Here it is! Your one and only a to z collection of cool foods.
Ladies and gentlemen, what you've all been waiting for: An a-z alphabet of cool foods! It's exciting, I know, so enjoy it now, and eat it later! (Actually, some of these are totally disgusting, so I'll let you know what to try or avoid by using emojis. Here's the key:
😃=it's great, 🙂=it's good, 😒=it's an acquired taste, 🤨=it's okay, 🤮= completely disgusting, 🤷♀️= I seriously don't know.) One last thing, we're splitting this section into three parts, so you'll only see up to "i" today. No more wasting time, let's go!!!
A -- Agave Nectar 🙂
You may be wondering why I didn't go with something as simple as an apple or avocado. Well, I made this list to introduce people to different things, and our team worked very hard to put this list together. Anyway, the plant in the picture above is an agave plant. There are a lot of different products you can make from this plant, but today we're going to be focusing on agave nectar. Oh, and kids, this is a great ingredient to put into homemade mocktails. Trust me, I've done it before. Anyway, this concoction is very sweet, almost like a sugar. And when I say very sweet, I mean very sweet. People often put agave nectar in things like tea and alcohol to make them sweeter. Anyway, you may be wondering how this syrup-like mixture is made. It's obviously made from the juice of the agave plant, which you extract from the heart of the agave. You then heat it, and voila! Fresh agave nectar! (Put this in mocktails along with sparkling water and lime or lemon juice.) Here's a recipe for a cake with agave syrup.
B -- Black Limes 🤷♀️
As you can tell, I seriously don't know anything much about black limes. At least not about how they taste. But, as the woman says in the helpful video above, they taste really good. I hope I can take her word for it. I'm not meaning to advertise or anything, but their channel has some super interesting recipes, so be sure to check it out! Anyway, the video pretty much covered everything. You can use black limes to flavor stews or use it as a powder, like she said. Also, they apparently call it loomi, so if you hear that, don't be confused. And I think we've covered that! Isn't it crazy how short this paragraph is compared to the first one? I really should find more videos to help explain everything more quickly. (And I guess I don't need to include a recipe link!)
C -- Cherry Plum 🙂
I feel like this is one of those foods that you really don't know, but you aren't surprised that it exists. At least that's what I felt like when I heard its name. Cherry plums are available in the summer, and have a high nutritional value. Also called Thundercloud, the scientific name of this fruit is Prunus cerasifera which basically means cherry tree. You can use these in many dishes, but I like the idea of having them in a cake or pie best. I mean, who doesn't like cake? Here's a Cherry plum cake recipe.
D -- Durian 🤮
All hail: The King of Fruits! The only problem is... The King smells. See, when you cut a durian open, it emits a bad smell. Sorry, that's an understatement. It emits the most nasty smell ever. This Thai food is hated by some and loved by others. Apparently even though its smell is undescribable, people say it tastes good. Most foreigners are too overwhelmed by the outrageous smell, to even think for a second about trying the fruit. My favorite fruit is a durian, and I haven't even seen one in real life! Why? Because it's the king, of course! Here's a durian doughut recipe.
E -- Escargot 😃
I know, I know, snails seem gross, but the truth is that they taste awesome! Oh, and by the way, you don't pronounce the "t" in the word. Please, open up your mind to this because they taste awesome. Just imagine this garlicky, fantastic sauce around something a bit slimy. And I know, the word slimy really makes a difference to you here. But it's good, and please take my word for it, because if you don't, you'll be missing out. Anyway, let's get to the boring part, shall we? Escargot is a classic French dish, but you can find great escargot dishes in other places, too. Apparently the French consume 40,000 metric tons of snails each year. Also, heliculture is the process of raising edible snails. Did you know that May 24th is National Escargot Day in America? Yay for me! Here's Anthony Bourdain's recipe.
F -- Frogs Legs 😒
Here's another one that looks and sounds disgusting. Well, I have a surprising fact that may make you think twice about that one. Frogs legs taste like chicken! And no, I'm not kidding. Okay, they kind of taste like chicken. But still! I looked on the web, I even asked a person to prove to you that you might enjoy them. In the picture above, you see fried frogs legs, but there are many different preparations of this dish, some of which do not include any fried stuff. Frogs legs are traditional in France, but the dish has spread throughout the world. Frogs legs are also highly appreciated in Cantonese culture, and Indonesia is the largest exporter of frogs legs. Going back to what I said about eating them, they look a little like a chicken wing, and I hope that gives you some courage to try them. What's the worst that could happen? Here's a recipe for fried frogs legs.
G -- Gado Gado 🙂
What's so special about this dish? It loooks like an ordinary salad. Well, it is. Sort of. Every salad has certain base ingredients, and this salad is no different. Traditionally from Indonesia, Gado Gado is made up of vegetables, boiled eggs, potato, peanut dressing, and other ingredients. Lots of lists will promote Gado Gado as one of the best dishes in Indonesian culture. This mega salad is sure to make people think twice before they run towards the meat. Here's a recipe for Gado Gado.
H -- Hijiki 🤷♀️
I'm going to tell you straight out that hijiki is seaweed, just because I don't want to force you to eat anything not tasty. Like I already said, I have no idea how it tastes, so just keep that in mind. One person says it tastes somewhat like mushrooms, but I cannot be sure. Just so you know, I would not eat it because it has high levels of arsenic (an element poisonous to humans.) Of course, it looks like the health benefits outweigh the risks, and with the proper cleaning, hijiki should be fine. You see, hijiki contains vitamins and nutrients, which makes it extremely healthy at the same time. Still, I'm not going to include a recipe for this Asian seaweed salad, just in case. Better to be safe than sorry!
I -- Idli 🙂
I know as a fact that these are good, so don't even try to argue with me this time. My grandmother makes these for me sometimes, being an Indian family and all. Now that I think about it, it's harder to describe these than I thought. Let me see... Well, it's like a steamed patty made of rice and lentils. You may not be used to the flavors at first bite, but they grow on you. This is a popular snack in India, but perhaps you will like it, too. Surprisingly, I don't have too much to say about this. Oh well. The dish will prove itself to you. Here's a recipe for idlis.
I hope you enjoyed all those recipes, and if you have any favorites, email them to me at info@dawnofink.com. Even if we don't respond, we'll have your email. Thanks for reading!
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