A little stinkbug goes a long way.) So likers have a hard time understanding the haters' dislikes. I understand mango haters, only because I experience it mildly out of kilter.

I wonder if there's any part of this that relates to risk. People have widely varying appreciations for and attractions to risk. Voluntarily eating something that the brain remembers from something to be avoided might be a kind of risk-taking. In evolutionary terms, go back to early humans (or early animals or any kind), and consider that, without any possibility of medical intervention, risks of food poisoning and intake of potentially dangerous rotten food was far more dangerous than we would think of it today. Even being temporarily disabled or even significantly slowed by illness could get you killed. Good enough reason for the alarm, when they sound, to be heard loud and clear. But at the same time, you can shy away from every occurrence of the offending flavor factor, because you might starve before you found enough that was free of any of them.
 
i'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, but it's a "musty" flavor that i like so much about brie. for me, the rind is the tastiest part of this and many other cheeses....:)

Just goes to show you that everyone's tastes are different. I love liver, and liver sausages. I really don't like the rind on bri, camembert, and similar washed rind cheeses. But that's Ok...

That's why my brie recipe uses the whole thing. Those who like the rind can scoop some up with their cracker, those who don't can dig down in the brie and skip the rind. Sometimes I like the rind and sometimes I don't. It seems more palatable to me when it's warm.
 
I suspect the distaste for brie, when it's described as musty or mushroomy, is similar to the problem with cilantro. In cilantro, the offender is aldehydes that are also present in soap, lotions, and some bugs. Or mangos, that some people describe as tasting like pine needles (how do they know?) or dirty sweat socks. (I'm a little with them there. Mango has just enough of that to put me off, even though I can eat them.) Blue cheese tastes too much like bread mold for some.

It appears to be mostly genetic. All of those things present a balance of flavors. Their appeal is actually the thing that haters hate about them. Why eat brie and not just cream cheese? Because of the flavor that the haters hate. With brie, the balance of mushroom/must is the intentionally cultivated flavor developed in balance with the sweet dairy flavor. But if something upsets the balance, it triggers an alarm that it's rotten. With blue cheese, it's obvious. It actually is moldy, and to like it, you have to taste the balance against the dairy, which is rather acidic, another potential alarm, and therefore there seem to be more blue haters than brie haters. Cilantro's unique appeal is the stinkbug flavor that likers don't connect to the bug or to soap, any more than they connect blue with bread mold, because they are able to taste it in balance with the green flavor. (A little stinkbug goes a long way.) So likers have a hard time understanding the haters' dislikes. I understand mango haters, only because I experience it mildly out of kilter.

I wonder if there's any part of this that relates to risk. People have widely varying appreciations for and attractions to risk. Voluntarily eating something that the brain remembers from something to be avoided might be a kind of risk-taking. In evolutionary terms, go back to early humans (or early animals or any kind), and consider that, without any possibility of medical intervention, risks of food poisoning and intake of potentially dangerous rotten food was far more dangerous than we would think of it today. Even being temporarily disabled or even significantly slowed by illness could get you killed. Good enough reason for the alarm, when they sound, to be heard loud and clear. But at the same time, you can shy away from every occurrence of the offending flavor factor, because you might starve before you found enough that was free of any of them.

Interesting conjecture. These are the kinds of discussions that I love to have with Sprout, and PurpleAlienGiraffe. They are great with these types of topics.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Well, I don't have anything scientific to support the risk idea. And if there was anything, it would be hard to find, because those search terms leave you swamped in the topic of risk behavior in eating unhealthy foods, which is conscious choice making and not at all what we mean. But if you offer someone a food of a sort that's new to them,few people will grab it and toss it down. People normally will say things like, "I'll try it" or "I'll take a chance." And we encourage them with, "Come on. Live dangerously" or "It won't hurt you." That's normal caution in the context of a dangerous environment, and they will smell first. If no alarms go off, they'll take a small taste and only then eat it, if nothing puts them off.

We can all detect the things that triggers the haters' hate. And surely, since we all share the same core experience and innate knowledge, we all, somewhere down inside, make the connection with the hazard that flavor associates with. But maybe some just don't hear the alarm. Maybe they're not brave or risk-taking eaters, just not protected.

That's a question, whether haters taste in different proportions or taste similarly to others but react differently. But it seems to be pretty well wired in, and it doesn't seem likely that you can change a hater. Is anyone a former hater of cilantro, brie, blue, etc. who thought they tasted foul (rather than never having tried them) who learned to like them? Former haters as children don't count. We know there are significant changes in taste from childhood to adulthood.
 
The thing I have trouble understanding is the passion that some "haters" need to express when they encounter something they do not care for. We all have likes and dislikes but for me it is just take it or leave it, no big deal.

By the way, I will leave black beans.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the genetic, built-in, like/dislike is partly a question of what is good/tolerable for your body, with your ancestry.

I can also easily believe the risk taker notion. It's probably best if the majority of the tribe is cautious about new smelling/tasting foods. It is also good if someone in the tribe is willing to take chances to find out if that new food is safe.
 
