Top 10 Foods You Either Love or Hate

Saying you love fungus in your salad or on your pizza might make you seem not quite right in the head. But specify that you like mushrooms, and people will understand. Well, certain people. While some love mushrooms for their earthy flavor and distinct texture, others despise them for those very reasons. Some just can’t get past their fungus status. Even if you can’t stand eating mushrooms, you can at least appreciate their health benefits. With plenty of Vitamin D and zinc, as well as possibly lowering blood pressure, you don't have to dig deep to see what’s good about them.

Some people enjoy oysters cooked with butter and garlic, while others slurp them down raw on the half shell. Then, there are those who stay away from them completely, and it’s not just vegetarians and vegans. Once a low-cost seafood item, oysters are now seen as a delicacy. But a high status isn’t good enough for some, who are repulsed by their slimy texture. Oyster advocates will say you need to prepare and consume them properly. Even if served raw, things like lemon juice can really enhance the flavor. There’s also the timing of consumption, knowing when to slurp, when to chew, and when to swallow. And if you still hate them after all that, well at least you tried.

When you hear the word “spam,” you might think of junk email or Monty Python before you think of canned pork. While there are plenty of processed meat products on supermarket shelves, few are a punchline to the extent of Spam. Created by Hormel in 1937, Spam was popular among soldiers fighting in WWII and for countries needing to ration food supplies. While some might see Spam as a last resort meal, it’s beloved in many cultures. In Hawaii, Spam is so adored it’s called "The Hawaiian Steak.” Spam is also popular in the Philippines as well as East Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. You might also be surprised by how versatile an ingredient it is.

Do you find Almond Joys to be anything but a joy? Do you refuse to hear about the benefits of using coconut oil as a moisturizer? If so, you’re probably a coconut hater. Some people find nothing redeeming about this fruit, hating its coarse texture and lingering aftertaste. And they’d risk dehydration over one sip of coconut water. Others are nuts for coconuts, enjoying the taste and its many uses, making cakes with coconut butter and curries with coconut milk. No matter where you stand on the debate, we can all agree on one thing: it would not be fun to have a coconut fall on your head.

Beets, short for beetroots, are a root vegetable known for their distinct flavor. For some, that flavor is sweetness, for others, it’s dirt. People who can’t stand beets aren’t necessarily being overdramatic. Geosmin is a chemical found in beets that gives them an aroma of dirt, even if they’ve been washed. Since smell and taste are connected, those who are sensitive to this odor can have a hard time stomaching beets. But you might be able to develop a tolerance by seeking out beets with lower amounts of geosmin. And if you need nutrition to motivate you, research indicates beets may help with inflammation and high blood pressure. After all, would Dwight Schrute ever steer you wrong?

Don’t want anyone to touch your pizza? Get it with anchovies and they’ll be staying away based on smell alone. Of course, you first need to make sure you can stand anchovies yourself. These tiny fish are salty and oily, delicious to some and repulsive to others. They’re also more common than you might realize, playing a key role in Caesar salad dressing and popping up in fish sauce. Granted, there’s a difference between enjoying the essence of anchovies and eating them whole. Some recommend spending extra for higher-quality anchovies in a jar instead of cheap ones in a can. It might sound fishy, but some people really love anchovies.

For some people, the words “brussels sprouts” conjure up childhood memories of suffering through these tiny members of the cabbage family at the dinner table. While some learn to love them after trying different cooking techniques, such as roasting in olive oil, others can’t overcome their brussels sprout bias. If you’re one of these people, it might be that you have a particularly sensitive tongue and that you can only taste the bitterness of brussels sprouts. With additional seasoning or perhaps sauteing them in brown sugar, you can cut through some of the bitterness. And we don’t need to tell you this, but brussels sprouts are really, really good for you.

You might love Twizzlers or Red Vines, but a purist wouldn’t count those as proper licorice. Black licorice is the kind derived from the licorice plant, and the taste is controversial, to say the least. Some find it sweet, while others find it sickening. The flavor reminds some people of fennel, but it actually comes from glycyrrhizin, a key component of the licorice plant. Plus, there’s the chewy texture and strong aroma. If you do enjoy licorice, enjoy it responsibly; glycyrrhizin is a powerful ingredient and too much can result in licorice overdose, up to and including death!

You might have heard people saying that cilantro tastes like soap. Either this baffled you, or you felt like you had finally been validated. This aromatic herb – also known as “coriander” – can add flavor to just about any dish. Unfortunately, for some, that flavor is less “delicious” and more “detergent.” What gives? It's simply a matter of a genetic anomaly in which cilantro's aldehydes give off a soapy flavor. And that’s not exactly a flavor you want to voluntarily taste. If a kid says a bad word, do they have their mouth washed out with cilantro?

Ask someone if they like pineapple, and odds are good they’ll say yes. Pizza? Same answer. But the two of them together? Either they’ll give you a disgusted look or a passionate defense. Pineapple pizza, or “Hawaiian pizza” (if you add ham or bacon), has become one of the most hotly debated culinary issues of our lifetime. Created by Greek-Canadian chef Sam Panopoulos in 1962, pineapple pizza continues, so clearly there’s a demand. Some people like the contrast of sweet against savory and salty. Others believe pizza and fruit need to be kept as far apart as possible. But it’s still not the weirdest pizza topping we’ve heard of.