Forgive me for repeating myself. I’ve written before about how ingredients/foods surprise. You can go a lifetime preparing and eating something, or not, and then one day have it prepared a different way – by a cooking technique, flavouring, application, or accompaniment – and just like that, the dish can become a hit or a miss. In my case, it was a miss, but for everyone else, it was a hit. This speaks to the subjectivity of taste; one person’s ‘poison’ is another’s feast. The bottom line is that we should not limit ourselves, at least try things once.
Over the just-concluded holidays, instead of regular (English) potato salad, I decided to make breadfruit salad. Same preparation as with potato salad, only I used breadfruit instead. As I said above (gosh I am repeating myself again), the salad was a big hit with everyone but me. I found the breadfruit to be heavy, too substantial, not light as potatoes can be in a salad. And then there was the natural flavour of the breadfruit that I found off-putting. I managed to eat exactly 2 pieces and no more. I simply could not handle it. Granted, I won’t say that I am the biggest fan of breadfruit, but this recent experience made me realize that there are certain things that I can only have prepared in particular ways. What about you? Are you the same with certain foods/ingredients?
I have always considered myself to be rather open about eating a variety of foods and if I am not being too hard on myself, I believe that to be true. However, I have come to accept that there are certain ingredients that I will and can only eat when prepared a particular way.
Pumpkin – I cannot eat pumpkin steamed; you know, when it is cut into large chunks, steamed and served along with other steamed vegetables as a
side dish. Another way I cannot eat pumpkin is baked – when halved or cut into large pieces, seasoned wonderfully with herbs or spices, cooked in the oven, and then served as a side dish. In both situations, the cooked pumpkin would have to be mashed, pureed and mixed with other stuff to make something before I could eat it.
Carrots – This is another ingredient that I can only eat in 2 particular ways – raw as in a salad or coleslaw or cooked in Fried Rice or Chowmein. Roasted, sautéed, or boiled in soups or stews, I would push it aside and not eat it. One time I pickled carrots and even made fritters, one taste of each and I knew immediately they were not for me. For everyone else that had them they were hits!
Baigan/Eggplant – If baigan/eggplant is not first fire-roasted, and then mashed (as in a Choka) or pureed (in a dip), it is not passing my lips! I will also eat the fire-roasted baigan if it is mashed and cooked in a dry curry with potatoes or eddoes. It is the smokiness that does it for me. A few years ago, a friend introduced me fire-roasted eggplant jam and it was delicious, however, with each bite I kept thinking Choka (lol).
Sweet/bell peppers – If these are stir-fried or cooked in a stew or curry, I would not eat them. But sliced raw and in a salad, I would gobble it up. However, I do like the texture that fire-roasted bell peppers gives to spreads and dips. The cooked peppers are masked with the other ingredients and flavourings, hence making them palatable.
Parents often complain about their children not liking certain things and while in some cases it may be an inherent dislike, sometimes it is the manner in which that food/ingredient might be prepared. Don’t give up after one try; try cooking things using a different technique, flavouring or even the manner in which the ingredient is cut/sliced. You may be pleasantly surprised. Come on, how often have parents not said that their children would not eat X, Y or Z only to have them go to someone else’s home and eat the same thing! My nephew loves vegetables, including okra. Whilst on a visit here with me I made fried (sautéed okra) but instead of cutting the okra into thin rounds, I cut the okra thinly, lengthways. That child did not touch the okra. It looked unfamiliar to him; he’s accustomed to how his mom and grandmother would cut the okra – into thin rounds.
As the new year gets underway, don’t just say you’re not eating something because you think you would not like it, don’t limit yourself. Try something new at least once or try something familiar using a different method of preparation, flavouring or accompaniment. I only ever used to eat fried pumpkin with rice until I tried it with roti (everyone raves about pumpkin with roti). One day, years ago, I tried it with roti and immediately understood what the glee was about – the two things perfectly complement each other in taste and texture. I have a friend for whom curry does not exist unless it is eaten with roti, not dhal puri or rice. To each his or her own.
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