The thing I have trouble understanding is the passion that some "haters" need to express when they encounter something they do not care for. We all have likes and dislikes but for me it is just take it or leave it, no big deal.

By the way, I will leave black beans.

I think it's so people will remember quit giving it to us.

I am soooo tired of people trying to give me a treat of cooked salmon.
 
taxlady, I'm right there with you on that one! I can't stand cooked salmon other than smoked. I love smoked salmon. I think I could eat my own body weight of it.

I love cold smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it. ;)

BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!
 
I love cold smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it. ;)

BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!

Not only have I never tasted it, but until now, I'd never even heard of it.

Please tell me more! Do you have a recipe for making it?

This is what I found on Wiki:

"During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means "grave" or "to dig" (in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Estonian), and lax (or laks), which means "salmon", thus gravlax means "buried salmon".

Today fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for a few days. As the salmon cures, by the action of osmosis, the moisture turns the dry cure into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce. This same method of curing can be used for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most common."

EDIT: Just found a simple recipe for making it:

http://www.hub-uk.com/tallyrecip01/recipe0042.htm
 
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Not only have I never tasted it, but until now, I'd never even heard of it.

Please tell me more! Do you have a recipe for making it?

This is what I found on Wiki:

"During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which literally means "grave" or "to dig" (in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and Estonian), and lax (or laks), which means "salmon", thus gravlax means "buried salmon".

Today fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for a few days. As the salmon cures, by the action of osmosis, the moisture turns the dry cure into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce. This same method of curing can be used for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most common."

EDIT: Just found a simple recipe for making it:

Gravlax, Gravad laks, Gravlaks Recipe - Recipes by Tallyrand

I agree with everything except the last paragraph that you quoted.

Here's one of the recipes that I use: Gravlaks. I have also used Julia Child's recipe from The Way to Cook with good results. I have never made it in less than three days. I also cut down the recipe a whole lot and make a much smaller amount. Here's another modern Scandinavian recipe for it: Gravlaks

BTW, I buy frozen salmon. Commercially frozen salmon should be parasite free. If you buy fresh salmon for this, either buy sushi grade or google to see how long you need to freeze it at home to make sure any parasites are dead.
 
I love cold smoked salmon. I adore gravad laks. Just don't go spoiling my salmon by cooking it. ;)

BTW, have you ever tried gravad laks? It's very similar to smoked salmon with a subtler/more refined flavour. And, you can make it at home in your fridge!

I love creamed salmon and peas over mashed taters. A traditional dish for July 4th. Will pick at smoked salmon. BRW, Mom and Pop stores during the salmon run in the NW, keep a tray of smoked salmon on their countertop and the kids buy it by the square piece on the way to school in the morning. Sort of like I used to buy oily pizza as a teenager. :chef:
 
I agree with everything except the last paragraph that you quoted.

Here's one of the recipes that I use: Gravlaks. I have also used Julia Child's recipe from The Way to Cook with good results. I have never made it in less than three days. I also cut down the recipe a whole lot and make a much smaller amount. Here's another modern Scandinavian recipe for it: Gravlaks

BTW, I buy frozen salmon. Commercially frozen salmon should be parasite free. If you buy fresh salmon for this, either buy sushi grade or google to see how long you need to freeze it at home to make sure any parasites are dead.

Thank you so much for this recipe. Gravlaks , of those I've read now, this one is my favorite. I'll be doing this soon!

btw, any meat frozen at minus 4F for 7 days will be free of parasites. I have a sushi freezer I use for this that maintains -20F

I'll buy fresh fillets and freeze them prior to making this recipe.
 
Thank you so much for this recipe. Gravlaks , of those I've read now, this one is my favorite. I'll be doing this soon!

btw, any meat frozen at minus 4F for 7 days will be free of parasites. I have a sushi freezer I use for this that maintains -20F

I'll buy fresh fillets and freeze them prior to making this recipe.

Sushi freezer :D

I wouldn't bother turning the salmon more than every 12 hours, unless you want to turn it every 6 hours. Sometimes I want to check on it ;)

I tried the mustard sauce and didn't much like it. YMMV. Oops, I haven't tried that one. It was a different recipe I didn't like.
 
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i made refrigerator gravlax a year or two ago using a recipe from cooking for engineers.

it was ok, but too salty for me. maybe i let it salt too long, or didn't rinse it well enough.
 
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Gravlaks. A friend of mine (who happens to be from Greenland), makes excellent Gravlaks. I like mine with lots of fresh dill, so besides the salmon, I need to be able to get fresh dill as well. TL--is there a type of salmon you prefer (Atlantic vs. Pacific vs. Alaskan)? This is on my 2012 Bucket list--to make gravlaks. I've been nervous about doing so because I question the freshness of the salmon available. But I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE gravlaks.
 
cws, the recipe i used has you wrap the salmon in a load of dill, then encase it in salt. the dill is a must, imo.
 
Several years ago, I made gravlax from salmon we caught from Lake Huron. It was really good. Fresh dill was key.
 
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