Some foods make you hesitate at first bite. But once you give them a chance, they turn into cravings you can’t shake. These eight dishes prove that delicious often hides behind “ew.”
We all have that one food we swore we’d never eat until curiosity or a persistent friend convinced us otherwise.
Then, somewhere between that first hesitant bite and the second, we realized we were wrong.
It’s funny how much of our food aversion comes down to psychology.
Texture, smell, even the idea of something can turn us off before we give it a fair shot. But when we push past that initial “ew,” a whole world of flavor opens up.
Today, I want to talk about eight foods that sound gross at first glance but once you try them, you might just find yourself craving them.
Let’s dig in.
1) Nutritional yeast
If you’ve been vegan for a while, this one’s practically a rite of passage. But for the uninitiated, “nutritional yeast” sounds like something scraped off the bottom of a lab beaker.
The truth? It’s golden magic.
Nutritional yeast, or “nooch” as the cool kids call it, is deactivated yeast flakes with a cheesy, nutty flavor.
Sprinkle it on popcorn, pasta, or even avocado toast, and suddenly you’ve got a guilt-free umami bomb.
When I first went vegan, I remember looking at the label and thinking, “There’s no way this dusty yellow stuff can replace cheese.”
Spoiler: it did. Within a week, I was adding it to everything.
It’s also rich in B vitamins, which gives it bonus points. Disgusting-sounding? Maybe. Addictive once you’ve tried it? Absolutely.
2) Kimchi
Fermented cabbage. Just that phrase alone is enough to make people wrinkle their noses.
But kimchi isn’t just cabbage. It’s an entire universe of flavor. Spicy, tangy, garlicky, funky. The kind of taste that evolves as it hits your tongue.
I tried it for the first time in a tiny Seoul restaurant while traveling years ago. The waiter dropped a side dish of something that looked suspicious.
But by the second bite, I was hooked. That heat, that crunch, that fermented depth. It was alive.
The beauty of kimchi is that it’s more than food. It’s a centuries-old Korean tradition, packed with probiotics that boost gut health.
These days, I mix it into fried rice or load it on avocado toast (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it).
If you can get past the “fermented cabbage” thing, you’ll never look back.
3) Tofu
Ah, tofu. The misunderstood hero of plant-based eating.
For years, tofu got a bad rap as the bland, squishy block of sadness that only health nuts or monks could love. The truth? Tofu’s not boring. You just have to know what to do with it.
When cooked right, tofu becomes a chameleon. Crispy, savory, satisfying. It takes on whatever flavors you throw its way.
Marinate it, bake it, fry it, grill it. Tofu is all about transformation.
I remember my first tofu attempt ended in disaster. It was soggy and flavorless.
But after learning how to press, season, and crisp it up, I realized tofu was a blank canvas. Now, I crave it the way I used to crave fried chicken.
Sometimes, what we call “disgusting” is just “misunderstood.”
4) Miso
If you’ve ever had miso soup, you’ve tasted this funky, salty paste made from fermented soybeans. It doesn’t sound appealing. “Fermented bean paste” rarely does. But it’s the soul of umami.
Miso adds a kind of quiet depth to food that’s hard to describe until you taste it. It’s salty, savory, slightly sweet, and deeply comforting.
A spoonful in soups, dressings, or even mashed potatoes can change everything.
What hooked me wasn’t a soup, though. It was miso caramel. I had it once at a vegan café in San Francisco, and my brain exploded.
The combination of salty miso and sweet caramel was borderline illegal in its perfection.
Yes, fermented bean paste might sound gross. But trust me, it’s magic in disguise.
5) Seaweed
When you think “seaweed,” your mind probably goes to something slimy washing up on a beach. Not exactly appetizing.
But in food form, seaweed is an entirely different experience. It’s the reason sushi tastes the way it does. It’s the deep, briny flavor that connects your taste buds straight to the ocean.
Seaweed isn’t just about taste either. It’s a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with iodine, iron, and antioxidants.
When I first started eating it, I couldn’t believe how addictive it was. That salty crunch of roasted nori sheets? Perfect snack.
It’s funny how our brain associates “sea” with “slimy.”
But once you learn that seaweed can be crispy, savory, and even a little smoky, it becomes a flavor you can’t get enough of.
6) Tempeh
Let’s be honest. Fermented soybean cake doesn’t sound like something you’d willingly eat.
But tempeh, with its nutty flavor and meaty texture, has completely changed how I think about protein. Originating from Indonesia, it’s tofu’s bolder, more complex cousin.
The first time I tried it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It looked strange. But once it hit the pan with some soy sauce, garlic, and maple syrup, everything changed.
Crispy edges, chewy center, and an earthy depth that pairs with just about anything.
Tempeh’s also packed with protein and probiotics, making it one of the healthiest plant-based foods you can eat.
It’s one of those foods that teaches you something about your own taste buds. They can evolve if you let them.
7) Kombucha
Fermented tea might not sound like a refreshing beverage. “It’s made with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast,” someone once told me. Not exactly thirst-quenching words.
And yet, here we are, with kombucha on every café menu and grocery shelf.
Kombucha has this effervescent tang. Part soda, part vinegar, part mystery. The first sip can be weird. But once you adjust, it’s strangely addictive. It wakes up your senses in a way regular drinks don’t.
I started drinking it years ago, mostly out of curiosity, and now I brew my own at home.
It’s not just a health thing (though the probiotics are great). It’s about how alive it feels. Like drinking a little bit of energy.
If you’ve written it off as “that hippie drink,” give it another shot. It might surprise you.
8) Jackfruit
If there’s a “gateway weird food” for non-vegans, it’s jackfruit.
On paper, it sounds questionable. A tropical fruit that tastes like pulled pork? What? But once you try it, especially in tacos or sandwiches, you get it.
The texture is eerily similar to shredded meat, and when cooked with BBQ sauce or spices, it’s a total game-changer.
I still remember trying it for the first time at a vegan food truck in Los Angeles.
The guy handed me a jackfruit “pulled pork” sandwich, and I laughed, until I took a bite. The smoky, tangy flavor was unreal.
Jackfruit is one of those foods that bridges worlds. It challenges your idea of what fruit can be, and once you get past the weirdness, you start craving it.
Why we love what we once hated
There’s something psychological going on here.
Research shows that our taste preferences aren’t fixed. They’re shaped by exposure, culture, and mindset. What’s “gross” to one person is comfort food to another.
When we push past that initial resistance, that moment where our brain says “no” because something’s unfamiliar, we create space for growth.
And not just on our plates.
Trying new foods trains your brain to be more open, flexible, and curious. It’s a tiny form of self-development hiding in your fridge.
The bottom line
Disgust is a powerful reaction, but it’s not always accurate. Sometimes it’s just fear dressed up as a reflex.
Once you challenge that fear, you might find that the foods you thought you’d hate are the ones you love most.
Go ahead. Revisit that weird thing on the menu. Let curiosity win.
You might just end up hooked.
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