The Omnivore’s 100

October 12th, 2008  | Print this page Print This Article

So the story goes like this: a blog posts a list of 100 food items that they feel every person should try at least once in their life.  Hundreds of people around the world then copy the list marking the things they’ve eaten (or would never eat), and I read about it from one of those then decide to give it a go.

Prickly Pear (#51 in the list)

Prickly Pear (#51 in the list)

So, following below is the original list with my little comments alongside.  You can copy the list to your blog, too, following the simple rules below (taken from the original post - well worth checking out).

The 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 www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison.  Eaten many times; a bit like beef only richer and gamier.
2. Nettle tea.  Tried this shortly after cooking Nettle Soup (inspired by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall).  The soup is delicious, the tea is just OK; still worth trying though.
3. Huevos rancheros.  I don’t think I’ve tried this, although I might have when I was on holiday in Mexico about 10 years ago.
4. Steak tartare.  I’ve eaten this a few times, first at my brother in law’s wedding.  More than a gimmick, steak tartare is delicious.
5. Crocodile.  Not tried.  I have cooked Aligator tail kebabs once though, which were nice enough.
6. Black pudding. But of course; this is pretty much a standard item when I have a cooked breakfast.
7. Cheese fondue.  Nope.  Perhaps I’m not sociable enough but I can’t envisage an occassion where a fondue kit would be the centre of attention.
8. Carp.  A quick discussion with my wife and we think I haven’t eaten this (but we’re not sure - we think that we substituted fish the last few times due to availability).  It’s a standard feature of the Polish Christmas dinner though so I guess I will fairly soon…
9. Borscht.  This clear beetroot soup is delicious and I’d recommend it to anyone.  First enjoyed via my Wife as Polish Barszcz.
10. Baba ghanoush.  I think not, but I’ve had similar sounding aubergine dishes before.
11. Calamari.  A lot of people have said “I tried Calamari once but it’s really rubbery”.  Not if your chef knows what he’s doing, it isn’t (go to a better restaurant!).
12. Pho. Methinks I remember this from a Thai restaurant a year or so back.  I could be mistaken though.
13. PB&J sandwich.  I’ve tried it and can’t see what the fuss is all about.  You Americans are a strange bunch sometimes ;)
14. Aloo gobi.  An Indian dish made from potatoes and cauliflower, I’ve eaten this many times.
15. Hot dog from a street cart.  I’ve eaten lots of hot dogs.  From a street cart, hmmn..  Does a burger van count?
16. Epoisses.  Stinky cheese, not yet tried.
17. Black truffle.  Expensive!
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes. Elderberry wine, rhubarb wine, and probably a few more.  There’s a reason that grape wine is the most popular, though.
19. Steamed pork buns.  I think not, but have eaten similar.
20. Pistachio ice cream. I hated this as a kid (perhaps fake stuff) but love it now.
21. Heirloom tomatoes.  Jeez, probably not.   I dunno; probably growing my own next year.
22. Fresh wild berries. Wild strawberries and raspberries in Scotland (picked from just where dogs probably pee), and brambles in England (picked from all over the place).
23. Foie gras.  Tick this one - but only once.  Paid £25 in a restaurant for a fillet with a lump dolloped on the top.  It went out of business soon after.
24. Rice and beans.
25. Brawn, or head cheese.  Nope.  Would try it, though.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper.  No no no.  My mouth isn’t capable of such crazy stuff.
27. Dulce de leche.
28. Oysters.  Yeah yeah, of course.  I love ‘em with lemon juice squeezed over and a couple of drops of Tabasco in each.
29. Baklava.  I’m a big baklava fan; I’ve eaten Turkish, Greek and Kurdish and they’re all delicious (and pretty much identical).
30. Bagna cauda.  Hadn’t heard of it until now.
31. Wasabi peas.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl.  Would love the opportunity but unfortunately it’s never arisen.
33. Salted lassi.
34. Sauerkraut.  This is pretty much a staple food in Poland and an essential ingredient for dishes such as Bigos, which I love.  Also check out our guide to making your own sauerkraut.
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar.  No smoking, please.
37. Clotted cream tea.  I’m British so I should have, but somehow it has passed me by.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O.  I’ve tried it when I was younger.  I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail.  Oxtail is great and cheap.  Check out my Oxtail stew recipe for more.
41. Curried goat.  I had this once in Malta at an African restaurant.
42. Whole insects.  No no no.  I’m not man enough for this one.
43. Phaal.  Another no.  I value my taste buds!
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more.  My Dad is Scottish, so of course I have.  I still don’t like the stuff, though.
46. Fugu.  Eeek, no chance.  Anything that might kill me is off the menu.  Click the link in this article.
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel.  It’s on the “to do” list.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin.  Pasta with sea urchin was on all the menus when I was in Malta last month, but whenever I asked it was “off the menu”.  Must be out of season or something, I guess.
51. Prickly pear.  Not tried yet but there’s no reason why not.  See the picture at the start of this article.
52. Umeboshi.  According to Wikipedia they can melt their way through a metal lunchbox, but I’d still give ‘em a go.  Can’t be any worse for your health than the Big Mac, below.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer.  The local Indian restaurant does a saag paneer dish.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal.  You can’t judge if you don’t try.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV.  *hiccup*
59. Poutine.  I read about this in an aeroplane magazine recently.  Not tried.
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads.  Some people in England think sweetbreads are bollocks (literally); they’re not.  I’ve eaten them before (ummn, sweetbreads, that is).
63. Kaolin.  Sounds like eating mud, to me.
64. Currywurst
65. Durian.  Called the “smelly fruit” this surely has to be tried, doesn’t it?
66. Frogs’ legs. They taste like chicken.  No, really, they do (perhaps my palate isn’t refined enough).
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis.  I love haggis; check out my recipe for haggis, neeps and tatties.
69. Fried plantain.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette.  Pig intestines; don’t think I have.
71. Gazpacho.  Cold soups aren’t scary.
72. Caviar and blini.  Caviar isn’t worth all the money people pay; sorry guys.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill.  I love HFW but don’t think I’d ever collect up roadkill.  If someone else were to cook it though…
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie.  Mmmn, fake fruit flavour.
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong.  Smokey tea.  I quite like it, depending on the mood I’m in, and think I have some downstairs.
80. Bellini.  Fizzy peachey wine drink; not sure if I have or haven’t so it can remain unchecked for now.
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict.
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.  Not that I’m sure my wallet will stretch that far.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare.  My local butcher sometimes has it in.
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse.  My Wife would kill me if I ever did.
90. Criollo chocolate.  Posh chocolate, yum.
91. Spam.  Heh, I quite like spam.
92. Soft shell crab.  Only tried once; deep fried in a Thai restaurant with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano.  Eaten and enjoyed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor.  We visit Scotland every year or so to see family and always pick out a live lobster in Oban for dinner.
98. Polenta.  First time I cooked it at home it was like rubber; I ignored the packet instructions.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.  Hardly straight from the source, but my local café uses this, apparently.
100. Snake

