Favorite "Less Typical" Foods

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YouHadMyCuriosity
YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are some of your favorite foods that are a little more unusual?

As a complete foodie, I try to keep myself motivated and excited throughout my journey to a healthier life by enjoying cooking great meals at home. Anyone have any ideas to share?

Over the last year, I've incorporated a lot of new things into my diet (veggies I haven't really eaten before, cooking more Asian dishes, experimenting with Indian food, etc). Mostly looking for relatively healthy suggestions, but I'm open to most things, I don't restrict anything entirely.

Except for cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is creepy.

Thought this would be a fun place to post this, since the MFP community seems to be great about not demonizing food, rather embracing it as necessary fuel for our bodies. Give me some good ideas to try out when I go grocery shopping this week!
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Replies

  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Dragon Fruit
    Cactus
    Prickly Pear
    Keifer
    Tempeh
  • Dugleik
    Dugleik Posts: 125
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    Caramelized Goat Cheese, or Brunost (literally brown cheese). It's a Norwegian thing. 30%fat and delicious all the way through.
  • kateanne27
    kateanne27 Posts: 275 Member
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    Cottage cheese is creepy!
    I like dragon fruit too, theres a dragon fruit farm that sells at my local farmers market, its awesome.
    I also make "ginger jerky" which I discovered by accident, but are fun to chew, just watch your breath :P
    I like poki, which is a hawaiian marinated raw tuna salad.
    And hibiscus on salads too, it tastes tart kind of like cranberries but milder.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    ohhh green chili goat cheese is really good too!
  • JaniePapageorgio
    JaniePapageorgio Posts: 142 Member
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    Preserved duck eggs, Asian pickled veggies, kim-chi, saurkraut, and beef tongue are some of my favorites (through the pickled stuff tends to have a lot of salt).
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
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    Goat curry. Either the Indian kind or the Jamaican kind.
    Egg curry.
    Shahi Paneer (Indian dish with cheese in a tomato-based sauce, generally eaten at weddings)
    Spinach and Dill purée
  • JaniePapageorgio
    JaniePapageorgio Posts: 142 Member
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    Goat curry. Either the Indian kind or the Jamaican kind.

    Goat anything! Super tasty, lean, and environmentally ethical.
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 987 Member
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    If I got a nickel each time a grocery store clerk pointed at the fennel and asked me "what's this?"....I'd be rich
  • mammamaurer
    mammamaurer Posts: 418 Member
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    moonshine.....er um ..... calamari sushi..yeah..:bigsmile:
  • YouHadMyCuriosity
    YouHadMyCuriosity Posts: 218 Member
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    Mmmm most of these sound great!
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
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    Bamboo shoots packed in chili oil. 1 tbsp chopped added to tuna salad along with corn is amazing. Rinsed and drained shirataki noodles in place of any noodle. Only $2 at Kroger so it's a cheap experiment. Dried grated coconut powder from an Indian mkt. A tbsp added to vegetable soups adds fiber and a rich nutty depth-does NOT add a coconut flavor. I also like a tbsp of dried fenugreek leaves(not seeds or powder) in my soups. They smell like raisins but have a spinach like flavor.
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
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    Mine may not be super weird for most people, but since I live in boonie-country, I tend to get strange looks or people asking me "Why are you eating that?" every time I eat some of my favorites: seaweed, falafel, potatoes topped with steak sauce or sriacha, and sardines.
  • smand2000
    smand2000 Posts: 88
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    Ceviche. Easy, healthy, delicious. Just do it!
  • hilarymcm
    hilarymcm Posts: 55 Member
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    Jellyfish! If you don't live near any Asian markets it can be hard to find, but I can always find it at the markets in Chinatown. It doesn't have much flavor on its own - you can buy it either salted/dried or packed in brine. I prefer the brine-packed because you don't have to soak it as long to remove the salt. Dress it with a splash of tamari and a splash of sesame & chili oil. It's practically pure protein and has a cool texture!
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    tamagoyaki

    goat

    buffalo
  • Cbandelier
    Cbandelier Posts: 217 Member
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    duck eggs and kombucha
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
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    These may be rather ordinary but not in my country. I replace most sides with Quinoa or bulgur wheat now. I second Beef tongue, get it smoked if you can. Oxtail is great for slow-cooking. any smelly cheese :)
  • lighteningjeanne855
    lighteningjeanne855 Posts: 566 Member
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    nopales (cactus)
    chicken gizzards and hearts
    kimchee
    chorizo sausage (fresh from the butcher)
    pork rinds
    chayote squash
    spaghetti squash
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I wish could chance kimchee.. I've heard such good thing about it.. but most of the jars say it either contains shrimp or shrimp flavoring or is made in a facility with shellfish. I cant' touch it. :(
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Jellyfish! If you don't live near any Asian markets it can be hard to find, but I can always find it at the markets in Chinatown. It doesn't have much flavor on its own - you can buy it either salted/dried or packed in brine. I prefer the brine-packed because you don't have to soak it as long to remove the salt. Dress it with a splash of tamari and a splash of sesame & chili oil. It's practically pure protein and has a cool texture!

    You can eat jellyfish???? interesting...

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