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15 Responses to “The Omnivore’s 100”

  1. johanna says:

    quite an impressive list… but quite obviously, you will need to be convinced about the wonders of a cheese fondue - there’s nothing more convivial, well, if you like cheese, that is, of course!

  2. I know these lists are everywhere but I love them! Nice to read your take on it!

  3. scott says:

    @johanna - Perhaps one day. Maybe after I experience it I’ll be converted.

    @Heidi /Savory Tv - They are everywhere…A very popular subject!

  4. Lil says:

    hehehe, indeed this list is everywhere, and i did one a while back… till now, haven’t really change anything on the list though… and i agree, frog’s leg tastes just like chicken, and looks like a miniature chicken wing too… ;)

  5. scott says:

    @Lil - I did see a tin of dulce de leche in the supermarket today so might buy that. But I’m sure I’ll get fat…

  6. [...] been watching this meme/challenge do the rounds for a while, friends Jeanne and Johanna but it was Scott who finally had me think I should give it a go too. So what is it all [...]

  7. Y says:

    Ha, my dad used to serve us frogs legs, telling us that it was chicken. They were mighty tasty. I’m with you on the raw pepper as well. I’ve chewed a raw scud (bird’s eye chilli) before, and that was painful enough!

  8. scott says:

    @Y - Ouch. When I was younger I could eat some really spicy food, now I settle with “quite spicy”.

  9. This prickly pear looks like cactus we call “opuncja” in Polish and it makes delicious tea! ;)

  10. Jeanne says:

    Great list - we crossed off the near-identical things as being out of the question LOL!

  11. Soma says:

    Thats a long list!! Don’t know if I can do this, but very interesting to read.

    was not aware of “rose harissa” even tho i just posted the regular Harissa. With rose sounds extremely intriguing…

    Am not a frog leg kinda girl:-( neither venison. cannot think of eating animals bigger than me.

  12. great list! But epoisses is something that I can’t live without! I just love the pic of the prickly pear. I bought a bunch last week for a mexican nogales dish to eat with my tacos. Yum!

  13. neeki says:

    pho is actually a vietnamese dish, so i suspect you had it at a vietnamese restaurant instead…

  14. scott says:

    @Coffee and Vanilla - My wife has never heard of it, but I’m sure that doesn’t mean you’re wrong (she’s no Oracle!). Would be great to try.

    @Jeanne - I guess we share some common sense on some of these items!

    @Soma - You said you can’t eat frog’s legs because you won’t eat animals bigger than you? :p

    @White On Rice Couple - Ah, I could only wish we had such food around here. If Tesco don’t stock it, we don’t have it ;)

    @neeki - I suspect I don’t know what I’m talking about and you’ve figured me out. Perhaps I’m thinking of something else …

  15. Soma says:

    Lol ! That was meant for the Venison.:-D. frogs legs are creeeeeepyyyy to me, even tho they are way smaller than me.:-)

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